The following came from Father Ronald H.
[We usually redact names for anonymity’s sake.]
EAR JEFFREY: While I find your articles interesting, oft times coming from a completely different perspective than my own, I must take issue with your most recent “When does the Christmas Season end?” How anyone could discuss the question and omit the current legislative document on the subject amazes me. Please see The General Norms Governing the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, Sacred Congregation of Rites, 21 March 1969: “The Christmas season runs from evening prayer I of Christmas until the Sunday after Epiphany or after January 6 inclusive. Ordinary Time begins on Monday after the Sunday following January 6 and continues until Tuesday before Ash Wednesday inclusive.” Whether anyone of us likes it or not, some of these questions have been answered for the church living in this particular time by the church.
On 6 February 2024, Jeff Ostrowski replies:
NLESS I am mistaken, Father, a precept of the Church says each Catholic “must receive Holy Communion during Easter time.” Although it sounds strange, the EASTER CYCLE includes the season of LENT. Google seems to confirms this: The Easter cycle consists of the six Sundays of Lent, the seven Sundays of Easter, and Pentecost Sunday. It certainly is “weird” or “peculiar” that Easter-time (!) includes the season of Lent. Most Catholics—I think you would agree—consider LENT to be a season. In English, words can have various meanings depending on context. Sometimes the self-same word can have opposite meanings: “sanction” and “cleave” would be two examples. The word late can mean “not punctual.” It can also mean “dead.”
I bring all this up, Father, for a simple reason. I believe LENT is a season. However, I also accept that it’s part of “Easter time” vis-à-vis the precept we already mentioned. You have provided (above) a definition of the Christmas season that “eliminates” or “engulfs” or “annihilates” the season of Epiphany. How can that be? Is there no such thing as the season of Epiphany? But the EPIPHANY is one of the three cardinal feasts: viz. Epiphany, Easter, and Pentecost. Indeed, the feast of the Epiphany originally included Christmas.
The following came from Charlotesville, Virginia.
[We usually redact names for anonymity’s sake.]
JUST READ your recent piece: “When does the Christmas Season end?” This was an exceptional article, addressing a highly pertinent question and providing interesting and useful supporting sources, all the while not wandering too far into the liturgical ether. I have been greatly enjoying this emerging series of articles that have taken a decidedly more educational tone than previous articles, which were, I would say, more scholarly and esoteric, though still very good! Thank you for your tireless efforts to (re)build the Church.
The following came from I. L. C. Ph.D.
[We usually redact names for anonymity’s sake.]
WAS READING your article, and it is fascinating, as usual; however, you have not discussed one aspect of this question (“When does the Christmas Season end?”), which gives an obvious direction—namely, the Marian Antiphons. In many cases, the Office AND the Missal provide a clear answer about the liturgical season, certainly after the chaos introduced in the 1950s by Bugnini et al. Alma Redemptoris is sung from the Vespers of Saturday before the 1st Sunday of Advent to the 2nd Vespers of the Purification, regardless of when Septuagesima starts. Therefore, the seasonal Marian antiphon, Alma Redemptoris, clearly labels the end of the Christmas season, similar to the other Marian Antiphons. The origin of the problem is that many people do not understand (or just wanted to destroy) the function of Septuagesima Season, which may start before February 2. It is not a classical penitential season but helps prepare people for the upcoming Ash Wednesday, so it helps to intone the hearts of people for Lent. (No folded chasubles, broad stole, but purple dalmatic and tunicle, the organ is played, although Alleluia and Gloria are not sung on Sundays- unfortunately, the 1960’s New Rubrics made more confusion in this area, e.g. with abandoning the folded chasuble and broad stole during penitential time in the Roman rite). One of the priests back in my old home country told me that “Septuagesima is like a road sign that tells you to slow down because there will be a traffic jam in 10 kilometers.” (Besides that, with the Sundays of Septuagesima a nine-week Sunday Novena starts for preparation to Easter). Therefore, Septuagesima is a transitional season in many different aspects, similar to dawn or sunset, when the day and night overlap. You have some daylight, but it is still or already dark. This season leads us from the incarnation cycle to the redemption cycle. Sometimes, there is “insufficient time for a full Septuagesima;” therefore, it “borrows some time” from the Christmas Season. But the Marian Antiphons ALWAYS change on February 2. Another reason to return to the pre-1955 Missal was not touched by Bugnini and his coworkers. Obviously, there were some practical changes in the 1962 Missal, but many unfortunate, illogical, anti-liturgical changes introduced a significant erosion and confusion of the Roman Liturgy.
The following came from a Catholic priest.
[We usually redact names for anonymity’s sake.]
READ WITH INTEREST your article (“When does the Christmas Season end?”) on the end of Christmas and the introduction of “seasons” with the Missal of 1962. I now pray the pre-Pius XII Divine Office. What I have noticed is that the liturgy used to be first of all structured around Sundays, with the weekdays (if not eclipsed by a feast – the usual case) simply repeating the Sunday. Then there are feasts with major octaves, so that even the Sunday that falls within the octave is defined as such. There are identifiable “seasons” – Advent, Lent, Passiontide, and Easter. Note, no Christmas season. Part of the liturgical character of a “season” is a sequence of Sundays. So there is also “Per Annum” referenced in the rubrics, either “After Epiphany” or “After Pentecost”. Well the three Sundays “Septuagesima”, “Sexagesima”, and “Quinquagesima” belong also to “per annum”, but they are not identified as a season, nor are they grouped together as Sundays, the only characteristic is that starting with Septuagesima the “alleluia” is dropped. Of course the names of the Sundays speak of approaching closer to Easter, but each Sunday sort of stands on its own. Christmas and Epiphany are interesting. They both have octaves, but that leaves the days between January 1 and January 5 (the Vigil of Epiphany). In the “reformed” liturgy they are weekdays of the Christmas season. In 1962 they are rather puzzling. Pre-62 they are the octave days of St. Stephen, St. John, and Holy Innocents, except that one of those days (Jan 2 or a Sunday) will be the Holy Name of Jesus. No need to talk about a “season”. The upshot of all this is that from December 25 to January 13 (Octave of Epiphany) there is a unique period in the liturgical year defined by two octaves, with a few intermediary days, in which Sundays take a back seat. Curiously, the liturgical reform wanted to restore the lost emphasis on Sundays, but because of the whole concept of “seasons” the cycle of Sundays sort of takes a back seat to the seasons. The pre-62 liturgy, at its foundation, was an annual cycle of Sundays and, of course, even when a particular Sunday was outranked by a feast, it was commemorated. Further, each particular Sunday was invariable, same antiphons, prayers, and readings every year.
