Festivals

Salvation history- history of how we have been saved by God 

Liturgical year starts with ADVENT and ends with CHIRST THE KING

"Do you think it is helpful for christians to go through the liturgical cycle every year"

AGREE

• Helps christians to become more deeply aware of the events of the salvation history
• helps show how advent is a time of preparation for both the 1st and 2nd coming of christ
• gives structure to the year
• helps christians to remember that God is there
• renew faith- make resoulutions- put ime aside for different celebrations

DISAGREE

• repetitive
• loses meaning 

• marks the begining of the liturgical year
• period of preparation leading up to the celebration of the birth of chirst
• advent meaning 'coming' + is a time to get ready for the coming of christ

AT CHURCH

• 4 weeks 
• hymns, bible readings and sermons
• readings reflect God's promises of hope + salvation to the jews, these help christians to prepare for the 1st and 2nd comings of christ

ADVENT WREATH- symbol

• puple candles- preparation and change
• white candle- joy and happiness lit on xmas day
• pink candle- joy, candle close to christ
• circle- never ending
• holly- berries- blood and holly- crown of throns
• flame- aproaching of Jesus + candles-jesus, light of the world

• christmas day celebrates the incarnation- God becoming man
• christians believe that God became a human being in the form of Jesus + experienced life as a human being
• Jesus took on the limitations of the human race out of love for each and every person
• Jesus was born as weak + as an outsider to show how God cares for all people + how he was prepared to undergo everything we can experience as humans e.g. poverty, rejection
• by setting up God's kingdom on earth, Jesus showed the world how they could live together in peace

MIDNIGHT MASS

• held at night to show how Jesus is the light of the world which has broken the darkness of sin
• the readings are particularly taken from the OT to show how God promised, he would send a saviour
• the crib is blessed- represents the stable scene + is a reminder of when Jesus was born in a stable (symbol of poverty), among the poorest of people + was visited by sherpherds

these have less religious significance 

• evergreen tree- to show God's eternal love
• tree decorated with tinsel and lights- shows the darkness that has been overcome by God's love
  
• Family celebrations and gift giving- reflection of the generosity + closeness of God
• Special meal- reflects the love for eachother + the love God has shown for everybody through the birth of his son
• christmas cards- to enable people to keep in touch with friends and family who are at a distance yet are made aware of the fact they are not forgotten+ spread the love of God 

• means revelation or showing
• to remeber the visit of the wise men to Jesus in bethlehem
• story focuses on the fact that Jesus came to save all people
• festival reflects God's love for al men, a love that should be shared among all people
• orthodox chuchs think epiphany is more important than christmas
• some countries (e.g. spain) exchange gifts on 6 jan, copying example of wise men

Lent- the 40 day period before easter which christians are are called to pray, fast and give charity in preparation for easter

ASH WEDNESDAY

• attend a special penitential mass
• distribution of ashes- burned palm branches- marks sign of cross
• reminder of short lfe on earth
• priest says "turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel"
• sign of turning from sin + believing in God
• ashes remind us "we are dust and dust we will return"- preparation for death

LENT- 40 DAYS

• after his baptism- reminder of Jesus' time in the desert before he began his ministry
• means the great fast
• remebers Jesus' life, death and resurrection
• 40 days of preparation, penance + purification 

PRAYER

• closer to God
• focusing on relationship with God
• remembering howimportant God is
• praise thanks and praise  
• ask God for forgiveness
• reading bible and saying rosary
• daily mass
• helps a christian to become closer to God

FASTING

• focus on essentials 4 life, not luxeries
• re- establish the important things
• more self discipline
• give up things we enjoy like meat on fridays+ tv, phone, junk food, sweets etc.
• try hard not to be mean or disrespectful

WORKS OF MERCY- ARMS GIVING

• Jesus commands us to do charitable works
• help share and achieve right balance of posessions
• fundraise to help refugees
• visit sick and those in prison
• be kind to everyone 
• help those in need
• be loving and helpful to those less fortunate 

commemorates:

• the arrival of Jesus into Jersusalem on a donkey
• called palm sunday because epople re- enact his arrival
• threw palms as a sign of homage
• donkey- humble arrival- he comes in peace
• start of mass- palms are blessed and handed to congregation outside

CHURCH

• mass starts with blessing of palms + priest gives them out
• readings are about his entry into Jerusalem 
• procession- people with palms- reminds people of great welcome given to Jesus as messiah
• liturgy of the world- passion of christ is read

