Annual rituals turn time into a spiral instead of a straight line, This provides a mental shortcut to the past, kind of like some kind of science fictional wormhole drive to get to distant stars.
Yesterday we set up our Christmas tree for Gaudete Sunday and the look on my boy's face when the lights came on was just wonderful to see. This holiday is nearly feels nearly as much about creating a lasting memory of joy for our Children so they wish to continue transmitting the faith, as it does about celebrating the Nativity itself.
Thank you for this beautiful piece. One thing I really like about the Church year is that it structures time. There is Advent leading up to Christmas, then lent leading up to the resurrection at easter, and then the days leading up to pentecost. Over summer, the faith practices go into a sort of hibernation. Then in autumn it slowly starts again - first thanksgiving mass (celebrated here around the start of October) and gatherings at all hallows eve - and then Advent again.
Ryan’s Wife here 👋 - and you are exactly right! The liturgical year turns time into a circle instead of a line.
I teach small children catechesis and we have a song to help them remember the colors that go with the liturgical seasons:
“Purple and green and red and white
are the colors of the year.
Purple and green and red and white
Remind us of the light!
Purple is for preparation,
White is for celebration!
Green is for the growing time,
Red is for Pentecost!”
As you outlined, Advent (purple) leads into Christmas (white). Lent (purple) leads into Easter (white), which is capped off by Pentecost (red). Then the summer is green, “when the joy of the feast grows in our hearts.”
I was just discussing this with my wife. Great segment as always. Be well, enjoy the time you have with those you love and may you have a wonderful Christmas season. God bless.
Annual rituals turn time into a spiral instead of a straight line, This provides a mental shortcut to the past, kind of like some kind of science fictional wormhole drive to get to distant stars.
Yes exactly, a fold in time
Yesterday we set up our Christmas tree for Gaudete Sunday and the look on my boy's face when the lights came on was just wonderful to see. This holiday is nearly feels nearly as much about creating a lasting memory of joy for our Children so they wish to continue transmitting the faith, as it does about celebrating the Nativity itself.
Quite so. Always a magical moment
Great post
Thanks Steve
Thank you for this beautiful piece. One thing I really like about the Church year is that it structures time. There is Advent leading up to Christmas, then lent leading up to the resurrection at easter, and then the days leading up to pentecost. Over summer, the faith practices go into a sort of hibernation. Then in autumn it slowly starts again - first thanksgiving mass (celebrated here around the start of October) and gatherings at all hallows eve - and then Advent again.
Ryan’s Wife here 👋 - and you are exactly right! The liturgical year turns time into a circle instead of a line.
I teach small children catechesis and we have a song to help them remember the colors that go with the liturgical seasons:
“Purple and green and red and white
are the colors of the year.
Purple and green and red and white
Remind us of the light!
Purple is for preparation,
White is for celebration!
Green is for the growing time,
Red is for Pentecost!”
As you outlined, Advent (purple) leads into Christmas (white). Lent (purple) leads into Easter (white), which is capped off by Pentecost (red). Then the summer is green, “when the joy of the feast grows in our hearts.”
You might enjoy this essay by Dr. Naomi Wolf from last December.
https://open.substack.com/pub/naomiwolf/p/not-offended-by-christmas?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1mko6
This is the kind of article I enjoy the most. Thanks for these words!!
Thank you Anselm
Some of the sentiments of your essay are in this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfY4b1NszpY
Somehow I’ve never heard this
I hope it's to your liking. I dig it out every year at this time.
Nice, I always thought it was done by ELP. He's such a young boy! Gawd I'm old.
ELP has a take on it. They were connected; he's the Lake in Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.
I was just discussing this with my wife. Great segment as always. Be well, enjoy the time you have with those you love and may you have a wonderful Christmas season. God bless.