THE SEASON OF ADVENT

The Church’s year is made up of four seasons: Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter.

The season of Advent begins with the First Sunday of Advent which is either the last Sunday in November or the First Sunday in December. There are four Sundays in Advent before Christmas day and all the weekdays between the first Sunday of Advent and Christmas day. Advent is a time when the Church prepares for the coming of the Lord at Christmas and the readings on both Sundays and weekdays are chosen keeping this in mind.

The season of Christmas is celebrated till the Epiphany, the feast which celebrates the manifestation of Jesus to the whole world and the readings on weekdays during this period focus on this theme. Though in some churches the feast is celebrated on a fixed date which is January 6, the Catholic Church celebrates it on the second Sunday after Christmas irrespective of the date.

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and is derived by counting back 40 days {not including Sundays} from Easter day. Ash Wednesday is so called because of the imposition of ashes on the foreheads of the faithful, which serve as a reminder of the call to repentance and to believe in the good news. The period of Lent is a reminder of the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert before taking up the mission he received from his Father at his baptism.

Easter is a 'moveable feast', which is now calculated by finding the first Sunday after the spring full moon. Easter begins with the celebration of the Easter Vigil and continues till the feast of Pentecost. The feast of Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and his victory over death. It is a victory of light over darkness, of truth over falsehood and of life over death. It celebrates the beginning of new life. The feast of Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit on the church. It is the Spirit of Jesus given by him to aid the Church to continue the work that he inaugurated.