When Does the Liturgical Day Start and End?

[TimothyH]

When does the liturgical day start and end?

Do I pray the mystery of the rosary for Tuesday if I have stayed up past 11:59 PM on Monday, or do I pray monday’s mystery. Or is it when one goes to to sleep and wakes up again?

What about the Liturgy of the Hours? Mass? Reception of the Eucharist?

-Tim-

 

[promethius]

When does the liturgical day start and end?

Do I pray the mystery of the rosary for Tuesday if I have stayed up past 11:59 PM on Monday, or do I pray monday’s mystery. Or is it when one goes to to sleep and wakes up again?

What about the Liturgy of the Hours? Mass? Reception of the Eucharist?

-Tim-

Erm… aren’t there already two other active threads discussing this question? The most recent of which, and the one which I and the good Father David are discussing on, can be found HERE.

 

[SMHW]

When does the liturgical day start and end?

Do I pray the mystery of the rosary for Tuesday if I have stayed up past 11:59 PM on Monday, or do I pray monday’s mystery. Or is it when one goes to to sleep and wakes up again?

What about the Liturgy of the Hours? Mass? Reception of the Eucharist?

-Tim-

You’ve been referred to the discussion for liturgical purposes.

But in the case of the rosary it is actually a private devotion not a liturgical devotion. So you’ve got some freedom to determine what day it is for your evening rosary. However I would think that if you are including praying the rosary with liturgical prayer forms that you would want to follow the liturgical day.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

Sundays, solemnities, and feasts of the Lord in the General Roman Calendar celebrated on a Sunday begin with the First Evening Prayer (Vespers) of the preceding day.

All other liturgical days: feasts, memorials, and ferial days are celebrated within the confines of the calendar day.

 

[FrDavid96]

When does the liturgical day start and end?

Do I pray the mystery of the rosary for Tuesday if I have stayed up past 11:59 PM on Monday, or do I pray monday’s mystery. Or is it when one goes to to sleep and wakes up again?

What about the Liturgy of the Hours? Mass? Reception of the Eucharist?

-Tim-

(Yes, I realize that some of this has already been posted)

Most days begin/end at Midnight.

Sundays, solemnities, and major feasts of the Lord begin at the “time of First Vespers” which is 4 PM on the evening before and end at Midnight.

For private devotions like the rosary, the mysteries of the day are only a suggestion. One is free to choose any set of mysteries.

The Church has a table of precedence for liturgical days–this is in the general norms for the calendar and is printed on the opening pages of the Roman Missal. It’s also in volume one of the 4-volume Liturgy of the Hours.

When it comes to choosing the Mass, the priest is bound to follow the calendar strictly. But one thing to keep in mind is that sometimes “substitutions” are possible. For example, on a weekday in Ordinal time, a priest might choose a votive Mass instead of the Mass of the day. The point though, is that whatever options are available depend on the liturgical day and hour–which is either midnight-to-midnight or evening-before.

 

[TimothyH]

(Yes, I realize that some of this has already been posted)

Most days begin/end at Midnight.

Sundays, solemnities, and major feasts of the Lord begin at the “time of First Vespers” which is 4 PM on the evening before and end at Midnight.

For private devotions like the rosary, the mysteries of the day are only a suggestion. One is free to choose any set of mysteries.

The Church has a table of precedence for liturgical days–this is in the general norms for the calendar and is printed on the opening pages of the Roman Missal. It’s also in volume one of the 4-volume Liturgy of the Hours.

When it comes to choosing the Mass, the priest is bound to follow the calendar strictly. But one thing to keep in mind is that sometimes “substitutions” are possible. For example, on a weekday in Ordinal time, a priest might choose a votive Mass instead of the Mass of the day. The point though, is that whatever options are available depend on the liturgical day and hour–which is either midnight-to-midnight or evening-before.

Thank you so much, Father David.

-Tim-

 

[Digitonomy]

All the above answers are good.