2 commandments given by Jesus- Maundy means command

• day before Jesus' death
• the mass of the lord's supper celebrated at time thought the last supper took place 7:30pm
• the mass commemorates 3 different aspects of Jesus' last meal with disciples
• 1. washing of feet- priest washes feet of 12 parishoners- Jesus gave command to love one another- he wanted us to think of others before ourselves
• 2. institution of eucharist- the first mass- re- enacted at every mass
  
• 3. "do this in memory of me"- seen as the institution of priesthood- at ordination the POWER to re- enact last supper is given to priest

once mass is over, consecrated bread is taken to alter of repose- for private prayer- commemorates Jesus going to gethsemane to pray

people encouraged to pray privately before the blessed sacrament until midnight ot reflect on Jesus' agony at the garden and at his arrest

altar is stripped bare to relect the desolation of Jesus at arrest and trial

• realls the trial, suffering + death of Jesus
• it focuses in on all that Jesus accepted because he loved all people
• he stayed and did nothing to prevent his death from happening
• he did not defend himself against false charges (at trial), endured whiiping + mockery that took place after trial
• had to carry cross through mocking crowd (contrast with chering crowd on palm sunday- symbolic of his total rejection by the people he came to save.
• slow and painful death -crucifixion- in puncil and was burried by a good jew not by one of his close friends

SYMBOLS AT MASS

• priest wears red- reminder of passion
• priest prostrates on the floor- expresses total commitment to the whole church and the people of God
• no blessed sacrament in tabernacle- Jesus has died so there is no sactuary lamp and no genuflection

NO MASS-don't remember the resurrection on good friday.. there is a SERVICE AT 3PM- time when Jesus died on cross

• readings- espcially readings of the passion + death of Jesus (John's Gospel)- helps christians to reflect on what Good Friday is remembering 
• bidding prayers- long series of prayers asking for God's help for the church, world, all people,, believers and non- believers alike
• adoration (veneration) of the cross- crucifix is procssed through church- uncovered during procession. People kiss it as a sign of accepting the salvation Jesus won for all people.
• communion- consecrated bread brought from altar of the repose for believers to receive communion in the form of bread alone

• some christian churches have a united service of witness- often carrying a cross in procession through main streets. This is a witness to all people of christians thanking christ for the death he suffered
• many attend a service based on the stations of the cross. Service in which believers symbolically follow the journey of Jesus from pilate's house to cavalry + to tomb by reflecting on 14 episodes on journey. -14 plaques on walls of church- prayers said at each 1- unites believer with Jesus in his suffering 

Holy saturday- Jesus in tomb, -church stripped bare, -no service during the day

Easter vigil is the MOST IMPORTANT FOR RC as its when Jesus rose from the death

• takes place- sat night after nightfall- total darkness represents a world without Jesus
• fire- lighting+ blessing- new light, life breaking through power of darkness & sin
• every member lights their candle from PASCHAL CANDLE- shows spread of light of christ
• everyone sings a hymn of praise for gifts of this day- shows christians are called to walk in the light of risen christ
• liturgy of the world- readings- challenges believers to think about own relationships and reflect on their relationship with God
• Easter Alleluia- proclaims the resurrection + is the great hymn of victory over death and sin
• gospel- account of discovery of empty tomb- resurrection and belief of risen christ is central to christianity
• baptism+ confirmation- when adults become full members of church, receive all sacraments at once. Water is a sign of life+ death- Jesus has been through the waters of the tomb and has given life to all people

EASTER DAY

• christians continue to celebrate resurrection of Jesus with joy and renewed commitment
• mass is a normal mass with readings about resurrection from John's Gospel
• congregation do not recite the creed but instead renew their baptisimal promises and make sign of cross on themselves- using blessed water from vigil 
• shows the faithful accept the power of Christ's Resurrection in their own lives
• the paschal candle is lit as a sign of the presence of the risen christ with his people

ASCENSION

• 40 days after easter- commemorates Jesus returning to heaven after showing himself to his disciples
• many christians beleive it shows Jesus is alive, reigningwith God and HS, nevermore to die, offering to beleivers the joys of his kingdom 

• takes place 50 days after Easter and completes the easter celebration 
• commemorates the day the apostles received holy spirit
• after ascension, the apostles followed Jesus' instruction to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the holy spirit
• on pentecost- they felt a strong wind and saw flames coming to rest on their heads. They were filled with courage and went out to preach about Jesus being the Lord and Saviour
• this day is the 'birthday of the church' because from this day- all believers had been given the power to bear witness to Jesus in what to say and do both as individuals and as a community
• it reminds christians of the transforming power of the gifts of God, as the holy spirit was able to take fearful people and make them strong in faith and courage
• it is a sign that everything is changed through the power of God's spirit
• this gift is avaliable to anyone who accepts Jesus as Lord