Towards the end of Lent you may notice purple cloths draped over crucifixes, statues, and images of saints in your church. In some churches, these items are actually removed from the sanctuary altogether.
This old custom of veiling religious images is a way of focusing on the penitential aspect of this liturgical season. It is often practiced during the last two weeks before Easter, starting on Passion Sunday (the Sunday prior to Palm Sunday) and ending on Good Friday. This time period was originally called Passiontide. Even though it is no longer called by this name as often, the tradition is still practiced in many places.
Then, as in a dramatic unveiling, the images are again revealed to mark the end of the penitential season and the beginning of the joy of the Easter season and the hope that the Resurrection brings. It is a beautiful custom that teaches us about the meaning of the liturgical seasons.
Crosses and images veiled: Passion Sunday
Cross revealed: Good Friday to emphasize Jesus bearing the Cross on that day
Images revealed: Easter vigil
In covering the cross during the height of Lent, attention is centered on the Passion and death of Christ. This is why the only images NOT to be covered are the Stations of the Cross.
>>>What did you see today? Were the statues and crosses veiled? At our parish we do not veil at all.
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