Time is a Gift
The Church takes seriously the call to sanctify all things, even time. The Catholic significance of days and months is a profound reminder that our lives are finite, and that time should not be squandered. As the Psalmist said, “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). But more than anything, it reminds us that time is a gift from God, and with him and through him, all things are holy, and nothing is without meaning.
Catholic
Time[1]
Holy Days
Sunday: The Holy
Trinity –
Sunday is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. This is entirely fitting as Sunday is
the first day of the week and the day when we offer God, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit our praise, adoration, and thanksgiving.
Monday: The Angels – Monday is the day in which
we remember the angels. Angels are powerful guardians, and each of us is
protected by one. Many of the saints had a great devotion to the angels in
general and to their guardian angel in particular.
Tuesday: The Apostles – The Catholic Church is
apostolic. That is, it is founded on the authority and teaching of the
apostles, most especially that of St. Peter to whom Jesus gave the keys of his kingdom.
Each bishop is a direct successor of the apostles.
Wednesday: Saint
Joseph – Saint
Joseph is known as the prince and chief patron of the Church. As the earthly
father of Jesus, he had a special role in protecting, providing
for, and instructing Jesus during his earthly life. Now that Christ
is ascended into heaven, St. Joseph continues his fatherly guardianship of
Christ’s body, the Church.
Thursday: The Holy
Eucharist – Our Lord instituted the most holy
Eucharist on a Thursday, so it is fitting that we remember this greatest of
sacraments on this day. The Eucharist is the greatest gift of God to mankind,
as it is nothing less than Jesus himself. What gift could be greater?
Friday: The Passion
– Jesus was
scourged, mocked, and crucified on a Friday. Because of this, the Church has
always set aside Fridays of days of penance and sacrifice. While the U.S. sadly
does not require abstinence from meat on Fridays, penance is still required in
one form or another. This day should always be a day of repentance and a day in
which we recall Christ’s complete self-sacrifice to save us from our sins.
Saturday: Our Lady
– There are a
number of theological reasons Saturdays are dedicated to Our Lady, perhaps the
most significant is that on Holy Saturday, when everyone else had
abandoned Christ in the tomb, she was faithful to him, confidently waiting for
his resurrection on the first day of the week.
Holy Months
January: The Holy
Name of Jesus –
There is no name more powerful than the name of Jesus. The Catechism sums up
the power of this name beautifully: “The name ‘Jesus’ contains all: God and man
and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray ‘Jesus’ is to invoke
him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the
presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of
Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him”
(CCC #2666)
February: The Holy
Family – The
Holy Family is an earthly reflection of the Holy Trinity. By meditating on the
Holy Family, we can learn the meaning of love, obedience, and true
fatherhood and motherhood. We are also reminded that the family is the
foundational unit of both society and the Church.
March: St. Joseph – St. Joseph is the icon of
God the Father: silent but active and perfectly providing for the needs of all.
The Church constantly invokes the protection of St. Joseph, admonishing us
to ite ad Joseph, go to Joseph.
April: The Blessed
Sacrament –
Holy Church is the guardian of
the Holy Eucharist. For two thousand years, she has
guarded this treasure, administering it to the faithful and proclaiming that it
is nothing less than Jesus himself. We can never be too devoted to the Blessed
Sacrament or show it too much honor.
May: The Blessed Virgin
Mary – Our
Lady has long been associated with the beauty of flowers and the coming of
spring. This is fitting because she is both beautiful and the Mother of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who is the life of the world. In May, the Church
remembers our glorious lady with crownings and processions in her honor.
June: The Sacred
Heart of Jesus –
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the revelation of God’s immense love for us. It is
often depicted as a fiery furnace, pierced and broken, but beating with love.
The Sacred Heart is also a profound reminder of the humanity of our Lord, for
his heart is not a mere symbol, but a true physical reality.
July: The Precious
Blood – The
blood of Christ saves us from sin. It is the blood of Christ that gives us the
hope of heaven. St. Paul tells us that Jesus reconciled “to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col.
1:20). Without the blood of Christ shed for us, all would be lost.
August: The
Immaculate Heart of Mary –
The heart of Mary is a motherly heart, a heart full of love and mercy for her
children. The heart of Mary is also the channel through which all the graces of
God flow down to us. She is “our life, our sweetness, and our hope.”
September: The Seven
Sorrows of Mary –
Aside from Jesus, no human being has suffered more than our Blessed Mother. In
perfect obedience to the will of God, she consented to her son’s torture,
humiliation, and brutal executed for our salvation. As any parent knows,
watching one’s child suffer is the greatest suffering of all. She still bears
the sufferings of her divine Son in her heart.
October: The Holy
Rosary – The
rosary is one of the most powerful weapons the Church possesses. We are
constantly exhorted by saints, popes, and Our Lord and Our Lady themselves to
pray this simple yet profound prayer. Accordingly, Mother Church has set aside
a whole month to the promotion of this prayer.
November: The Souls
in Purgatory – The souls in purgatory are
suffering a great deal, and they cannot pray for themselves. They are our
brothers and sisters, and as members of the body of Christ, we must pray and
offer sacrifices for those who have gone before us, asking that they may rest
in the light of God’s presence.
December: The Immaculate Conception – The
Immaculate Conception of Mary is a profound mystery. In the Immaculate
Conception, Mary was without sin from the first moment of her conception. She
is perfectly united forever to her spouse, the Holy Spirit. Their fruitful
union produced a wedding of heaven and earth in the Godman, Jesus Christ. We
will meditate on these truths for all eternity.
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