GREAT EXPECTATIONS

​“Dear Kuya Jeff, thank you so much for letting us be part of your recent mission with children on the spectrum and those with other disabilities. I’m really grateful that you always involve us in works of mercy whenever we can. I noticed during our pilgrimages that some church images were covered, and this morning at our Palm Sunday Mass, the statues in our parish were covered too. Why is that done during this time? And is there a specific color that’s supposed to be used? I hope you can share some insight when you have time. Praying for you and your ministry always!” – Iris P.

​
1. The veiling of images and statues in churches during Passiontide is a deeply symbolic tradition that prepares the faithful to enter more fully into the mystery of Christ’s suffering. Passiontide begins on the Fifth Sunday of Lent and continues until Holy Saturday, and it is at this point—not merely during Holy Week—that crosses and images are traditionally covered with purple or red cloth. According to the Roman Missal, crosses may be unveiled on Good Friday, while other images remain veiled until the Easter Vigil. This practice reflects the Gospel moment when Christ begins to withdraw from public view as His Passion draws near: “Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple” (Gospel of John 8:59). In veiling sacred images, the Church enters into this same “hiddenness,” allowing the faithful to experience a kind of spiritual deprivation that sharpens their longing for the joy of Easter and focuses attention more intensely on the Passion. The use of purple signifies penance and mourning, while red points to the blood of Christ. Early Christian thinkers like Saint Augustine reflected on how Christ’s divinity was veiled during His Passion, while Saint Cyril of Jerusalem emphasized encountering the mysteries of faith through visible signs; the Ceremonial of Bishops likewise affirms that such practices deepen reflection on the Passion.

2. This same logic of “veiling” is not only visual but also liturgical and verbal. During Passiontide, in certain traditional practices of the Liturgy of the Hours and the Holy Rosary, the joyful doxology Gloria Patri (“Glory be to the Father…”) is set aside and replaced with the Christological acclamation: “Christ became obedient for us unto death, even death on a cross (Si Kristo ay naging masunurin para sa atin hanggang kamatayan, maging kamatayan sa krus),” drawn from Letter to the Philippians 2:8. Just as sacred images are covered, so too the Church in a sense “veils” her most familiar expression of Trinitarian praise. This is not a denial of God’s glory, but a temporary concealment that allows the faithful to dwell more profoundly on the humility and suffering of Christ. The praise of the Trinity is not lost—it is hidden, just as Christ’s divinity was hidden in His Passion. In this way, both the covering of statues and the substitution of the Gloria Patri serve the same spiritual purpose: they draw the Church into the silence, humility, and obedience of Christ in His suffering. By fasting not only from sacred images but even from certain liturgical expressions of glory, the faithful are led more deeply into the mystery of the Cross, so that when both the images and the full doxology return at Easter, they are received not out of routine, but with renewed awe, gratitude, and joy.

3. Concealing a pregnancy until the second trimester or keeping a baby’s gender a surprise naturally builds anticipation, making the eventual revelation more joyful, meaningful, and deeply felt. In the same way, the Church “veils” both her images and even her familiar praise like the Gloria Patri, so that by temporarily hiding them, she heightens longing and prepares hearts to receive their return at Easter with greater awe and joy.

<enrique,ofs>