The Calendar of the Church Year
(From Father Mark)
This is the first of occasional columns that will
describe the seasons of the Church Year.
Calendars are based on recurring events in nature:
spring, summer, fall and winter (solar calendars of
365 days) or on the phases of the moon (lunar
calendars, 12 months of 28 days). The calendar of
the Christian Church years makes use of both kinds.
It developed over many centuries, sometimes
appropriating rituals common to many cultures, to
tell the story of Christ’s birth, death, and
resurrection as an expression of Christian theology.
The central event of Christianity is the Resurrection.
An annual remembrance of Christ’s passion is
therefore the central event of the Christian year, so
it was the first to be placed on the calendar. Easter
Day was made what is called a movable feast,
falling on the first Sunday after the first full moon
after the spring equinox (March 21). The full story
of the Passion is commemorated in the days of Holy
Week, leading up to Easter Day. The Easter season
was established as lasting seven weeks, ending on
the day of Pentecost (a word that means 50 days).
At Pentecost after the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit
descended upon the apostles and the people, so the
Christian Pentecost also marks the end of one
church season and the beginning of the next. For
seven weeks, then, we mark our church services as
special festival days: the liturgical color is white or
gold; we keep the Paschal candle lit and we close
services with a special “Alleluia.”
Collects are mostly those written in very early times
(in the current Book of Common Prayer the more
important the day, the more likely that ancient
elements will be used). Scripture readings are from
the New Testament only, saying what happened
after Resurrection. The Thursday in the sixth week
of Easter marks Ascension Day (May 1), when
Jesus was lifted to heaven.
The Day of Pentecost is a day of Christian
celebration observed on the seventh Sunday after
Easter, which is May 11th this year. On Pentecost,
we remember an event that occurred to the disciples
50 days after the Passover during which Jesus was
crucified and 10 days after they watched Jesus
literally ascend into the clouds. In the New
Testament, the term is used to refer to the coming of
the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1), shortly
after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.
Christians came to understand the meaning of
Pentecost in terms of gifts of the Spirit.
The Pentecost event was the fulfillment of a
promise which Jesus gave concerning the return of
the Holy Spirit. The speaking in tongues, which
was a major effect of having received the Spirit, is
interpreted by some to symbolize the church’s
worldwide preaching. Christians consider the Day
of Pentecost to be the birthday of the church
because, from that moment on, the disciples carried
the message of Christ everywhere they went all over
the world. The liturgical color for the feast is red.
The Day of Pentecost is identified by the Book of
Common Prayer as one of the feasts that is
“especially appropriate” for baptism. (p. 312).
(Window from the Konigsfelden Abbey, Switzerland)
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