Fourth Sunday of Advent
| The angel appears to Saint Joseph in a dream
The angel appears to Saint Joseph in a dream
| |
| Rank | Sunday |
|---|---|
| Season | Advent |
| Liturgical color | Purple |
| Lectionary | Sunday Cycles A, B, and C |
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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
- Back to citation General Instruction of the Roman Missal — Universal norms for celebrating Mass in the Roman Rite.
- Back to citation Lectionary for Mass — The Roman Rite cycle of readings for Sundays, solemnities, feasts, and weekdays.
- Back to citation Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar — Universal norms governing seasons, Sundays, ranks, precedence, and the calendar.