On Monday of the fourth week of Lent, I volunteered as a docent at the Basilica of San Albino in Mesilla, New Mexico. The church employs docents to keep the doors open throughout the day and to answer any questions visitors may have. Near the end of my shift, a couple entered the church and asked why the statues within the church were draped in purple cloth while the Stations of the Cross were not.
Going through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, I learned that we cover the statues to symbolize the veil of Christ’s divinity during his Passion and to focus on Jesus’s suffering and sacrifice, preparing for the celebration of Easter.
Statues and Images
In Catholic Churches, it is customary to veil statues, images, and crosses with purple or black cloths during Passiontide, which spans the last two weeks of Lent. This period begins on the Saturday before the Fifth Sunday of Lent and continues until the Easter Vigil. The Crucifix above or behind the altar is uncovered on Good Friday.
The veiled images build a longing for Easter Sunday within us. The veils seem out of place and counterintuitive, as we can no longer see Jesus Christ, the Blessed Mother, or the Saints. It can seem strange that the Crucifix is covered up during Passiontide. Through this absence of images, we become more aware of what is missing. Just as the suppression of the Alleluia during Lent demonstrates that we are in exile from Heaven, our true home, where the angels sing Alleluia without ceasing.
We are reminded that we live in a veiled world when the images are unveiled before the Easter Vigil. Only through our own death is the veil genuinely lifted for us, and only then will we truly see God’s Kingdom. It is through His Resurrection that Christ lifts the veil.
“I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. John 11:25-26.
Stations of the Cross
Why aren’t the Stations of the Cross covered if everything else is?
While other images and statues are veiled during Passiontide, the Stations of the Cross are left uncovered to emphasize the importance of Christ’s Passion and death.
During Lent, in the days leading up to Christ’s Passion, parishes worldwide take time, usually on Friday, to pray the Stations of the Cross as a congregation.
The Crucifix
The Crucifix, found either above or behind the altar, is the first image to be uncovered.
The Crucifix is unveiled on Good Friday during the veneration of the CrossCross, a key part of the Good Friday liturgy. This is done so we may focus on His suffering and death upon the CrossCross, His sacrifice for our salvation.
During Mass on Good Friday, I couldn’t help but think of my part in Christ’s crucifixion. You and I were on His mind. Christ hung upon that Cross to atone for humanity’s sins and offer salvation, forgiveness, and reconciliation to each of us. It’s only fitting, then, that on Good Friday, the Crucifix is unveiled, and we focus our attention on the work of the Cross.
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