The Church Liturgical Colors and Year

(Liturgical comes the Greek word for "the work of the people, public works")

November is upon us and with it comes the end of the Catholic Liturgical year.  Many of us are unaware of this but the fact is that the Church functions off a three year cycle calendar which begins on the First Sunday of Advent.  This year the first Sunday falls on November 29.

What follows below is a brief but fairly complete explanation of the Catholic Church’s Liturgical Colors and their significance, an explanation of the Liturgical Seasons, and finally an explanation of the three cycles Lectionary.

Purple / Violet – This color is sign of sorrow and penance and is used during the seasons of Advent and Lent.  It is also used at Masses of Christian Burial.  The color reminds the faithful to be introspective, take stock of their lives and get right with The Lord.

White / Gold – White is a sign of joy and purity and is used for celebrations of the Virgin Mary, and any saint that was not martyred. Gold is the color used for great celebrations of Jesus Christ such as Easter, Ascension, Christ the King, Trinity Sunday, and so forth.  Gold is a sign of Kingly authority. At times, gold and white are interchangeable.

Green – The color most widely used because in the Church Calendar the season during which the color is used, Ordinary Time, is longest in the calendar.  Green is a symbol of hope; during Ordinary Time the Church is in a “waiting in joyful hope” mode for the next major Season whether it is Advent or Lent.

Red – The color of blood and the color of the Holy Spirit, tongues of fire as in Acts 2. Red is used for Masses of martyrs and of the Holy Spirit: Pentecost and Confirmations.

Rose / Pink – This color is used only twice in the Church calendar: the Third Sunday of Advent and the Fourth Sunday of Lent.  The Rose color vestments that are used on these two Sundays, which are during two penitential seasons of the Church, is a reminder that the season, Advent or Lent, is half over; Christmas or Easter are just around the corner and we should all take a deep spiritual breath before we continue with our final spiritual preparations for the upcoming season.

Seasons of the Church Calendar

• Advent - Four weeks before Christmas / Season of joyful and reflective waiting for the coming of the Lord.
  
  
• Christmas – From Christmas Eve through the Baptism of Jesus / Celebration of the birth of our Lord and the beginning of his public ministry.

• Ordinary Time – Monday after the feast of the baptism of Jesus to Ash Wednesday / A time to recall certain events in the public ministry of Jesus.

• Lent – Ash Wednesday to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Holy Thursday / Season of penitential preparation of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The word lent comes from an Old English word, "lente", for Spring.
  
  
• Paschal Triduum /Easter Season – The last three days of Holy Week, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday / Celebration of the resurrection and ascension, and of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. 
  
  
• Ordinary Time – Monday after Pentecost Sunday to the first Sunday of Advent / a time for commemorating the mysteries of our faith.

The Three Liturgical Cycles

The Catholic Church has a three year liturgical cycle, cycles A, B, & C.  Each cycle is dedicated to one of the Gospels: A to the Gospel of Matthew, B to the Gospel of Mark and C to the Gospel of Luke with John’s Gospel being interspersed among the three cycles.  Cycles change on the first Sunday of Advent, in short, the first Sunday of Advent is “New Year’s Day” in the Church calendar as it is the day that the Church enters into a new Liturgical cycle. At the end of the three-year cycle the four Gospels have been covered.