Saturday, January 26, 2013

Save Our Gesimas

The title above became the motto of members from various denominations who were intent upon resisting the changes to the calendar prompted, for the most part,  by the actions of the Second Vatican Council. With Vatican II the doors were thrown open and change began to happen. Before Vatican II Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans used the same titles for the Sundays and Seasons of the year.

Modern Lutheran calendars now extend Epiphany up until the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. After the feast of the Baptism of The Lord, Rome designates the Sundays as in Ordinary Time.The Sundays in Lent are so designated by number; but without the traditional name. Following Easter, the Sundays are designated as the _TH Sunday of Easter. After Trinity and Pentecost the Sundays are again part of Ordinary Time.

The Thrivent Calendar and, I suppose, other Synodical calendars, are similar. The exception being that we do not use thee designation of "Ordinary Time." However, the Sundays following Pentecost are so named. My preference is to designate the Sundays following Holy Trinity according their historic designations.

Since I have been an almost charted of the SOG Society, I will continue to employ the calendar and nomenclature of the historic use. The parish that I belong to (Bethany LC in Fort Wayne, IN) retains the use of the historic calendar. We DO save our Gesima's.

I invite your comments and reactions to this post.