What Every Catholic Should Know

Liturgical Calendar

By Catechist's Aide on November 30, 2017 0

Having just celebrated the Feast of Christ the King, we are looking forward to the beginning of a new liturgical year and the start of the season of Advent. Even though our students may notice the change in colors of the priest’s vestments from time to time, they may never make the connection that those colors are tied to particular seasons. So here’s what every Catholic should know about the Liturgical Calendar.

The Church has its own calendar, which incorporates all the seasons, feasts and saints and holy days that we celebrate throughout the liturgical year. The readings we hear at Mass correspond to the special season or holy day. Likewise, the color of the Priest’s vestments also change with the season.

ADVENT (Colors: PURPLE / PINK)

The liturgical year begins with the season of Advent, which officially begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. In 2017, Advent will begin on Sunday, December 3rd. The word “advent” comes from the Latin word “adventus” which means coming or arrival. During the season of Advent, we prepare for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Unlike Lent, which is primarily a time of penance, Advent is a time of hope-filled anticipation.

CHRISTMAS (Color: WHITE)

As far as the Church is concerned, Christmas is not just a day, but a whole season! The season begins on Christmas Day and ends with the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord. The Christmas season also includes the Feast of the Epiphany, where we celebrate the Christ’s making himself known to the world, through the visit of the Magi. During the Christmas season, we celebrate the birth and manifestation of Jesus.

ORDINARY TIME I (Color: GREEN)

The first season of Ordinary Time begins the Monday following the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord and ends the day before Ash Wednesday. During Ordinary Time, we remember the life and teachings of Jesus.

LENT (Color: PURPLE)

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues through Holy Week. During this season, we prepare for the death and Resurrection of Jesus. Lent marks a time when we are called to penance, through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

TRIDUUM (Colors: PURPLE / RED)

The final days of Holy Week, including Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, when we recall the crucifixion and death of our Lord and Savior.

EASTER (Color: WHITE)

The Easter season marks the greatest feast of the Liturgical year when we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. The exact date of Easter varies from year to year and is defined as the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox (the day in Spring where there are equal hours of daylight and moonlight – typically March 20th). The Easter season lasts for 50 days, ending on Pentecost Sunday. We also celebrate the feast of the Ascension during the Easter season.

ORDINARY TIME II (Color: GREEN)

Following Pentecost Sunday and running through the feast of Christ the King is the second season of Ordinary Time.

To find more information about the Liturgical Calendar, or to see the full list of holy days and feast days, consult the website of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops

The Real Presence

By Catechist's Aide on June 20, 2017 0

You may be surprised to know that many young Catholics (and some adults) are completely unaware of what we mean when we refer to the “Real Presence.” Having just celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi, now is as good a time as any to discuss this fundamental Catholic doctrine with your students and children. It is one of the great Mysteries of our Faith in which we believe that Christ is really and truly present in the Eucharist – body, blood, soul and divinity.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.” (CCC 1374)

The Youth Catechism very simply tells us,

“Christ is mysteriously but really present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.” (YOUCAT 216)

At Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the Offertory. Everything that we have comes from God, and this includes the offertory gifts of ordinary bread, water and wine. We offer these gifts back to God so that He will return them to us transformed – consecrated and extraordinary. This transformation happens during the Eucharistic Prayer when the priest, acting in the person of Christ, pronounces the words of consecration, “This is my body,” and “this is my blood.” The Church uses the word “Transubstantiation” to define what is happening here. It refers to the change in substance of the Eucharistic elements into the body and blood of Christ, while maintaining their original appearance of ordinary bread and wine.

But, why does Christ offer himself to us as food?
We might begin our answer with another question: Why do we eat food? We eat food to sustain life, and to nourish our physical bodies. But we all know that one day our bodies will fail us and we will die. Jesus tells us that he is the living bread, which brings eternal life to those who receive it. The Eucharist does what no ordinary food can do. It sustains our spiritual life, and nourishes our souls. When we receive the Eucharist, we experience true communion with Christ. We share not only in his humanity – his body and blood, but in his divinity.

There is an old saying “You are what you eat.” St. Augustine said something similar when speaking about the Eucharist. To paraphrase, he said, “Receive what you are, and become what you receive.” These are good words to reflect on after receiving the Blessed Sacrament.

The Precepts of the Catholic Church

By Catechist's Aide on May 30, 2017 0

If you find yourself with 5 or 10 minutes to fill at the end of class, take that time to teach your students about the Precepts of the Catholic Church. The Catechism says, “The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life.” CCC 2041

They remind us that we should have within us a commitment to prayer, and participation in the liturgy and the Sacraments. And they represent the required behavior for all faithful Catholics. If time permits, discuss with the students how one might go beyond these required minimums. For instance,

Go to confession on a regular schedule, say every three months.
Attend Mass on First Fridays or First Saturdays, or on special feast days (in addition to Holy Days of Obligation).
Schedule time to pray each day.
Make a daily examination of conscience (Daily Examen).
Spend some time alone with our Lord by attending Eucharistic Adoration.
Learn a new prayer and commit it to memory.
Volunteer your time at your local parish.

Click on the link below to download an infographic. Feel free to use it as a handout for your students.

Precepts of the Church