“...Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.” 

The final period of immediate preparation for celebrating the Easter mysteries is traditionally called Passiontide. During these last two weeks of Lent, the prayers, antiphons, and liturgy readings speak more explicitly of Our Lord’s Passion and Death. The Church invites her faithful to meditate on these mysteries, which we prepare to commemorate in the Sacred Paschal Triduum, the single liturgical celebration beginning on Holy Thursday evening and concluding with the Easter Vigil. 

From the Roman Missal

One of the customs associated with Passiontide is the veiling of statues and crucifixes during this period. The current edition of the Roman Missal says on the Fifth Sunday of Lent: 

“In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and images throughout the church from this Sunday 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 Vigil”  (The Roman Missal, third edition, 2011).

Fr. Brandimarti incensing the veiled altar crucifix at the offertory. 

Scriptural associations

This practice of covering images has a long history, but it came to be associated with the following Gospel passage, which was traditionally proclaimed on this Sunday at the start of Passiontide: 

“At that time, Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews, ‘…Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.”
— John 8: 58, 59 

As Our Lord hid himself from the eyes of those who did not yet have faith to see Him for who He truly was, now His image and those of His Saints in glory are hidden from our eyes as we prepare to enter with Him into His Paschal Mystery. Just as Christ’s glory is veiled from our eyes in the Eucharistic species, in which His Flesh appears in the form of bread, now, during these days, the sign of His glory, the Cross, is veiled. The Cross will be unveiled on Good Friday when, as we hear in Scripture, “the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom” (Mark 15: 38), and the soldier pierced the veil of His Flesh with a lance and “immediately blood and water flowed out.” (John 19: 34).

Adoration of the crucified Christ by angels. Rose window, St. Peter Room.

Passing through the veil

Having fasted with our bodies throughout Lent, let us enter into this fast of our eyes. Let us pray that when this veil is lifted, and we look upon Him who has been pierced, we may see with the eyes of faith in the hope of passing through the veil of the heavenly temple.   

Preface I of the Passion of the Lord, prayed during the Fifth Week of Lent.

* Footnote: The Fifth Sunday of Lent used to be called Passion Sunday. While the current Roman Missal has moved this title to Palm Sunday, formally called Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, in connection with the reading of the Passion narratives from the synoptic Gospels, the prayers of the Missal for the Fifth Week of Lent do retain a Passion-oriented theme. Most notably, the Missal instructs the priest to pray the first Preface of the Passion at Mass this week: 

“It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God. 
For through the saving Passion of your Son the whole world has received a heart to confess the infinite power of your majesty, since by the wondrous power of the Cross your judgment on the world is now revealed and the authority of Christ crucified. 
And so, Lord, with all the Angels and Saints, we, too, give you thanks, as in exultation we acclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy...”