Where are We in the Church Year? and WHAT?!!

Don't hate us because we're liturgical bloggers and have the annoying obligation to remind you that:

ASH WEDNESDAY IS LESS THAN THREE WEEKS AWAY!  

By mate2code (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)
or CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Seriously folks, Ash Wednesday is less than three weeks away.  I know, I know, you've just put away that gingerbread man scrubby thing that decorated your sink for Christmas, and your Christmas wreath is still in a box in the hallway.  Me too! But, the liturgical wheel keeps turning, and it's almost Lent.

It's kind of like your mother telling you toward the end of July during your teenage years, that school would be starting up again soon, and you'd best get your sleep schedule straightened out.  Somebody's got to do it.

For those of you who are not the church calendar keeping type, here's the deal:

As I write this, today is January 26, 2013. Tomorrow will be the third Sunday after the Epiphany.  Monday will be the Feast Day of St. Thomas Aquinas, priest and friar. But....let's pare down to basics....

We are in the midst of the season after the Epiphany.  In our review mirror are Christmas (the birth of Our Lord) and Epiphany (the day the Magi arrived bringing gifts).  This season is part of "Ordinary Time."  We are looking forward to the Lenten Season which will begin with Ash Wednesday , will culminate with Holy Week, and will be followed by Easter (the resurrection of Our Lord).  The feast days of St. Valentine and St. Patrick will be observed during Lent this year.

All seasons in the church calendar have a color to represent them. The color of Ordinary Time is green. The color of Lent is purple. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. That's the day when all those "questionable" people (smiles) show up at work with those crosses of ashes on their foreheads. (More about that later.)

By Oxh973 (Own work by Jennifer Balaska)
 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

If you're wondering what on Earth any of this has to do with anything, this is a good place to start:

The Church Year: You are Here ---->

We'll be hosting another Lenten Linkup this year. I imagine I'll have the finishing touches complete on that and will put it up some time this weekend.

In the meantime, if you're wondering why to observe Lent at all, you might find an interesting read in:

 Why This Lenten Journey ?

Also, here are some posts from fellow liturgy nuts...er....liturgical bloggers....to get you started.  <Smiles!>

Remember, You are Dust (Cake) from Tiffany at Family at the Foot of the Cross

Fasting Bread for Lent from Catholic Cuisine

Pax Christi dear ones,

Let us prepare to embark upon a Holy Lent.
I'm so very grateful to be "walking the seasons" with you all,

~Michelle