Passiontide
is meant to be a special penitential period where we focus on Jesus’ bitter
passion and foster within ourselves sorrow for our sins. The good news is that
Passiontide does not have the last say, and this somber period of preparation
ends quickly so that our hearts can rejoice in the beauty of Christ’s
resurrection. The joy of Easter is almost here, but before that we must
accompany Jesus in his Passion.
Traditionally the final two weeks of Lent in the Roman Rite are used as an immediate preparation for the sorrowful events of Easter. It is a period of time to focus more and more on the Passion and death of Jesus and so accompany him on his way to Calvary.
For several centuries the Fifth Sunday of Lent (this coming Sunday) was known as “Passion Sunday” and marked the beginning of a special sub-season called Passiontide, which extended up until Holy Saturday. During this time the Church’s liturgy became more somber and a sorrowful mood was reflected in the various practices that occurred in the liturgy
The most obvious example of a more somber mood was the veiling of statues and images, which remains an optional practice in the current Roman Missal: “In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and images throughout the church from [the fifth] Sunday [of Lent] may be observed. Crosses remain covered until the end of the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, but images remain covered until the beginning of the Easter
Traditionally the final two weeks of Lent in the Roman Rite are used as an immediate preparation for the sorrowful events of Easter. It is a period of time to focus more and more on the Passion and death of Jesus and so accompany him on his way to Calvary.
For several centuries the Fifth Sunday of Lent (this coming Sunday) was known as “Passion Sunday” and marked the beginning of a special sub-season called Passiontide, which extended up until Holy Saturday. During this time the Church’s liturgy became more somber and a sorrowful mood was reflected in the various practices that occurred in the liturgy
The most obvious example of a more somber mood was the veiling of statues and images, which remains an optional practice in the current Roman Missal: “In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and images throughout the church from [the fifth] Sunday [of Lent] may be observed. Crosses remain covered until the end of the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, but images remain covered until the beginning of the Easter
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