Lenten Practices: A Letter from Fr. Bob

Dear Faithful Parishioners and Friends of Saint Mary’s,

This great and holy season of Lent is a time that the Church offers to deepen our relationship with the Lord by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, but also a time to encounter the Lord through our sacramental life. Confession, reading of Sacred Scripture, and the Stations of the Cross are some of the moments of Liturgy that focus on our relationship with Jesus. The Church building should be seen in a context of starkness. During this time, flowers are not permitted in the Church. This minimalism should help to remove any distractions and, like a desert experience, draw our focus to what is truly necessary and important. At Mass, we use the longer Penitential Rite with the addition of the ancient Greek Kyrie, eleison. The Holy, Holy, and the Lamb of God are chanted in Latin, the mother language of the Roman Rite. These changes from routine are meant to make us aware of the uniqueness of this season.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal recommends that as the Church moves closer to the great celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord at Easter, our joyful anticipation should increase. One of the practices of the Church, which unfortunately has fallen out of favor, is the covering of crosses and images of the saints. This practice is being looked at again as an external action that can touch our internal relationship with the Lord. It is called to begin on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, which used to be the beginning of what was known as the Passiontide. The term has been removed and is now joined to Palm Sunday (the following weekend) with the more inclusive name of Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. While it is no longer called the Passiontide, the readings of the Fifth Sunday of Lent speak of Jesus’ suffering.

The rubrics can guide us in the practices of this season. In the Roman Missal, we find the instruction,

In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and images throughout the Church from [the fifth] Sunday [of Lent] should be observed. Crosses remain covered until the end of the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, but other images remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.”

It might seem strange that during the most sacred time of year, Catholics cover everything beautiful in their churches, even the crucifix. Shouldn’t we be looking at the painful scene at Calvary while we listen to the Passion narrative on Palm Sunday?

While it may appear counterintuitive to veil statues and images during the final weeks of Lent, the Church recommends this practice to heighten our senses and build a longing for Easter Sunday within us. It is a tradition we should carry out in our local parish and can be a fruitful activity for the “domestic church.”

The Church will look different and maybe even strange at first, but these will hopefully become teaching moments.

First, we use veils to alert us to the special time we are in. When we walk into Church and notice everything is covered, we immediately know something is different. These last two weeks of Lent are meant to be a time of immediate preparation for the Sacred Triduum, and these veils are a powerful reminder to get ready.

Secondly, the veils focus our attention on the words being said at Mass. When we listen to the Passion narrative, our senses are allowed to focus on the striking words from the Gospel and truly enter into the scene.

Third, the Church uses veils to create heightened anticipation for Easter Sunday. And therein lies the whole point: the veils are not meant to be there forever. The images need to be unveiled; it is unnatural for them to be covered.

The unveiling before the Easter Vigil is a great reminder of our life on earth. We live in a “veiled” world, in exile from our true home. It is only through our own death that the veil is lifted, and we are finally able to see the beauty of everything in our lives.

I encourage you to use this tradition at home. Cover any crosses or images of the saints and explain why to the young ones. This tradition can be used as a learning tool for children. Explain this custom to your children and encourage your family to engage in this Lenten practice. It is easy for children to become distracted by the things we receive at Easter. But Lent is an important time of preparation for the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ that deserves much more attention. It is also important to see the connection between the domestic (home) Church and the worshipping Church. Like the Advent Wreath, this initiative can become a great connection for our young people. Consider this beautiful practice.

When you come into Church on the Fifth Sunday of Lent (April 5 and 6), these beautiful aids for Lent will be in place.

A reminder that Stations of the Cross are prayed each Friday evening in the Church at 7:00 PM.

In Jesus, our Suffering Lord,
Fr. Bob