THEOLOGICAL CLUE

At one time, the Pentecost season of the church year was divided into four parts, which were marked by saints' days. The first section ran from Trinity Sunday to June 29th, the day of Sts. Peter and Paul, and Sundays were numbered consecutively; the second went from the end of June to August 10th, St. Lawrence Day, and were numbered "after the Aposties;" the third extended from August 10th to September 29th, the feast of St. Michael and All Angels, and were called Sundays "after St. Lawrence;" and the last Sundays after Pentecost were called "after St. Michael," ending the season at the First Sunday in Advent. That type of naming and counting the Sundays did one thing to shore up the kerygmatic framework and the theological clue(s) of the church year; it provided addition…