A Call Concerning the Seasons in the Church Year

INTRODUCTION

The Church year is focused on bringing the human person into union with God through an ordering of human life by harmonizing heaven and earth.

The Church year offers the human person the opportunity to know how God brings the human person into union with God and experience this unity.

The Church year has individual and communal value.

The Church year is an irreplaceable contribution to those who want to improve their lives by being holy.  However, I believe the Church year is in need of reform.

New seasons for the Church year will make it easier and better for Catholics who want to improve their lives by being holy.

I will describe the Church year as it is and as I desire it to be.  I will argue for reform.

The purpose of this call is to increase public awareness and to motivate people who possess the ability to make changes to the Church year to seriously consider making changes.

SEASONS IN THE CHURCH YEAR

The current Church year does an excellent job of making Jesus Christ known to his people.  Jesus Christ is correctly identified as the center of existence for the human person.

The seasons show how the human person can be in union with God and allow for the human person to be in union with God. 

However, there is room for reform in the Church year.

I believe this reform should take place in the number of seasons, the naming of seasons, and what is occurring in two seasons. 

This reform will make clearer how Jesus Christ is the center of existence for the human person and make participation in his life easier and better.

As It Is

The Church year currently has six seasons (USCCB): Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter Triduum (identified as Sacred Paschal Triduum), Easter, and Ordinary Time.  Ordinary Time is used twice though is only one season (after Christmas and after Easter). 

As I Desire It to Be

The Church year with nine seasons: Advent, Christmas, Discipleship, Lent, Easter Mystery, Easter, Apostleship, Crown, and Kingship.

Identified changes

The Christmas season

The Christmas season will end with the Epiphany of the Lord on Sunday.

The Discipleship season

Discipleship will begin with the Baptism of the Lord.  Discipleship will end with Union with the Divine Will (this is a reference to accepting Jesus and wanting his work to be done).

The format for how the Discipleship season can be rolled-out is as follows: 2nd Sunday of Discipleship, 3rd Sunday of Discipleship, and so on.

The Easter Mystery season

Use Easter Mystery as official language for the season.

The Apostleship season

No proposed changes other than the name of the season.

The format for how the Apostleship season can be rolled-out is as follows: 13th Sunday of Apostleship, 14th Sunday of Apostleship, and so on.

The Crown season

A season of preparation following Apostleship and preceding Kingship.

The Kingship season

A season celebrating Jesus Christ as king.

Argument in Favor of Reform

The Christmas and Discipleship seasons

There is oddity in the current Church year.  I do not believe this oddity is justified.  Ending with the Epiphany of the Lord makes sense.  As does placing the Baptism of the Lord in the next season.

The Ordinary Time After Christmas season is a time to make present Jesus in the spirit of Christmas.

This is a time of personal development and oneness.  Here is a time of transition—moving from Christmas to Lent.

As disciples of Jesus, we are those who accept his teaching and want his work to be completed in us. 

This is a season where we are called to growth by being disciples of Jesus.

We are called to acknowledge and rejoice in what we have received during the Christmas season (the Word coming into the world and becoming flesh at his nativity and how he was manifested to the world at the Epiphany).

We are called to make present Jesus in the world in our own spirit in the way God desires to occur (allowing the gift at Christmas to bear fruit in our discipleship).

The making present of Jesus is the call of every Christian.  The Church should enter into the Baptism of the Lord at the start of this season.  This allows for and shows how mission for the human person is to be accomplished. 

It is through discipleship we are made ready for the journey of Lent.  Christmas prepares us to prepare to receive Jesus at Easter.

When we allow God to form us through his teachings we are able to experience the glory of Easter.

I believe this season is better referred to as Discipleship.

The Easter Mystery season

Easter Mystery communicates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Easter Mystery more accurately reflects Jesus’ sacrifice and is the cause of the glory of Easter.  Easter Mystery is language that is accessible and focused.

Sacred Paschal Triduum brings to mind the Ascension of Jesus and then shaves it off to suit a three-day frame.  The Paschal mystery refers to Jesus’ work of redemption through his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension.  (Definition taken from the glossary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and “Paschal Mystery / Sacrifice”.)

Having an agreed upon term that is universally used is essential.  Using agreed upon terminology increases understanding and lessens confusion.

The website at the USCCB currently uses “Sacred Paschal Triduum” and when that link is clicked on “Easter Triduum” is displayed.

The Apostleship season

The Ordinary Time After Easter is a time to make present Jesus in the spirit of Easter.

This is a time of personal development and oneness.  Here is a time of transition—moving from Easter to the completion of the year experienced in Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

As apostles of Jesus, we are sent out by the Father just as Jesus was sent out.  

This is a season where we are called to growth by being apostles of Jesus.

We are called to acknowledge and rejoice in what we have received during the Easter season (resurrection from death).  We are called to make present Jesus in the world in our own spirit in the way God desires to occur (allowing the gift at Easter to bear fruit in our apostleship).

The making present of Jesus is the call of every Christian.  The Church should enter into the Holy Trinity at the start of this season.  This allows for and shows how mission for the human person is to be accomplished in the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

It is through apostleship we are made ready for the journey to be one with Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. 

When we allow God to use us in the world we are able to experience the glory of ruling the world with Jesus.

I believe this season is better referred to as Apostleship.

The Crown season

Advent and Lent serve a valuable function for the Catholic.  Each season allows the Catholic to prepare his or her self to enter more deeply into the life of Jesus.  Kingship has no such season.  Kingship should have such a season.

Having a season of preparation following Apostleship and preceding Kingship is wise.  Catholics are sent out into the world to subdue evil and win the crown of glory.  This takes real effort and work and is a gradual process of fulfillment.

The Kingship season

Celebrating Jesus Christ as king should be on par with Christmas and Easter as a season.  Indeed, experiencing unity with Jesus Christ as king is the culmination of life for the Catholic.  The Catholic should experience the joy and glory of reigning with Jesus Christ in the Church year as a season.

The Catholic can benefit greatly from exposure to the truth about Jesus, to the truth about his glory and his love for us.  Focusing on Jesus and what he means to the human person and creation can greatly aid in the development of a relationship with the individual Catholic and his or her king.

CONCLUSION

My call for change has come from a place of sincere hope for improvement.    

I have adequately identified changes and adequately argued for these changes.

As a result of my call for change the fact that Jesus Christ is the center of existence for the human person is made clearer and it is easier to participate in his life.

I believe reform should take place in the number of seasons, the naming of seasons, and what is occurring in two seasons. 

The Church year is a special way of bringing the human person into unity with God and it is my hope that these proposed changes will make it even more special.