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.

5 comments:

Phil said...

Was Vatican II the origin of the term "Ordinary Time," or was that title in effect before?

I know that the liturgical colors were in flux and varied from place to place (as noted in Guenther Stiller's book on Leipzig when compared with Roman, Sarum, Gallican, etc. uses). Was the use of green for the "Ordinary Time" Sundays in Epiphany in place before Vatican II? Was this in place both in Rome and in other communions?

Jay Watson said...

I am delighted to find another proponent of this salutary season of pre-lent, wherein we can be soothed into the desert of Lent from our mountain-top revelation of Our Lord's glory, via this three week reception of Grace - -
(plus, I like saying sexagesima in public :) )
frJ

Dcn Latif Haki Gaba SSP said...

I second Fr. Watson's comment. Thank you, Deacon, for giving voice to this valuable and endangered dimension of the liturgical year.

Dcn. Muehlenbruch said...

Deacon replies to Phil,

After consulting a 1962 English Missal, Green was used during Epiphany after the Baptism of Our Lord. White was used for the first few Sundays of Epiphany.

I would think that Ordinary Time was a change made after Vatican II. The color for Ordinary Time is Green; but there may be a few exceptions.

Michael L. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D said...

I consulted the 2004 reprint of Paul H.D. Lang's "Ceremony and Celebration." The original preface dates itself as belonging to St. Bartholomew the Apostle's Day A+D 1963. The tome's Page 171 (part of Chapter 18) speaks to "The Use of Green." It reads "Green is used from and with Matins on January 14 to Vespers of the Eve of Septuagesima (TLL also permits white for this period) and from the Second Sunday after Trinity through the Trinity Season to the Vespers on the Eve of Advent, except on festivals and days for which another color is appointed."

"Color" is most certainly indexed in Lang's book (p. 179), with several citations to explore; as is "Ordination" (p. 183). "Ordinary Time" is not, for what it's worth.

We the faithful need a bumper sticker, and that right desperately, along the lines of "Free Gesima!" or maybe, "Free the Gesima Three!" It works in the secular world, in stirring the masses.

Your (unworthy) servanr,
Herr Doktor