I would make one additional comment… you also asked about reception of communion. That is a matter governed by canon law, specifically Canon 917, which allows the faithful to receive communion again (generally interpreted as only once more, or a second time) the same day. Since “day” is defined earlier in canon law as lasting from midnight to midnight, my opinion and the prevailing opinion among commentators that I have read is that the midnight-to-midnight rule applies on this matter. This is notwithstanding the fact that the liturgical day may last from 4pm or thereabouts until the next night.

I know FrDavid96 has his own theory on this based on John Paul’s encyclical Dies Domini, but I haven’t seen any reason to accept that the Holy Father was speaking about anything other than the liturgical day.

 

[thistle]

All the above answers are good.

I would make one additional comment… you also asked about reception of communion. That is a matter governed by canon law, specifically Canon 917, which allows the faithful to receive communion again (generally interpreted as only once more, or a second time) the same day. Since “day” is defined earlier in canon law as lasting from midnight to midnight, my opinion and the prevailing opinion among commentators that I have read is that the midnight-to-midnight rule applies on this matter. This is notwithstanding the fact that the liturgical day may last from 4pm or thereabouts until the next night.

I know FrDavid96 has his own theory on this based on John Paul’s encyclical Dies Domini, but I haven’t seen any reason to accept that the Holy Father was speaking about anything other than the liturgical day.

Sorry but I’m confused. Correct me if I have picked this up incorrectly.

Liturgical day is from Vespers which is 4pm to midnight the following day or 4pm to midnight same day?
A normal day is defined as midnight to midnight?

Is the issue whether a person receiving Communion on Saturday evening can also receive twice on the actual Sunday or only once on the Sunday as they have received already on Saturday evening?
If this is the issue what is the answer?

 

[Digitonomy]

Liturgical day is from Vespers which is 4pm to midnight the following day or 4pm to midnight same day?

4pm to midnight the following day. And that’s actually only Sundays and holy days.

thistle:

A normal day is defined as midnight to midnight?

That is the definition under canon law.

Canon 202 §1. In law, a day is understood as a period consisting of 24 continuous hours and begins at midnight unless other provision is expressly made…

thistle:

Is the issue whether a person receiving Communion on Saturday evening can also receive twice on the actual Sunday or only once on the Sunday as they have received already on Saturday evening?
If this is the issue what is the answer?

Not sure what you mean by “the issue,” but since the rule for communion is explicitly stated in canon law, that definition of “day” applies. So to answer your question one should be able to receive twice Sunday in the context of a mass, regardless of what happened Saturday.

 

[thistle]

4pm to midnight the following day. And that’s actually only Sundays and holy days.That is the definition under canon law.Not sure what you mean by “the issue,” but since the rule for communion is explicitly stated in canon law, that definition of “day” applies. So to answer your question one should be able to receive twice Sunday in the context of a mass, regardless of what happened Saturday.

Thanks.

 

[jimrob]

The early Church followed the Jewish custom where the day starts and ends at what we call 6:00pm. (notionally sunset). Following the Edict of Milan, the Roman Church became closely tied to the Roman Empire and adopted the Roman custom where the day starts and ends at midnight. In most of Europe, we subsequently started naming our days of the week after Norse deities. So Tuesday runs from an instant after midnight on Monday and continues for 24 hours, and the Jewish Sabbath runs from 6:00pm on Friday until 6:00pm on Saturday. You can say your rosary when you like - but saying it between 6:00pm and midnight doesn’t mean it counts twice.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

4pm to midnight the following day. And that’s actually only Sundays and holy days.

This applies to solemnities rather than all holy days.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

… the Jewish Sabbath runs from 6:00pm on Friday until 6:00pm on Saturday.

Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, is determined by sunset not a fixed time. I live in the UK and in an area which has the largest Jewish population outside London. Our local BBC radio station announces every Thursday evening the start and end times of Shabbat. It varies with the time of sunset; it is not at a fixed time.

 

[FrDavid96]

Sorry but I’m confused. Correct me if I have picked this up incorrectly.

