What is the Liturgical Year and How Can it Help You Grow in Holiness?

The way in which we worship God through the liturgy plays a vital part of the Christian life. 

But while our worship takes place in the context of the mass, our relationship to Christ and His Church is not limited to Sunday. What we do at home everyday can help bring us more deeply into this sacred gift. 

Liturgical Living, or living in regards to the Church’s liturgical calendar, is a fun and accessible way to sanctify ourselves and our families, and enjoy the richness of our Catholic tradition.

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What is the Catholic Liturgical Calendar?

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Similar to our human calendar, the Catholic liturgical calendar consists of days, months, and seasons, holidays and feasts. It allows our experience of time to offer a window into the eternal, to order our lives toward God. 

But the liturgical calendar isn’t just an arbitrary schedule made up by the Church; rather, the liturgical year tells the story of God loving humanity. 

It offers a unique meditation on Jesus’ life, death, resurrection through the year, as it begins with preparation for His birth in Advent and ends with a reflection on Jesus’ heavenly glory with the feast of Christ the King celebrated on the final Sunday of the year.

These changes in the Church’s calendar are most obviously reflected at Mass through the changes in the priests’ vestments, the use of incense, the hymns, the readings and prayers. However, this observation of time doesn’t have to end with the recessional; we can bring the devotions and traditions associated with each season and feast day into our Domestic Church. 

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Living Liturgically

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Liturgical living extends the liturgy–a “radiant expression of the paschal mystery” as stated in Sacramentum Caritatis–throughout our day. In doing so, we learn to order our days toward God and keep heaven before our eyes, and ultimately become an active player in the greatest story ever told. 

Prayer, food, home decor, clothing, music, entertainment, play–every part of your home can help to bring to mind the sacred in the midst of the ordinary. 

‍You might light a new candle on your wreath for each week of Advent, celebrate a Solemnity with a huge feast, or pray a rosary on a Marian feast day. Maybe you’ll enjoy a special treat on the feast of a beloved saint or intentionally remember the devotion assigned to each month. 

There’s no “right” way to live in regards to the liturgical year; the Church leaves room for each home to decide how to practice it. 

You don’t need to celebrate every holy day or have elaborate plans for each change of season. Even acknowledging the liturgical year in the smallest way can serve as a powerful reminder that the world is not our home, that we were made for more. 

Liturgical Living isn’t simply for crafty moms or little kids, it’s for anyone who wants to grow in holiness.

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Want to incorporate Liturgical Living in your Domestic Church? Stay tuned for upcoming tips, resources, and suggestions for living the Liturgical Year on Pietra Fitness' blog. 

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