The fifth Sunday of Lent is known as Passiontide, which marks the final two weeks of Lent. Traditionally, and now optionally, crucifixes, statues, and other religious artwork in churches are covered up (also known as veiling) until the singing of the Gloria on Holy Saturday during Easter Vigil Mass.
The older Missals all refer to the Fifth Sunday of Lent as the First Sunday of the Passion. Palm Sunday is the Second Sunday of the Passion. This is confusing, whether accidentally or on purpose I don’t know, though I suspect a few tenth-century monks are laughing. Passion Sunday does not give us the Passion story but, in the modern lectionary, the raising of Lazarus. In the older lectionary we hear about Jesus “hiding” himself from the religious authorities, which is where most interpreters seem to get the veiling idea. “Passiontide” also makes more sense when you realize that traditionally we get Matthew’s Passion on Palm Sunday, then Mark and Luke on Holy Tuesday and Wednesday, then of course John on Good Friday. (Does the three-year lectionary cycle actually give us “more scripture” in any meaningful way? I doubt it. But discuss it amongst yourselves.)
What I like—and this is purely theological opinion—about Passiontide is just this gradual character. We veil images, we cut out the Gloria patri at certain strategic points (not all); in the Divine Worship form we remove the Judica me psalm in the preparatory prayers (just like at Requiems … interesting). There’s an intentional stripping things back to the bare minimum, intensifying the removal of the Alleluia, organ music, etc. And so in a way you’re freed from distractions and forced to confront the thing itself. This all comes to a head, I think, on Good Friday with the unveiling of the Cross and the veneration of the crucified God.
Fr. Samuel Keyes – Catholic.com
This tradition can alert the church-goer that the period of Lent is coming to an end and can encourage us to continue or step up in our Lenten journey.
The cover image of this post is from St. Mary’s in Ottawa, ON