The Advent season begins tonight, with the reading of this evening's prayers. It took me a while to figure out that in the Catholic church, there is no such thing as Saturday night. There is Sunday Night I and Sunday Night II. Sunday lasts from late Saturday afternoon to late Sunday night. I guess Jimmy Buffet's observation that "there's a fine line between Saturday night and Sunday morning" isn't really true after all -- or perhaps is truer than we know.
We also change from the Green Liturgy of the Hours to the Blue.
Out with the green . . .
In with the blue . . .
The Psalter also resets to Week I, as we are beginning a whole new liturgical year.
UPDATE: Actually, something arrived for me from the Vatican's bookstore today. Rather than Blue, I think we'll use the red vinyl edition.
This is, of course the Liturgia Horarum, the Latin edition of the Liturgy of the Hours. Starting tonight with evening prayer, we'll try to celebrate all of Advent in the official language of the church. I ordered it a few weeks ago, figuring I'd have it by now, but it is shipped from Vatican City, so it took a little time. It arrived in timely fashion today.
It will be difficult, slow and halting at first. But I will make progress as the Church progresses toward the birth of the Lord.
UPDATE 2: Yes, whenever I think of the Vatican's mail service, it makes me think of Hudson Hawk, where Bruce Willis infiltrates the Vatican to steal the DaVinci codex by mailing himself to the Vatican in a box. They don't have that scene on YouTube, but they do, of course, have Swingin' on a Star.
Enjoy.