The liturgical year sets the rhythm for a true Christian worship and self actualisation of Christ’s mission annually. Its seasons, solemnities, and feast days walk Christians through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, punctuated by the stories of saints and the Pope’s Apostolic letter proclaiming the theme of the year.
The liturgical year sets the rhythm for a true Christian worship and self actualisation of Christ’s mission annually. Its seasons, solemnities, and feast days walk Christians through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, punctuated by the stories of saints and the Pope’s Apostolic letter proclaiming the theme of the year.
Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Aderibigbe, explains, “The Liturgical year re-tells, re-enacts, and re-presents the total Christ event and together with it keeps the memory of Mary the Mother of Jesus and also the Saints. Through the Liturgical year celebrations, the Christ story, and the salvific events become part of our universal history.”
What is the meaning of Liturgical Year? How does it affect the life of a Christian? Is there any particular theme for the new liturgical year? How can the lay faithful maximise the opportunity of Advent to accomplish a spiritually fulfilling Liturgical Year?
The Editor, NETA NWOSU put forward these questions amid others to Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Aderibigbe, Chairman, Lagos Archdiocesan Liturgical Committee. Excerpts.
What is the Liturgical Year?
The Catholic Church has her way of reckoning days, weeks, and years. The Church sees historical time and space as a stage where God and humankind meet each other. God, who is eternal, reveals himself to man in time and space and made human time and space the locus of his saving work. Time therefore, is not merely chronos, not simply the succession of day, night, weeks, month, and season of the year. Rather, time is kairos, that is the privileged moment in which, through the liturgical celebration of the Paschal mystery of Christ throughout the course of the year, Christians are able to experience the presence and saving power of Christ’s mystery.
In keeping with this understanding, the Church has her annual calendar, which does not begin from January to December, but is reckoned according to the unfolding of the historical saving works of Christ. Liturgically, the Church historicised the events in salvation history.
Hence, the Liturgical year also known as the Church’s year is the annual cycles of seasons and feasts that celebrate the central mystery and the central events of salvation history namely, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. e Liturgical year re-tells, re-enacts, and re-presents the total Christ event and together with it keeps the memory of Mary the Mother of Jesus and also the Saints. Through the Liturgical year celebrations, the Christ story, and the salvific events become part of our universal history.
What is the purpose of the Liturgical year?
The liturgical year assumes its importance and purpose from the liturgical celebration of the sacred mystery of Christ, which has as its primary purpose the glorification of God and the sanctification of Man (S.C. 10). The liturgical year by recalling the mysteries of the redemption, opens up to the faithful the riches of the Lord’s powers and merits, so that these are in some way made present in every age; the faithful lay hold of them and are filled with saving grace (S.C. 102). It offers the faithful the opportunity to relive and encounter the saving presence and power of Christ’s mystery. Through faith, hope, and charity the faithful may share more deeply in ‘the whole mystery of Christ, unfolded through the cycle of the year’.
In the celebration of the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is joined by an inseparable bond to the saving work of her son and the feasts of saints, the Church puts before the whole people of God clear examples of holiness, developed in many different ways. The feast of saints proclaims the wonderful works of Christ in his servants and offer the faithful fitting examples for their imitation. In the feasts of the saints the paschal mystery of Christ is proclaimed and renewed.
How does it affect the life of a Christian? When does it start andend annually?
The Liturgical year begins with Advent season, which is usually before 30th November, and ends on the Saturday following the solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe. The Liturgical year is divided into three major cycles, namely Christmas Cycle, Easter Cycle, and Ordinary Time of the year. The Christmas Cycle comprises the seasons of Advent and Christmas which ends with the solemn feast of Baptism of the Lord. The Easter Cycle comprises the season of Lent and Easter which ends with the solemn feast of Pentecost. The Ordinary time of the year which consists of 34 Sundays, is divided into two parts: the first between the Christmas and Easter Cycles; and the second the Easter Cycle.
The celebration of the liturgical year “possesses a distinct sacramental power and efficacy to strengthen Christian life. This it does by providing for the spiritual instruction and nourishment of the faithful. It imparts positively the life of the faithful. It exposes the faithful to the mysteries of salvation. It allows them to encounter Christ in the today of salvation.
The faithful who go through the liturgical year becomes well grounded in the knowledge of the scriptures, that the Church seeks to expound during the three cycles of the liturgical year. T he celebration of the various seasons, feast and memorials of saints provide the inspiration and the graces needed for Christians to live out their baptismal calling as disciples of Christ in the world.
It’s another Liturgical Year. Aside from the regular cycle of Jesus and days observed in commemoration of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and observance of Saints’ feast days, what else should the lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Lagos expect in the new year?
In the present liturgical year 2022, the lay faithful can look forward to various liturgical celebrations like ordination of more deacons and priests, the annual pilgrimages such as the Lenten and Advent pilgrimages which owing to COVID-19 disease has not been held for about two years now.
Is there any particular theme for the new liturgical year?
The Holy Father usually dedicates each liturgical year to promote an aspect of our faith towards the spiritual growth of the church. There has not been any pronouncement yet on this.
How to evaluate our Christian life in respect to the theme of communion, participation and mission. Pope Francis has chosen “synodality” as the theme of the synod: “For a synodal church: communion, participation and mission”.
With the theme of “synodality” the Holy Father invites all baptized members of the church to walk together and reflect together on the life of the Church and her mission in the world with the view to promoting communion among baptised Christians and participation of all in the mission of Christ.
How can the lay faithful maximise the opportunity of Advent to accomplish a spiritually fulfilling Liturgical Year?
Advent is a season of preparation both for the coming of Christ at Christmas in the flesh and his f inal coming at the end of time. T he faithful can achieve a great spiritual growth by paying serious attention to the liturgical readings from the scripture and embracing the penitential spirit of the season. They are encouraged to also participate in the advent retreat in their parishes. The season of advent invites and motivates all who submit to the spirit of the season to an interior conversion and renewal of our commitment to the way of Christ, which is a way of faith, hope and love.
How would you describe the just ended Liturgical Year in the Archdiocese of Lagos?
The 2021 liturgical year has been fulfilling notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant restrictions which adversely impacted the full participation of all in the liturgical celebrations. We give thanks to God that we are steadily coming out of the pandemic and our religious activities are also gradually coming back fully with full participation of all the faithful.
What shape would the new Liturgical Year take? Aside from the Diocesan Synodal phase of the worldwide Synod, what extraordinary events are we expecting in the New Year?
The new liturgical year 2022 will take the usual shape except that in view of the liturgical readings, it will be observed as year C for Sunday cycle, while for weekday cycle, it is to be observed as year 2. The gospel reading for the Sundays of Ordinary time will be from the gospel of Luke. The synod 2021 – 2023 is the major event of 2022 liturgical year.