A "holy day"? Or a "holiday"?

What is a holy day of obligation? A holy day of obligation is an important feast of Our Lord, Mother Mary, or other saints that Catholics are obliged to observe by participating in the celebration of the Eucharist and by avoiding unnecessary servile work. These days are times for festivity and observance, because of their special importance and meaning for the universal and/or local Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains a holy day of obligation as follows: "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body. Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health."

In addition to this, Canon Law (#1246) speaks of the holy day of obligation as follows:

Can. 1246

• §1 The Lord’s Day, on which the paschal mystery is celebrated, is by apostolic tradition to be observed in the universal Church as the primary holy day of obligation. In the same way the following holy days are to be observed:
• The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Chrismas)
• The Epiphany
• The Ascension of Christ
• The feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
• The feast of Mary the Mother of God
• The Immaculate Conception of Mary
• The Assumption of Mary
• The feast of St Joseph
• The feast of the Apostles SS Peter and Paul
• The feast of All Saints
• §2 However, the Episcopal Conference may, with the prior approval of the Apostolic See, suppress certain holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday.
• The Holy Days in Bold, Italics and Red are the ones which the Episcopal Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei have promulgated as holy days of obligation.
• The feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) is transferred to a Sunday (the Sunday after Trinity Sunday), as promulgated by the Episcopal Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

As Catholics, we should make every effort to join in the festivities and celebration of each holy day of obligation. This is one of the many ways we can grow stronger in our faith and closer to God.

Liturgical Colours: A Summary - The Rose

• At the midpoint of Advent and Lent, rose vestments are traditionally worn as a sign of joy:

• Gaudete Sunday (the third Sunday of Advent)
• Laetare Sunday (the fourth Sunday of Lent)

• We rejoice at the midpoint because we are half-way through the preparation and anticipate the coming joy of Christmas or Easter.

Liturgical Colours: A Summary - The Purple

• Violet or purple is used during Advent and Lent as a sign of penance, sacrifice and preparation.

• Purple vestments may also be used for Masses of Christian Burial or Masses for the Dead.

• Some parishes use a different shade of purple to differentiate the (usually) darker purple used for Lent.

Liturgical Colours: A Summary - The Green

• Green symbolises hope and life, just as the hint of green on trees in early Spring arouses the hope of new life.

• Green is used during the liturgical season called Ordinary Time.

• This season focuses on the three-year period of our Lord’s public ministry, and the Gospel passages, particularly on Sundays, recount His teachings, miracles, exorcisms, and other deeds during this time.

• All of these teachings and events engender great hope in the mystery of salvation.

• We focus on
• The life He shared with mankind during His time on this earth.
• The life we share now with Him in the community of the Church and through His sacraments.
• and we look forward to sharing everlasting life with Him perfectly in Heaven.

Liturgical Colours: A Summary - The Red

Red has a dual imagery:

• On one hand, red symbolises the shedding of blood and is therefore used on

• Palm Sunday (when Christ entered Jerusalem to prepare for His death)
• Good Friday, any other commemoration of the Lord’s passion
• The votive Mass of the Precious Blood
• The days marking the martyrdom of the apostles (except St. John)
• and the feasts of other martyrs who offered their lives for the faith.

• On the other hand, red also signifies the burning fire of God’s love. For this reason, red vestments are worn on
• Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and tongues of fire rested on their heads;
• For the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation;
• and for the votive Masses of the Holy Spirit.

Liturgical Colours: A Summary - The White and The Gold

• White or gold, a colour symbolising rejoicing and purity of soul.

• It is worn during the liturgical seasons of Christmas and Easter.

• White vestments are also used for feasts of our Lord (except those pertaining to His passion), the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels, and the saints who were not martyrs.

• White vestments are also worn on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, and the Feasts of All Saints, St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, the Chair of St. Peter, and the Conversion of St. Paul.

• White may also be used for Masses of Christian Burial and Masses for the Dead to signify the resurrection of our Lord, when He triumphed over sin and death, sorrow and darkness.

Liturgical Colours: A Summary - Introduction

The Church’s liturgical norms do prescribe specific vestment colours for various celebrations.

The purpose of utilising different colours for vestments is twofold:

• First, the colours highlight the particular liturgical season and the journey of the faithful through these seasons.
• Second, the colours punctuate the liturgical season by highlighting a particular event or particular mystery of faith.

The following explanation is based on the norms of the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM).