WHY ARE THE CRUCIFIX AND OTHER SACRED IMAGES COVERED DURING PASSIONTIDE, THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF LENT?

 Only those who go to the Ancient Latin Mass with its exquisite lectionary know why. Bugnini Mass goers are mystified by the covering of statues. 

Bugnini Mass goers, in fact, may not see their statues and crucifix covered at all or in some Bugnini Mass parishes, these are covered beginning Ash Wednesday, as church decorators heard about the custom but are clueless as to the reasons why and when these should be covered!

But Ancient Latin Mass goers, hearing each year on the First Sunday of Passiontide (no longer called this in the Bugnini Mass) hear the same Gospel over and over each 1st Passion Sunday.

Are you smart enough, after reading the Gospel, to figure out why the crucifix and statues are covered during Passiontide and are you even smart enough to know what Passiontide is?

The Bugnini Missal says that images “may” be covered beginning the Sunday before Palm Sunday, but doesn’t say why and the Gospel of the modern lectionary gives no reason why either!

But even in the Bugnini Mass, beginning Monday of the 5th week of Lent, the preface changes from the Lenten Preface to the First Passion Preface—an homage to the Passiontide, but no reason for it in the Bugnini Mass!

Here are the readings from the ancient lectionary for 1st Passion Sunday. Can you figure out from reading the Gospel as to why the crucifix and statues are covered?