Passiontide

(printed on bulletin insert on Judica, April 6, 2025)

The final stage in our symbolic journey toward Easter is Passiontide. Passiontide (the time of the Passion) begins with Judica, the fifth Sunday in Lent. The crucifixes are covered at the conclusion of the Holy Gospel and the Gloria Patri disappears for a while.

A common question may be, “Why do we drape and veil the crucifixes as we get closer to Good Friday, as our attention upon the last hours and the sufferings of Our Lord increases?”

We do this because we do not deserve to look upon them. We are not worthy of the sacrifice. The crucifix is our greatest and most cherished symbol. So it is partially taken away from us for a short time, that we might better appreciate it when it returns.

The crucifixes are not taken away completely. They are not removed. They are only veiled. We can see outlines of the crosses, but their beauty and details are fuzzy. This symbolizes the reality that our grief prevents us from seeing clearly until the Good Friday liturgy and, of course, Easter. Faith always views the crucifixion in the light of the empty tomb.

The veiling also reminds us of Our Lord’s actions in response to the violence of the people in the Judica Gospel. There we are told that “Jesus hid Himself.” That is why the crucifixes in the sanctuary are veiled during the service, after the reading of the Gospel, and not before.

The idea of removing the Gloria Patri is much the same. The Triune name given at the Ascension is the fullest revelation of God’s name given to men. To take away the Gloria Patri for two weeks is a bit jarring. It is particularly awkward not to sing it at the end of the Nunc Dimittis. But, again, its short-term removal serves to draw attention to it and highlight our privilege for the other fifty weeks of the year.

All of this is that we would learn to mortify the flesh and to depend more and more upon the grace of God in Christ. For never, even in our most somber of ceremonies, is the Church in doubt about the end. Jesus died, but He is not dead. Jesus lives. Easter is coming. Our Alleluias, Gloria Patris, crucifixes, fatty foods, and the like shall all return. But even better than that, we shall have them forever in the life of the world to come when our own resurrections occur.

Passiontide extends through Holy Week and the Triduum (“three holy days”—which includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday). At the conclusion of the Maundy Thursday service the altar will be stripped, the sanctuary decorations, such as the candelabra, paraments, etc., will be removed. Even the altar crucifix will be carried out. All that will be left in the sanctuary are the pieces of furniture, laid bare. The intensity builds from now until the Easter Vigil when we finally arrive at the empty tomb but not at an empty altar.