What are the seasons of the Catholic Liturgical Year and their spiritual focus?
The Liturgical Year celebrates the entire mystery of Christ across six distinct seasons: 1) Advent: four weeks of prayerful preparation and penitence for the birth of Christ and His Second Coming; 2) Christmas: rejoicing in the Incarnation, extending from Christmas Eve to the Baptism of the Lord; 3) Ordinary Time (first part): reflecting on Jesus' teachings and miracles; 4) Lent: forty days of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving preparing for Holy Week; 5) The Sacred Paschal Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil/Sunday): the summit of the year; 6) Easter: fifty days of joy culminating in Pentecost; followed by Ordinary Time (second part).
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1163-1171
- Ecclesiastes 3:1
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.