Seasons in the Church
Bishop Ralph Heskett
By the time you receive the present copy of Arise!, the holy season of Lent will be upon us. Lent, of course, is one of the Church’s seasons that we mark and celebrate throughout the Church’s year. So why the seasons, anyway?
There is a long tradition in the Church of the observance of different seasons. At a time when people were poor and without access to education, the Church’s festivals and the cycle of the Church’s year provided a means of teaching the story of God and his actions in human history.
Because of our human frailty and limitations, it is impossible to grasp the whole mystery of the God we worship. So, in her wisdom, the Church has given us different seasons to enable us to reflect upon and to grow in understanding and appreciation of the many aspects of the God we worship.
In the Catholic tradition the cycle of celebrations, prayers and readings is divided into six seasons, each emphasising a different aspect of the life of Jesus. So, by means of the annual cycle, the Church celebrates the mystery of the life of Jesus from his incarnation to the day of Pentecost and the expectation of his coming again.
The sequence of feasts and festivals becomes an annual pilgrimage as we move from the crib to the foot of the cross and to witness the resurrection. Let us briefly remind ourselves of the journey we make through the year and why.
During Advent, we are invited to prepare to celebrate that moment in history when our God stooped down and took on our human flesh to express his love for us. During the Advent season, too, we are invited to do this by reflecting on the threefold coming of Jesus: in the prophecies of the Incarnation and Birth; his coming to us daily through grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, the second coming of Jesus at the end of time.
The joyful expectation of Advent, of course, culminates with the Christmas season.
These few words are prompted by the fact that we will shortly be entering into the holy season of Lent. The focus is on the threefold discipline of fasting, prayer and almsgiving. It is offered to us as a way of preparing ourselves to die with Christ on Good Friday and rise with him on Easter Sunday (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Over the years, I must admit that I have not welcomed this season as warmly as I could have done!
Lent leads us into celebrating the greatest feast in the Church’s calendar – Easter. Paul reminds us: “If Christ is not risen our faith is futile and we are still in our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:14). During the Easter season we are invited to celebrate in Christ’s victory over sin and death and share in his victory.
The great season of Easter culminates in his Ascension into heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit, and the beginning of the Church at Pentecost.
In between times, the prayers and readings that are used in public worship enable us to walk with Jesus as he preached, taught and worked miracles and to hear once again his call to us to be the Light of the World.
In conclusion, the seasons of the Church help us to see better the many-sided wisdom of our God and the many different ways that he shows his love for us.
To help us grow in an appreciation of the seasons, a question that we might profitably ask Jesus in prayer as we move through each of the seasons is “How are you showing your love for me at this time – in this season?”
You can find Bishop Ralph at St Marie’s Cathedral, Sheffield City Centre and find live streamed Mass at St Marie's Cathedral – Sheffield Catholic Cathedral (stmariecathedral.org)