Liturgical day is from Vespers which is 4pm to midnight the following day or 4pm to midnight same day?
A normal day is defined as midnight to midnight?

Is the issue whether a person receiving Communion on Saturday evening can also receive twice on the actual Sunday or only once on the Sunday as they have received already on Saturday evening?
If this is the issue what is the answer?

Most liturgical days begin and end at midnight. For the most part, they follow the calendar days of 24 hours.

The exception is solemnities (all Sundays are solemnities) and major feasts of the Lord. These begin at First Vespers (ie, the evening before) and end at midnight (roughly 32 hours).

So, Sunday begins at the time of First Vespers on Saturday evening (4 PM) and continues until midnight of Monday.

Monday begins at midnight and continues until Tuesday midnight.

 

[FrDavid96]

This applies to solemnities rather than all holy days.

We do have to be specific in this context, so thanks for making the point.

 

[promethius]

4pm to midnight the following day. And that’s actually only Sundays and holy days.

That is incorrect. As I noted in the other thread, the General Norms for the Liturgical Year as published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, states very clearly that “The liturgical day runs from midnight to midnight, but the observance of Sunday and solemnities begins with the evening of the preceding day.”

This means that the liturgical day does not ever start at 4pm, but only that the observance of Sunday and solemnities starts at evening of the first day. This sentiment is backed up by Canon 1248, as well as by earlier Canons which state, rather plainly, that a day is from midnight to midnight.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

We do have to be specific in this context, so thanks for making the point.

I’m not certain what your point is with this post. The term holy days covers all three ranks of holy day: solemnity, feast, and memorial. All memorials are celebrated within the confines of one calendar day. Most feasts are too. There is one exception: feasts of the Lord in the General Roman Calendar celebrated on a Sunday. Only solemnities and the aforementioned feasts of the Lord commence their celebrations on the previous evening. We can’t say that all holy days begin on the previous evening because this does not apply to the majority of them.

 

[FrDavid96]

That is incorrect. As I noted in the other thread, the General Norms for the Liturgical Year as published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, states very clearly that “The liturgical day runs from midnight to midnight, but the observance of Sunday and solemnities begins with the evening of the preceding day.”

This means that the liturgical day does not ever start at 4pm, but only that the observance of Sunday and solemnities starts at evening of the first day. This sentiment is backed up by Canon 1248, as well as by earlier Canons which state, rather plainly, that a day is from midnight to midnight.

Bl. John Paul II takes a different view. He said that the Holy Day begin with First Vespers, not that “observance” begins, but the day itself begins.

From a liturgical point of view, in fact, holy days begin with First Vespers…
Dies Domini, #49
vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_05071998_dies-domini_en.html

In fact, that’s made even more clear in the Latin text by the next sentence:

Propterea Missae liturgia nonnumquam «praefestivae» appellatae, quae vero reapse pleno iure «festiva» est,
vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_05071998_dies-domini_lt.html

The official English translation on the Vatican web page offers this:
Consequently, the liturgy of what is sometimes called the “Vigil Mass” is in effect the “festive” Mass of Sunday

Note that the Latin does not say “vigil” it says “praefestivae” meaning “pre-feast” and he specifically tells us (in Latin) that this is NOT the “pre-feast” but the feast itself.

 

[FrDavid96]

I’m not certain what your point is with this post. The term holy days covers all three ranks of holy day: solemnity, feast, and memorial. All memorials are celebrated within the confines of one calendar day. Most feasts are too. There is one exception: feasts of the Lord in the General Roman Calendar celebrated on a Sunday. Only solemnities and the aforementioned feasts of the Lord commence their celebrations on the previous evening. We can’t say that all holy days begin on the previous evening because this does not apply to the majority of them.

I was saying that your earlier point was an important one. It’s not just “holy days” but specific holy days (those you mentioned), which begin the evening prior.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

I was saying that your earlier point was an important one. It’s not just “holy days” but specific holy days (those you mentioned), which begin the evening prior.

Thanks for clearing that up. I really didn’t know what you meant.