The Practice of the Purple Cloths of Lent

Now is the time of the season of Lent when, in some if not all Parishes, all images of Christ and all crucifixes are covered in purple fabric. This is a tradition that dates back as far as the early Church. This practice of covering statues, icons, and crosses with purple fabric serves a sign of mourning and anticipation of Christ’s passion. Even in some homes, images are covered, tables are set with purple dining cloths or are decorated with purple candles. You may even see some people dressed in purple now and then. When we see the deep purple hues of Lent, they remind us to repent and to turn away from sin and toward Christ, to remember the suffering He endured for our sake, and to prepare us for the joy of Easter, when our King, once robed in purple and crowned with thorns, is revealed in His resurrection glory.

This year is the first time I am observing this practice in my own home. I have every single image of our Lord covered in purple, I’ve even covered a painting I made of the Sacred Heart. I have to admit, it feels odd, in a good way. It makes me feel like I just hid a part of myself away. I feel like I am missing the most important thing. I feel incomplete. I guess the best way I can describe it is as when you take off a piece of jewelry that you always wear, say for example a wedding ring. My earthly mother used to take off her rings whenever she cleaned and cooked because she didn’t want them to get dirty. She often described it as “feeling naked” without her jewelry on. I feel that too whenever I take my scapular off to shower or whenever I take off my glasses. This feeling I am having with covering all of my images of Christ is like that, but it’s more than that. It makes me feel sad.

Every morning when I get out of bed, the first thing I see is a big picture I own of the Divine Mercy image of Christ. When I awake, I feel as if those beams of red and white light are shining out of the picture onto me. It reminds me of His love and mercy for all of us, and it always puts me in a good mood. For the next week I am depriving myself of that feeling and I honestly am disturbed that. I feel like I want to go ahead and uncover my picture. Not being able to see His face makes me want to cry. I already feel that I cannot stand not being able to look at His face.

It’s just for a week though, for the seven days until the morning before Easter Vigil. The only thing consoling me is the little crucifix I wear hanging on my scapular. I give this form of suffering up to our Lord. I pray that this makes me stronger in my faith and love for our Lord and Savior.