1/8/2023

Monday is the end of our Christmas season with the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus. With the longest possible Advent comes the shortest possible Christmas season. So next Sunday will be the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time which lasts until February 22nd, Ash Wednesday, with Easter coming on April 9th. We will chant the moveable dates of the Liturgical Year on Epiphany as we did last year. It may seem an irritation that the Liturgical year and the secular year are not in harmony – the new Liturgical year began with the first Sunday of Advent (11/27/2022) and our secular New Year began January 1 – but somehow it is fitting and symbolic that the secular and the religious years are not “in step” – kind of symbolic of the tension between the secular and the religious/spiritual. The Liturgical year is focused on recounting the saving action of God in our past and bringing it to bear on our present lives. The special times are the preparation for Christmas (Advent), Christmas time, Ordinary time, Lent, and Easter time, followed by an extended Ordinary time – these all revolve around the Incarnation (Christmas), Redemption (Easter), and a systematic exposure to the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. In year A (our current year) the Gospel of Matthew is emphasized, in Year B the Gospel of Mark is emphasized, and in Year C the Gospel of Luke is emphasized.
[Incidentally, if you take the year and divide by 3, the remainder tells you what year it is. A remainder of 1 = Year A; a remainder of 2 = Year B; a remainder of 0 = Year C. So 2023/3 = 674 with a remainder of 1, which is Year A. This can be confusing if you don’t like numbers or if you try to use the year when Advent begins – you have to wait until after New Year’s Day to get the right year to do the calculation.]
One of the things that I noticed in attending college at a Benedictine school, and then joining a Benedictine monastery, is how the Liturgical year is more important than the secular year. The culture is inverted. When saints feast days occurred, what gospel was read, how celebrations were observed mostly went according to the Liturgical calendar rather than the secular one. In fact, some holidays like Columbus Day or Washington’s Birthday were normal work days, while holydays like the anniversary of the dedication of the basilica or the Immaculate Conception on December 8th were big celebrations – not only in church, but the food we ate, how many courses we had, and whether or not we worked that day. I am afraid that I continue to struggle to be aware of all the secular holidays, even as I live more in the secular world as pastor here than I did in monastic life. I guess you can take the monk out of the monastery, but not the monastery out of the monk.
I hope that you have picked up a calendar which has the memorials of saints, the feast days, the solemnities, and what each Sunday is. Many of us have missalettes (Give Us This Day, Magnificat, Seasonal Missalette, etc.) which give us readings for the days of the month, or other helpful aids (iBreviary, Divine Office, Laudate, Amen, Hallow, FORMED.ORG, etc.). Catholicism has a rich variety of prayers and devotions including even Liturgical prayer like The Liturgy of the Hours which can be found on the Internet. There is bound to be a way to pray that suits you, just keep searching.
Personally this Christmas season has been remarkable for two reasons: 1) I did not get even a sore throat during the season, and 2) all the gifts, cards, and well wishes from parishioners and teachers. Many thanks to all of you! It is a joy to be your pastor.

Father Albert, O.S.B.