Ember Days? Why They are All about Hope!Read Time 9 min

Ember Days may be something we are not as familiar with in the modern Church in America, but I would guess many Catholics born before 1965 might remember them. This year, Wednesday, Sept. 17, Friday, Sept. 19, and Saturday, Sept. 20, are the autumn or September Ember Days, which seems like the right time to consider these days within in our Catholic tradition. The name Ember Days comes from the Latin phrase Quatuor Tempora, or four times (a year).

Four times a year, around three months apart, close to the beginning of each season of the solar cycle (winter, spring, summer and autumn), Holy Mother Church designated three days to beg God to pour out his blessings upon us. This is also a time to praise and thank God for the gift of creation and its natural beauty, mindful that we use God’s creation to praise him. Think about what we use: olives, wheat and grapes! Traditionally, during these days ordinations would occur, so it is a time to pray for those among us who are ordained deacons, priests and (arch)bishops. If you do an internet search, you’ll find lots of announcements from around the country (and world) that ordinations are taking place in the next couple of weeks. Lastly, these days we also pray, fast and give something up to focus on spiritual renewal.

The traditional times for Ember Days are the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday:

• After the feast day of St. Lucy (Dec. 13)
• After the first Sunday of Lent
• After Pentecost
• After the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Sept. 14)

The Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar reads that “On … Ember Days the Church is accustomed to entreat the Lord for the various needs of humanity, especially for the fruits of the earth and for human labor, and to give thanks to him publicly.” (no. 45) The Ordo (the little book in the sacristy that helps the priest pick out what Masses to celebrate) makes this pastoral note after the entry concerning the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, “Formally, the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday following the feast of the Holy Cross were observed as Ember Days, a time to give thanks to God for the first fruits of the Harvest. Communities may wish to celebrate the Order for a Blessing on the Occasion of Thanksgiving for the Harvest (Book Blessings, nos. 107-1023) on one of these days or on some other occasion.” This time of year, we even see “Rural Life Day” in dioceses so often celebrated with Mass to make the connection between thanking God for the fruits of the harvest and the bountiful banquet of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

During these days might we be willing to celebrate the good things of God’s creation — even ourselves? These days, albeit not officially celebrated, may be an opportunity to appreciate who and what we take for granted. Perhaps we take for granted God, our bounteous blessings and each other. These days can be an opportunity to do a real deep dive into our spiritual lives with an examination of conscience and celebrate the Sacrament of Penance seeking God’s forgiveness and being filled with sanctifying grace to try and live the Christian life all over again.

Ember Days are an opportunity to evaluate our relationship with creation. Spend time in creation. How about anticipating the Harvest Moon (the Harvest Moon of 2025 occurs Monday, Oct. 6, at 9:47 p.m.)? His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, in his message for the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation this year taught, “In proclaiming the Kingdom of God, Jesus often used the image of the seed. As the time of his Passion drew near, he applied that image to himself, comparing himself to the grain of wheat that must die in order to bear fruit (cf. Jn 12:24). Seeds are buried in the earth, and there, to our wonder, life springs up, even in the most unexpected places, pointing to the promise of new beginnings … Now is the time to follow words with deeds. ‘Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience’ (Laudato Si’, 217). By working with love and perseverance, we can sow many seeds of justice and thus contribute to the growth of peace and the renewal of hope. It may well take years for this plant to bear its first fruits, years that, for their part, involve an entire ecosystem made up of continuity, fidelity, cooperation and love, especially if that love mirrors the Lord’s own self-sacrificing Love.”

Think how you might be able to help a neighbor during these times of year. If nothing else, you can pray for them at Mass or even at home, while taking a walk or driving in your car to and from work. Consider these words from the Beloved Apostle, “I ask you, how can God’s love survive in a man who has enough of this world’s goods yet closes his heart to his brother when he sees him in need? Little children, let us love in deed and in truth and not merely talk about it.” (1 John 3:17-18)

Let’s celebrate the upcoming “Ember Days” well by keeping our Catholic traditions, and sow the seeds of justice, contribute to the development of peace and cooperate with the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives to bring about a renewal of hope.