Church Celebration –

Christmas and Easter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS8d71oHOX0
 The Liturgical Calendar
• The liturgical year starts with Advent at the end of
November/ beginning of December, and ends the
same time the following year.
• The main seasons are:
➢Advent
➢Christmas
➢Lent/Holy Week
➢Easter
➢Ordinary Time
• In addition to these, feast days are also celebrated
throughout the year. By celebrating the liturgical year,
a Catholic is celebrating the life and mystery of Christ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS8d71oHOX0
 Christmas
• Christmas is celebrated in a variety of ways. The
story of Jesus' birth, called the nativity, is often
retold by children in nativity plays and many
Catholic homes will have a nativity scene displayed
in their houses.
• Many will also have religious displays including a
star or angel on top of a Christmas tree. Church
services often include a carol service.
• The Catholic Church starts Christmas with a Vigil
Mass and/or a midnight service, called Midnight
Mass.
• Christians often celebrate Christmas by giving and
receiving presents and cards reminding them of the
gifts of the Magi to the baby Christ as well as the
gift of Jesus to the world.
 The Significance of Christmas
• Christmas is significant for Christians because:
➢Christmas is the celebration of the incarnation, when
Christians believe God became man as Jesus, and without
the birth of Jesus Christ, there would be no Christianity.
➢Christians believe that before the incarnation, it was only
possible to have a partial relationship with God because of
the effects of sin.
➢However, through the incarnation which led to the life,
death and resurrection of Jesus the power of sin has been
cancelled so that it has become possible for humans to
have a full relationship with God and go to heaven after
death.
 The Significance of Christmas
• Christmas is significant for Christians because:
➢Through celebrating the birth of Christ, Christians feel
united with all other Christians when they celebrate
as a worldwide community.
➢The celebrations of Christmas remind Christians that
all Christians, whatever their colour or ethnicity, share
a common faith.
➢Christmas shows the importance of the family. Jesus
was born into a human family. At Christmas, Christians
remember the humility and strength of Mary and
Joseph, and in their worship remember to try and be
spiritually like them.
 Holy Week
• During Holy Week, Christians remember the last week of Jesus' life.
 Palm Sunday
• This is the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It is the
first day of Holy Week and celebrates Jesus' arrival
in Jerusalem riding on a colt, often referred to as a
donkey. Crowds of people greeted him, throwing
palm branches on the road.
• Catholic churches give out small crosses made
from palm leaves, as a reminder of Jesus' entrance
into Jerusalem and his death on the cross. Some
Christians keep these in their homes all year as a
symbol of their faith.
How the Catholic Church celebrates Easter –
Observing the Easter Triduum
 Maundy Thursday –
Attending Mass of the Lord’s Supper
• This is the Thursday before Easter Day. On Maundy
Thursday, Christians remember when Jesus shared the
Passover meal with his disciples, breaking bread and
drinking wine, now known as the Last Supper.
• Catholics remember this event every time they celebrate
Mass. The belief is that in the Mass the bread and wine
actually become the body and blood of Christ. This is
called transubstantiation.
• At Catholic Church services the priest washes the feet of
12 people to commemorate Jesus' washing the feet of his
disciples at the Last Supper. The foot washing reminds
them of the need to serve each other.
 Good Friday
• Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday
when Catholics remember Jesus' crucifixion.
During Good Friday services, they reflect on
the meaning of the crucifixion and the central
message of Christianity
• This message is that through his death on the
cross, Jesus atoned for the sin of mankind
which came into the world when Adam and
Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of
Eden, and through Jesus' sacrifice mankind is
reconciled with God.
 Good Friday –
Attending a special liturgy at 3 o’clock
• Catholics start their service at 3 pm, the time that
Jesus is thought to have died. A service, rather than a
Mass, is held on Good Friday, as there is no
consecration of hosts because Christ has died. For Holy
Communion, hosts consecrated in a previous Mass will
be used.
• One of the main parts of the service is the veneration
of the Cross. A crucifix will be held at the front of the
church and Catholics will take it in turns to kiss the feet
of Jesus.
• One of the main reminders of the events of Good
Friday are the Stations of the Cross. There are 14
stations that tell the journey from Christ being
condemned to his death and placing in the tomb.
 Holy Saturday –
Attending the Easter Vigil
• a ceremony of light to remember the darkness of
the tomb and the joy and light of the resurrection
(Jesus - the light of the World)
• Bible readings to remember how the resurrection
of Jesus brought back the goodness of the world
at creation
• a renewal of baptismal vows to remember the
rebirth brought by Easter
• baptism for adults
• the Eucharist is to remember that salvation now
comes through the sacraments
 Easter Sunday
• Easter Sunday marks Jesus' resurrection and is the most important
event in the liturgical year. The gospels record that after Jesus was
crucified, his body was taken down from the cross, and placed in a
cave. The cave was guarded by Roman soldiers and an enormous
stone was put over the entrance, so that no one could steal the body.
 Season of Easter
• The season of Easter lasts for six weeks. The liturgical
colour of Easter is white – a sign of joy and glory of
the resurrection. Easter is a joyous celebration and
many families will gather together to celebrate. Easter
eggs will be exchanged as a sign and symbol of new
life.
• Within church a new Paschal candle will be lit. This
represents the Risen Christ, with the light dispelling
the darkness. The Paschal candle, sometimes known
as an Easter Candle, will remain lit throughout the
Easter season, and then lit on occasions such as
baptisms.
 The Significance of Easter
• Easter is extremely significant for Christians because:
➢It celebrates the resurrection of Christ, which Christians believe proves the
identity of Jesus. If Jesus rose from the dead he then must have been both
human and divine, thus showing the two natures of Jesus as taught in the
creeds.
➢It is the final part of the work of Jesus: through his life, miracles, teachings
and death, Jesus was trying to bring people back to God. The resurrection is
the final part of this because through the resurrection, forgiveness of sins is
assured and people can be restored to God.
➢It proves that death has been overcome and assures Christians that this life is
not all there is. Easter celebrates the eternal life for those who follow Jesus.
 The Significance of Easter
• It gives Christians the assurance that Jesus is not
dead; he is alive to help and guide his Church and to
be with individual Christians.
• It celebrates Jesus victory over death and evil, which
is why new Christians are often baptised on Easter
Sunday and why many Christians renew their
baptismal vows and recommit themselves to the
Christian life.
• It proves that the predictions Jesus made about his
death and resurrection (for example in John 2:19-22)
were true, and therefore Christians can believe the
other things he said.