Jmj

Did anyone else notice what happened in June, 2003?

It was probably the first time for it to happen in my life -- and I probably will never see it again.
All five Sundays (and two weekdays) were very special days in the (Western/Latin) Church's liturgical calendar.

Of course, we have "ordinary" days, on which there is no commemoration of a saint nor an event in the life of Jesus. Then we have days with "optional memorials" of saints. Then we have "obligatory memorials" of saints. Then we have "feasts" (of saints, Our Lady, and Our Lord). And finally we have the most festive days of all -- "solemnities." There are about 15 solemnities during the liturgical year, and we celebrated 7 of them in June:
On Sunday the 1st, many of us observed the Solemnity of the Ascension. [I know, I know. It should have been on the previous Thursday!]
On Sunday the 8th, came the Solemnity of Pentecost.
On Sunday the 15th, came the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity.
On Sunday the 22th, came the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Our Lord (Corpus Christi).
On Sunday the 29th, came the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.
On Tuesday the 24th, came the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist.
And on Friday the 27th, came the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

What a month filled with joy and grace!

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), July 01, 2003

Answers

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), July 01, 2003.

Amen!!

-- Gail (rothfarms@socket.net), July 01, 2003.

This is just a slightly teasing comment, but I wonder why the fact of the transfer of Ascension from Thursday to the following Sunday (Not in my Archdiocese which keeps the old day!) was objected to by your "I know, I know. It should have been on the previous Thursday!" note. Yet you made no similar comment about the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Our Lord (Corpus Christi) whose "proper" day is the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. In the USA (and perhaps some other countries) the celebration (and obligation since Corpus Christi is one of the ten Holy Days of Obligation for the whole Church) is transferred to Sunday.

The US bishops transferred the obligation for Corpus Christi from Thursday to Sunday. They also transferred Epiphany, another "universal" Holy Day of Obligation, to a Sunday.

The US bishops completely abolished the obligation for the June 29th Sts. Peter and Paul (except for when it falls on a Sunday, of course). They also dropped the obligation for the March 19 St. Joseph.

-- Edward Pothier (EdwardPothier@aol.com), July 02, 2003.

Jmj

Yes, Edward, all your observations are correct (more's the pity).

I have long been in favor of more holy days of obligation on weekdays, not fewer.

To answer your "wonder[ing] why" I said, "I know, I know" only about the Solemnity of the Ascension and not Corpus Christi ...
It was because of the recentness of the dastardly deed!

The transfer of Corpus Christi from Thursday to Sunday goes all the way back to 1983 (so far back that I didn't even remember it).
But the (optional, by "province") transfer of Ascension [which most people used to know by a two-word name, "Ascension Thursday"] was only approved late in 1999. I think it is still fresh in people's minds, and it seems so odd -- thus my words, "I know, I know."

Of all transfers, I think that the transfer of Ascension is the most unwise and illogical. We know from the Bible that Christ's ascension took place 40 days after Easter and 10 days before Pentecost. Therefore, my opinion is that it is just plain wrong to celebrate it 43 days after Easter and 7 days before Pentecost. (It is allegedly being done in some places because of a shortage of clergy.)

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), July 02, 2003.