Veils Reveal

This Sunday, traditionally called Passion Sunday, in Catholic churches around the world, you may notice that there is a little different look inside. This is because beginning this weekend churches have the option of veiling all the crucifixes, icons and statues within the building. This practice of using veils to draw attention to certain areas or items stems from the very beginnings of Christian worship and even deep into the Old Testament practices of worship. Today, however, it can be tempting to think that these veiled items have somehow been taken away and hidden from us, but that is not the point of the veils. When veils are used in the Church they are used not to hide, but to reveal or highlight something. Whenever we see an item veiled and especially in our liturgical worship we should be asking the question, “what is the Church trying to reveal about this item?”

When we enter the Church, we immediately see that the altar is veiled to reveal that it is not just some common table but is set aside and reserved for a sacred purpose. The chalice and priest’s paten are veiled to reveal their participation in the divine action; they are where the consecration will take place and Jesus Christ will be made present to us who Himself appears veiled under the appearance of bread and wine. The priest is veiled in his vestments; they hide the man, in order to reveal the priest of God who will stand “in persona Christi” at the sacrifice of the Mass. Even the consecration of the Mass is veiled, either behind a veil of candles and an altar crucifix, or when Mass is said with everyone facing the Lord (ad Deum), it is veiled by the priest’s body. This reveals to us the sacred union and intimate action of the Mass. That the priest alone in the “Holy of Holies” performs the sacrificial act being made one with Jesus Christ. There is even a beautiful tradition in the church of women veiling their heads as they enter the church. This veil, among other things, reveals the dignity of women as set apart and reserved for God in a special way because women are created by God to cooperate in His creation by bringing forth life.

So when we see these additional items veiled beginning with the 5th Sunday of lent we can then ask what is the Church trying to highlight about these objects? In one sense we have been emptying and reducing ourselves throughout the season of lent and have now come to the point where we do not even see the cross or the saints. Like the Jewish people of Christ’s time, we cannot quite see that our salvation must come at the price of the cross. It is hidden from us. Likewise, before Christ conquers death, we remember a time when Heaven was closed, and it was by the cross that Jesus would tear open Heaven for us. So the statues and images of the saints are hidden from our view, even images of Our Blessed Mother are hidden to reveal to us that it was through Her Son’s cross and resurrection that Her Immaculate Conception was made possible.

On Good Friday the crucifix will be revealed to us again, but it will not be until the resurrection, at the Easter Vigil, when Jesus defeats death and sin, that the saints in Heaven are revealed and their images uncovered. So as we enter this sacred time of year, let us look to the veils that are highlighting these important elements to help us to enter more fully into the Passion of Our Lord and more fully rejoice in His Resurrection.

~Deacon Daniel O’Reilly