By Brea Cannon
Liturgical Rhythm of Life
Happy New Year! The start of the new year is a time of hope and an opportunity for faith and trust. As one year closes and another begins, there are many unknowns about the year ahead and the joys that will fill our lives. What I do know about the year ahead is that no matter what happens in our personal lives, our families or in the world, we can turn to Jesus and the Church he established for hope.
I found the liturgical rhythm of life to refresh my soul in the busy and chaos while I was in college. As the world and my own life have changed a great deal since my college days, the steadfast rhythm of the liturgy has not. There is a comfort in the traditions and liturgy that have been around hundreds and in some cases thousands of years. Traditions help us pause and remember that we are connected to all the faithful throughout history.
As this new year is fully underway, let us all take some time to pause and reflect on the gift the liturgy is to our lives — the liturgy we get to participate in publicly with our parish families, but also the liturgy we share with the universal Church and the holy men and women who have gone before us in faith.
There are many opportunities in the next few weeks to kick off this new year liturgically — here are just a few:
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on Feb. 2. This Feast is also known as Candlemas Day; the day on which candles used in the liturgy and sacraments are blessed, symbolizing Christ, who is the light of the world. You may also take candles to Mass on this day to be blessed to use as sacramentals in your home. So, too, those in consecrated life are called to reflect the light of Jesus Christ to all peoples. This would be a great day to reach out to your parish priests or other consecrated men or women and let them know that you are praying for them. Accordingly, the Church celebrates World Day for Consecrated Life on the Sunday following the Presentation of the Lord.
The Feast of St. Blaise and the blessing of throats on Feb. 3. Have you ever been to Mass on or the weekend after Feb. 3 and had your throat blessed? Have you ever wondered what was so special about St. Blaise and why we bless throats on his feast day? St. Blaise was a fourth-century physician in Armenia. He later became a bishop who lived as a hermit in a cave. From the cave, he tended to the faithful — both spiritually as bishop and physically as a physician. Many people came to him for guidance, council and healing. The tradition goes, in 316 the governor arrived at the cave to arrest Blaise for practicing Christianity. While being taken away, a woman carrying her son came to the feet of Blaise asking for help for her young boy who was choking on a bone. The boy was immediately healed. Despite the miraculous healing, the governor was not moved and proceeded to behead St. Blaise. To this day, we pray through the intercession of St. Blaise for choking and ailments of the throat.
The Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita on Feb. 8. This day we remember this amazing woman who was kidnapped, sold into slavery, freed and joined the Canossians sisters. Inspired by her bravery and faith, Catholics all over the world are encouraged to observe World Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking. Sadly, the horrors St. Josephine experienced are still present today and prayer, awareness and vigilance are necessary to fight the evils of human trafficking.
There are many other important feast days coming up, but this short time in Ordinary time will be shifting to Lent on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18. As you begin this new year, consider making the resolution to live in a liturgical rhythm and devote some time to preparing your heart for the year to come. With our faith, hope is possible as we start another year!