Episcopal Church Year
Historic Year
The Liturgical Colors
HISTORIC
YEAR
The Christian year is as old as the Resurrection of our
Lord and as new as the latest revisions. With the Resurrection, the
disciples of Jesus began a weekly celebration of the event on the First
Day of the week. These disciples, like their Lord, had all their lives
observed the Jewish Ritual Year. But eventually they substituted Sunday,
the First Day of the week, for Saturday, the seventh day, Easter for the
Passover, and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit for the giving of the law
from Sinai. Together with this they soon began to observe the Nativity of
the Lord. Adding certain preparatory and penitential seasons, they had by
the sixth century developed a Christian Year for the order of worship,
substantially as we have it today.
The four weeks of Advent (Coming) are devoted to preparation for the
Feast of the Nativity (Christmas) -- and the preparation for his second
coming, in majesty, to judge the world. Then, following the events of
his earthly life of self-sacrifice, we celebrate his Death,
Resurrection, and Ascension, and the descent of the Holy Spirit on
Pentecost (Whitsunday). The second half of the Church Year is
co-ordinate with the first, since it celebrates the continuing work of
Christ, in His Church, by His Spirit.
Certain days are fixed
dates, others are moveable, depending upon the date of Easter. Easter
falls on the Sunday after the 14th day of the Paschal moon - that is the
Calendar moon whose 14th day falls on, or follows next after, the vernal
equinox, March 21st.
In addition to events in our
Blessed Lord's life, certain Saints and martyrs are commemorated - and
prayer is made to Almighty God that we may follow their good example of
faithfulness, even unto death.
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THE
LITURGICAL COLORS
As God has flooded earth and sky
with color, so the Church has sensed the symbolic use of color in its
worship. As dominating colors in nature change with the seasons of the
fourfold year, so in the Church Year there is a structured change in the
colors of the Eucharist vestments, the liturgical colors.
This sequence of liturgical colors has a
principal role in Christian visual education, in teaching the Gospel
through the eye.
WHITE,
symbolizing joy, purity, and truth, is used on the Sundays and open days
of Christmastide and Paschaltide; on all Solemnities except Pentecost and
Holy Cross Day; Feasts, Memorials, and Votive Masses of the Blessed
Virgin, the angels, and saints who were not martyrs; Nativity of St. John
the Baptist, Confession of St. Peter, Conversion of St. Paul, Independence
Day and Thanksgiving Day; Ritual Masses for Baptism and Matrimony, and
optionally for Confirmation; and Votive Masses of our Lord, the Holy
Trinity and the Eucharist, and optionally for Masses for the Dead. Gold is
sometimes used in place of white on major feasts.
RED,
the color of fire and of blood, is used on Pentecost; optionally on Palm
Sunday and Good Friday; feasts and Votives of the Passion of our Lord and
of the birthday feasts of the Apostles and Evangelists; Votives of the
Holy Spirit; Ritual Masses for Ordination and optionally for Confirmation.
GREEN,
the color of living things and of God's creation, is used on the Sundays
and ferias in the season after Epiphany and Pentecost.
VIOLET,
symbolic of penitence and expectation, is used in the seasons of Advent
and Lent; for Votives penitential in nature or for the gift of healing;
for Penance and Unction; and may also be used for the offices and Masses
for the dead, and on Ember and Rogation days.
BLACK,
representative of deep sorrow, may be used for Good Friday and for offices
and Masses for the dead.
ROSE,
penitence permeated with joy, may be used on the Third Sunday of Advent
and the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
BLUE,
in the lighter shades, is sometimes used on feasts of the Blessed Virgin.
In the darker shades of indigo, blue is frequently used during Advent.
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