Don Bosco Technical College

Mandaluyong City
CHRISTIAN LIVING II
Handouts
Subject Teacher:
Mr. Gerald S. Cabrestante
Special Lesson: Liturgical Calendar of the Church
Advent and Christmas Seasons
In General, the Seasons of the Church:
Help us remember all that God has done for us.
Is a celebration of the Birth, Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Reminds us of what we believe in as Christians.
Reminds us of who we are called to be like Jesus Christ.
The Liturgical Calendar starts with the Advent Season.
and concludes with the Solemnity of Christ the King.

Advent season of preparation & waiting.

It marks the beginning of the Liturgical Calendar.

The word advent is derived from the Latin word adventus, which means
coming or arrival.
Joyful preparation and expectation.
We prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus.
Runs for 3 Weeks marked by 4 Sundays.
In the 11th century Gregory VII decreed that this would be the standard for the
whole Church.
End Evening of Dec. 24 (Christmas Vigil Mass)
Gloria is Omitted.
The third Sunday of advent is called Gaudete Sunday.

The main Feasts of Advent are:

St. Francis Xavier (December 3)
St. Nicholas (December 6)
St. Ambrose (December 7)
Immaculate Conception (December 8)
St. Damascus (December 11)
Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12)
St. Lucy (December 13)
St. John of the Cross (December 14)

The liturgy of advent focuses on:

Remembering Christs first coming at Bethlehem which then directs our mind to
Christs 2nd coming at the end of time.
time.
The readings focus on the people of the Old Testament awaiting the Messiah, John
the Baptist, heralding the way for Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary and her
maternal preparations.

The Advent Wreath is a special symbol of Advent.

The ring symbolizes that God has no beginning and has no end.
The green color of the wreath tells us that God is eternal God will last forever. It
speaks of the hope we have in God, the hope of newness, renewal.
The four candles tell us that we await for Jesus for four weeks.
The violet color of the 3 candles symbolizes the sacrifices we shall make to change
our life as we prepare to receive Jesus.
The pink color of one candle symbolizes the joy we feel on the 3 rd Sunday of Advent
as we get closer to Christmas.
The light of the candles tell us that Jesus is the light of the world.

The Candles of Advent Wreath

The first
first candle is called the prophets candle, and is meant to signify the hope of
Jesus arrival.
The second candle is generally called the Bethlehem candle,
candle, reminding Christians
that God appeared to them in a humble manner; Bethlehem was located in the
territory of one of the least powerful tribes of Israel.
The third candle is the Shepherds candle,
candle, representing the joy that more than half
of advent is over.
The fourth candle is the angels candle, symbolizing their peace and the message of
good news that they offer.
In other parts of the world, a fifth white candle is added which is placed at the
center is called the Christ candle.
candle. It is traditionally lighted on Christmas eve or day.
The central location of the Christ candle reminds us that the incarnation is the heart
of the season, giving light to the world.

During the advent season the faithful are admonished with three things:
things:
To prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lords coming
into the world as the incarnate God of love,
Thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy
Communion and through grace, and
Thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at
the end of the world.

Therefore, we should keep Advent as a season of waiting and longing,

longing, of
conversion and of hope and keep our thoughts on the incredible love and
humility of our God in taking on the flesh of the Virgin Mary.
Let us not forget to prepare a peaceful place in our hearts wherein our Savior
may come to dwell.
The best person we can turn to for help during Advent is Mary, Christ and our
Mother.
Mother. She awaited the day of His birth with more eagerness than any other
human being. Her preparation was complete in every respect.
Lets crown our preparation and borrow something of Marys prayerfulness, her
purity and whole hearted submission to Gods will.

CHRISTMAS Birth/Nativity of Jesus.

The word Christmas is a contraction of two words Christs mass and is derived from
the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes maesse,
maesse, a phrase first
recorded in 1308. In early Greek versions of the New Testament, the letter X (chi), is
the first letter of Christ (X
). Thus, Xmas is an abbreviation for Christmas.
(X).
Christmas day falls on December 25 and celebrates the birth of Christ in
Bethlehem as recounted in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. And so Christmas is a
holy day second only to Easter in the Roman calendar.

Since the Gospels make no mention of dates, it is not certain that Christ was born on
this day. In fact, Christmas day did not officially come into being until in 350 when
Pope Julius I proclaimed December 25 as the date of the Nativity.
The season of Christmas ends on the Monday after the Solemnity of the Baptism
of the Lord, which signifies the purification of the world,
world, through Christ himself. The
month of December is filled with expectation and celebration.
celebration.
Preparation is the key word for the first 24 days of December.
The liturgical color of the season of Christmas is white, symbolizing purity and joy.
joy.
God offers himself to us as a gift.
Emmanuel God with Us (God & Human). Stands for happy times. A time for
gatherings, gift giving. A worldwide celebration.
As in Advent, we prepare to have Jesus born in our hearts. Christmas a season of
reconciliation and renewal in our faith in God.
Four Masses: Vigil, Midnight, Dawn, Day
Special Feasts during Christmas Season:
St. Stephen
St. John Evangelist
Holy Innocents, etc.

Octave of Christmas

Octave means eight;

eight; hence the Octave of Christmas lasts for eight days.
Begins with Christmas day and ends after the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
Christmas Octave, Jan. 1: Mary / Naming Jesus / World Peace
Within the Octave of Christmas, we celebrate:
Feast of St. Stephen (first martyr) Dec. 26
Feast of St. John the Evangelist Dec. 27
Feast of the Holy Innocents Dec. 28
Feast of the Holy Family (Sunday after Christmas)
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Jan. 1
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus Jan. 1
Feast of the Epiphany (Three Kings) Jan. 6
Feast of the Lords Baptism Jan.

Epiphany Epiphany (Feast of the Three Kings)

Manifestation (Presentation of the Child Jesus)

Commemorates the recognition of Jesus as the Son of God by the three Wise
Men.
Christ offers salvation to all people regardless of color, race, nationality (whether
they Jews or Gentiles)
Liturgical Colors: White or Gold (represents the joy of witnessing about
Christs birth)