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Sunday 8 January 2012

The Epiphany of the LORD

Whether it was Friday (as it was for me in the EF) or Saturday night (as it was for me where I sang the Vigil Mass) or today if you worship in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, may you have a blessed Epiphany. For me, it is Holy Family today and let us pray that some day, Epiphany in Canada will be transferred back to January 6 and that we will also have a unified calendar between the OF and EF.


Now that should prompt an interesting discussion, so let us have it.

If there was a new calendar for the OF and EF, what should it look like? Now, let us assume that it is not going to be one or the other but a blending of the best with a hermeneutic of continuity.

So, I shall start with this.

Return the Octave of Epiphany to both (it was done away with in 1962).
Restore the Octave of Pentecost to the OF.
Restore the Gesima Sundays to the OF as a "pre-Lent."

But enjoy this first.





 Here is the trio in English

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The newer calendar basically differs from the old in: 1) abolishing stuff altogether, 2) renaming the classifications of feast days, and 3) moving many saints' days.

I like the newer classification into Solemnities, Feasts, and [Optional] Memorials, it seeems more dignified than "First Class", "Second Class", etc. I'd like to see that kept. I like the fact that the temporal cycle is more "visible" because only Solemnities interrupt it. (But I'd like to see an rubric for optional Commemorations, so that "Optional Memorial" doesn't just mean "waste of ink".)

I wish most of the Saints' days had been left in their traditional places, mostly because of popular celebrations (e.g. namesdays) being now separated from their liturgical day. But moving them all back is zero likely to happen. Maybe some of them could be "optionally" celebrated on their traditional day.

As for the abolitions, I'd like them back, even if some were "optional". I'd like to see the Epiphany and Pentecost (!) octaves restored. (And Solemnities like Epiphany and Ascension restored to their proper dates -- but that's not a old/new issue as such.) I'd like to see Sundays-per-annum and Sundays-after-Pentecost put permanently back in sync: then those of us who prefer to could refer to Sundays in Epiphanytide and after Pentecost by their old names, and in year A the propers would agree, more or less.

I'd like to see Passiontide restored, at least optionally.

I'd like to see Christ the King restored to its place, at least optionally.

AM