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| Photo courtesy of the Home Oratory |
Something is Different on Passion Sunday
When Catholics walk into church to attend Mass on Passion Sunday, they immediately notice a striking thing - something feels a bit off...in a meaningful way. The sacred images are covered. It creates a tension, a visual silence that stirs the heart. Good Friday is coming. The Church reinforces this visual in a meaningful way.
Also, the Mass of Passion Sunday, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, is full of the thought of the sacred passion of Christ. The liturgy changes, too. According to the 1962 Roman Missal, the Gloria Patri at the Introit and Lavabo is omitted. There is an almost cinematic logic to the Church's traditions.
The readings of the liturgy this week reflect the last year of Our Blessed Lord's life, full of the thought of the Passion of Christ and of the infidelity of the Hebrew people (cf. the Gospel: John 8:46-59). The readings of Holy Week recall the last week of the earthly life of Christ, concluding with his passion, death, and resurrection.
The veils appear the last two week of Lent, as the storm clouds of the Passion gather on the horizon.
An Ancient Tradition Reveals Itself
For centuries this practice has been followed. The veiling takes place from the first Vespers of Passion Sunday until the singing of the Gloria during the Easter Vigil. The veiling takes place on the Saturday afternoon before Passion Sunday (the Sunday that proceeds Palm Sunday). During the Gloria of the Vigil they are taken down as the lights are turned on and the bells ring until the end of the hymn.
Crucifixes and other holy images and statues on and near the altar are veiled. The color of the veils is always violet. This includes statues and images of Our Lady and the saints. Also, the tabernacle is veiled in matching violet material, per usual.
The exception is for the Mass on Holy Thursday, when the color of the veil over the altar cross is changed to white. Also, in some places there is a custom for the Mass of the Presanctified on Good Friday for the color of the altar cross veil to be black (as seen in Rome).
On Good Friday, the crucifix on the altar is reveled, when its veil is slowly taken away in a symbolic ceremony, showing us the depth of our grief. This poetic declaration of Good Friday highlights the cross as a glorious symbol of redemption:
"Unveiled let it be upon our Altar, for He that died upon it is soon to triumph by a glorious Resurrection! Yea, let every crucifix in our Church be unveiled, and every altar beam once more with the vision of the glorious standard! Ave crux, spes unica!"
In some churches, the Saturday when the veils are put up is usually a designated morning or afternoon when volunteers are asked to come to the church in order to clean and help iron the veils and put them in place.
Teaching the Tradition and Handing It On
Nuns who taught in parochial schools in past generations sometimes explained this tradition in a language that children could understand, stating that Jesus was withdrawing or entering into a period when He would "hide" himself before the Passion and Resurrection on Easter morning.
The liturgical echo of this hiddenness is taken from the Gospel reading of Passion Sunday: John 8:59, "But Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple."
Indeed, during this somber period when His glory is hidden, our yearning hearts - like the hearts of children - ache to see Christ when the images are veiled. This is especially felt on the morning of Good Friday when churches locked and tabernacles are left empty.
Children understand that during Lent we fast, also with our senses. When the sacred images are unveiled and lifted, there is more fasting. We feast with our souls as the Resurrection reveals everything we have been waiting for. A bit like feasting on candy Easter morning.
The genius of the Church's liturgy shows herself yet again, revealing that the life of faith is not just about what we can see, but the promise of what we participate in.
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| The Journey to Easter, by The Home Oratory |
A Formal Explanation From a Source Document
Below is an explanation of the custom of the veiling of images, taken from the book, Matters Liturgical, published in 1956 (pp. 280-281).
"Every crucifix and every other image of Our Lord in a church or oratory, as well as every image of Our Lady and of the Saints on the altars, must be covered with a violet veil from the first Vespers of Passion Sunday until the intoning of the Gloria on Holy Saturday, with the exception of all crucifixes which are unveiled at the Adoration of the Cross on Good Friday; it is not allowed to postpone the veiling until after the Gospel at the solemn Mass on Passion Sunday.
If an image of Our Lady or of a Saint in a church or oratory is not on an altar, its veiling is not strictly prescribed. Hence, a procession with an unveiled image during Passiontide is permissible, provided that the procession is customary; it can also be tolerated to leave a statue of St. Joseph unveiled during the month of March occurring tin Passiontide, provided that the statue is not on an altar. At the same time it is clear from the wording of these concessions that the veiling of all images of Our Lady and of the Saints in a church or oratory during Passiontide is to be considered at least fitting and proper, if not strictly prescribed.
It is permitted to leave the image of the Stations of the Cross unveiled during the whole of Passiontide; this is by way of exception to the law that all images of Our Lord in a church or oratory are to be veiled during this time.
On Holy Thursday the crucifix on the main altar must be veiled in white instead of violet, but only during the Mass. For the Mass of the Pre-sanctified on Good Friday the crucifix on the main altar may be veiled in black instead of violet where this is the usual practice.
The occurrence of the titular feast of a church or the anniversary of its consecration during Passiontide is not in itself a sufficient reason for unveiling any image that should normally be veiled.
If an image cannot conveniently be unveiled at the Gloria on Holy Saturday, this may be postponed until after the services.
During the Devotion of the Forty Hours all sacred pictures and statues on or in the vicinity of the altar of Exposition must be removed if possible or be at least covered with a white veil; but statues of angels for decorative purposes are not included.
Outside the time of the Devotion of the Forty Hours a sacred picture or statue may not be brought out and placed temporarily on an altar to be exposed there together with the Blessed Sacrament. If a sacred picture or statue is placed on an altar permanently, it need not be veiled during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at the altar unless the Exposition is perpetual; sacred pictures and statues in the vicinity of an altar where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed need not be veiled, especially if they are difficult to reach or if such is not the practice."
Lastly, we laud this venerable custom and thank so many generous priests for helping to keep this transcending ritual alive. It is one tradition that children will take with them in their memory for the rest of their lives. It helps to enliven the Faith and guide our hearts to be expectant for Christ when He reveals Himself on Easter Sunday.
To order veils for your parish, Beau Veste makes them, available HERE.
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