Fourth Sunday of Advent

Authority level: Authoritative doctrine
Disciplinary status: Church discipline
Theological status: Theological synthesis
GuideThe entry combines Catholic doctrine about worship with approved liturgical discipline and theological explanation; the labels do not make every ceremonial norm irreformable.
Contents

Fourth Sunday of Advent is a Sunday of Advent in the Roman Rite, celebrated as a principal observance of the Lord's Paschal Mystery.[1]

Place in the calendar

It is the final Sunday before Christmas and may be followed by the Nativity with only a brief interval.

Its exact civil date is determined each year by the temporal cycle and the date of Easter or Christmas, as applicable.

Mystery celebrated

The Gospel turns directly to the events preparing the birth of Christ and to the faithful response of Mary and Joseph.

The proper prayers and the readings appointed for Years A, B, and C express the celebration within the one Paschal Mystery of Christ.[2]

Rank and observance

The Sunday is the principal celebration of the day and is observed from First Vespers where the liturgical books provide. The universal table of precedence governs any collision with a solemnity or other observance.[3]

References

  1. 1.General Instruction of the Roman Missal — Universal norms for celebrating Mass in the Roman Rite
  2. 2.Lectionary for Mass — The Roman Rite cycle of readings for Sundays, solemnities, feasts, and weekdays
  3. 3.Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar — Universal norms governing seasons, Sundays, ranks, precedence, and the calendar