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David Nutayi One of the best seasons I cherish most is the Lenten season, simply because it draws my attention to the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who came to this world that we might have eternal life. The Lenten season is a holy season, a time of reconciliation and grace. It is a period in which the faithful renew themselves through prayers, fasting and works of charity. This holy season allows us to reflect on how much we are loved by God and to seek the graces to love genuinely.
“Lent is like a long ‘retreat’ during which we can turn back into ourselves and listen to the voice of God, in order to defeat the temptations of the evil one.” (Pope Benedict XVI).
However, holy week is the most definite and sacred time of the year, which helps us to commemorate and remember the last week of Jesus' life on this earth.
Historical anecdotes have it that the celebration of the holy week (Great Week) can be traced back to the fourth century which was celebrated by the Church with a feeling of profound sanctity. It begins with Palm Sunday, which marks Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
Furthermore, within the Holy week, every Catholics look forward to the Easter Triduum. This is the three days just before Easter. (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday). On Holy Thursday, we reenact the Lord's Last Supper, which He shared with His apostles on the night He was betrayed and arrested. This is one of the most beautiful liturgies of the entire liturgical year. At the Mass, the priest will wash the feet of twelve men, just as Jesus did.
The Institution of the Priesthood
Also on this night, priests all over the world will renew their sacred vows. This is because, at the Last Supper, Jesus not only instituted the Mass (Eucharist) but also the ministerial priesthood. On Good Friday, the day of the crucifixion and death of our Lord, we all "join" Jesus on His journey to Calvary to "feel" a pinch of His suffering. While on Holy Saturday, We keep watch for the expectant rising of Our Savior. This was the day He went down into the netherworld in order to bring back with Him into heaven those who had died before His coming. Up to this time, the gates to heaven were closed and no one could go there because of the original sin of Adam.
The Custom of Veiling the Holy Images
The tradition of veiling the holy images during the last two weeks of Lent hails from the former liturgical calendar in which the Passion was read on the Fifth Sunday of Lent (called "Passion Sunday") as well as on Palm Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week, and Good Friday.
Veiled Cross
There are a couple of theories and speculations posited concerning the historical origins of this practice. During the ninth century in Germany, a cloth known as the Hungertuch hid the altar during Lent and was not removed until the reading of the Passion at the words “the veil of the temple was rent in two.” Some people believe the tradition arose from the reading of the Gospel which speaks of Jesus hiding from the crowd that was about to stone him (John 8:59). Still, others speculate that the custom developed in a period in which crosses were showier and covered in precious jewels. Covering these beautiful crosses helped the faithful to reflect on the sufferings of Christ.
As Monsignor Elliott remarks, "The custom of veiling crosses and images ... has much to commend it in terms of religious psychology because it helps us to concentrate on the great essentials of Christ's work of Redemption." The Catholic Church recommends this practise to heighten our senses and build within us a longing for Easter Sunday. It is a tradition that should not only be carried out in our local parish but can also be a fruitful activity for the “domestic church” to practice.
"This old custom of veiling religious images is a way of focusing on the penitential aspect of this liturgical season. It reminds us in a visual way that our faith in all its glory is made possible only through the work of Christ in his suffering and death on the cross. When we cover or remove these holy and sacred images that we are so accustomed to, we are starkly confronted and reminded in a poignant way of all that Christ has won for us."
Tentatively, the veiling of crosses and Holy images in the penitential colour of Lent is a beautiful custom that helps us to meditate on the deeper theological meaning of the liturgical season.
Therefore, the unveiling of crosses and Holy images comes in a solemn but joyful gesture on Easter Vigil when all believers come together in hopeful anticipation, keeping watch and looking forward to the resurrection of Jesus to mark the end of the penitential season. The joy of the Easter season and the hope of the Resurrection then becomes the crux of our salvific liberation.
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