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102. Holy Mother Church is conscious that she must celebrate the
saving work of her divine Spouse by devoutly recalling it on certain
days throughout the course of the year. Every week, on the day which
she has called the Lord's day, she keeps the memory of the Lord's
resurrection, which she also celebrates once in the year, together
with His blessed passion, in the most solemn festival of Easter.
Within the cycle of a year, moreover, she unfolds the whole mystery
of Christ, from the incarnation and birth until the ascension, the
day of Pentecost, and the expectation of blessed hope and of the
coming of the Lord.
Recalling thus the mysteries of redemption, the Church opens to the
faithful the riches of her Lord's powers and merits, so that these
are in some way made present for all time, and the faithful are enabled
to lay hold upon them and become filled with saving grace.
103. In celebrating this annual cycle of Christ's mysteries,
holy Church honors with especial love the Blessed Mary, Mother of
God, who is joined by an inseparable bond to the saving work of her
Son. In her the Church holds up and admires the most excellent fruit
of the redemption, and joyfully contemplates, as in a faultless
image, that which she herself desires and hopes wholly to be.
104. The Church has also included in the annual cycle days devoted
to the memory of the martyrs and the other saints. Raised up to
perfection by the manifold grace of God, and already in possession of
eternal salvation, they sing God's perfect praise in heaven and offer
prayers for us. By celebrating the passage of these saints from earth
to heaven the Church proclaims the paschal mystery achieved in the
saints who have suffered and been glorified with Christ; she proposes
them to the faithful as examples drawing all to the Father through
Christ, and through their merits she pleads for God's favors.
105. Finally, in the various seasons of the year and according to
her traditional discipline, the Church completes the formation of the
faithful by means of pious practices for soul and body, by
instruction, prayer, and works of penance and of mercy.
Accordingly the sacred Council has seen fit to decree as follows.
106. By a tradition handed down from the apostles which took its
origin from the very day of Christ's resurrection, the Church
celebrates the paschal mystery every eighth day; with good reason
this, then, bears the name of the Lord's day or Sunday. For on
this day Christ's faithful are bound to come together into one place
so that; by hearing the word of God and taking part in the eucharist,
they may call to mind the passion, the resurrection and the
glorification of the Lord Jesus, and may thank God who "has
begotten them again, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead, unto a living hope" (1 Pet. 1:3). Hence the
Lord's day is the original feast day, and it should be proposed to
the piety of the faithful and taught to them so that it may become in
fact a day of joy and of freedom from work. Other celebrations,
unless they be truly of greatest importance, shall not have precedence
over the Sunday which is the foundation and kernel of the whole
liturgical year.
107. The liturgical year is to be revised so that the traditional
customs and discipline of the sacred seasons shall be preserved or
restored to suit the conditions of modern times; their specific
character is to be retained, so that they duly nourish the piety of the
faithful who celebrate the mysteries of Christian redemption, and
above all the paschal mystery. If certain adaptations are considered
necessary on account of local conditions, they are to be made in
accordance with the provisions of Art. 39 and 40.
108. The minds of the faithful must be directed primarily toward
the feasts of the Lord whereby the mysteries of salvation are
celebrated in the course of the year. Therefore, the proper of the
time shall be given the preference which is its due over the feasts of
the saints, so that the entire cycle of the mysteries of salvation may
be suitably recalled.
109. The season of Lent has a twofold character: primarily by
recalling or preparing for baptism and by penance, it disposes the
faithful, who more diligently hear the word of God and devote
themselves to prayer, to celebrate the paschal mystery. This twofold
character is to be brought into greater prominence both in the liturgy
and by liturgical catechesis. Hence:
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a) More use is to be made of the baptismal features proper to the
Lenten liturgy; some of them, which used to flourish in bygone days,
are to be restored as may seem good.
b) The same is to apply to the penitential elements. As regards
instruction it is important to impress on the minds of the faithful not
only a social consequences of sin but also that essence of the virtue of
penance which leads to the detestation of sin as an offence against
God; the role of the Church in penitential practices is not to be
passed over, and the people must be exhorted to pray for sinners.
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110. During Lent penance should not be only internal and
individual, but also external and social. The practice of penance
should be fostered in ways that are possible in our own times and in
different regions, and according to the circumstances of the faithful;
it should be encouraged by the authorities mentioned in Art. 22.
Nevertheless, let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be
celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible, prolonged
throughout Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the Sunday of the
resurrection may be attained with uplifted and clear mind.
111. The saints have been traditionally honored in the Church and
their authentic relics and images held in veneration. For the feasts
of the saints proclaim the wonderful works of Christ in His servants,
and display to the faithful fitting examples for their imitation.
Lest the feasts of the saints should take precedence over the feasts
which commemorate the very mysteries of salvation, many of them should
be left to be celebrated by a particular Church or nation or family of
religious; only those should be extended to the universal Church which
commemorate saints who are truly of universal importance.
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