The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-07-23
Seventh Sermon of Series on Catholic
Worship. Prepared by Rev. M. J.
Hannah, St. Mary's Church, Butte,
Montana.
THE LITURGIcAL coLoRS.


vestments worn by the priest in the
celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of
the Mass. Today we shall speak Of
their colors.
There are five regular colors used
in the celebration of the Holy Mass
white, red, green, violet and black.
However, on "Gaudete" and "Laetare"
Sundays, occurring in mid-Advent and
mid-Lent respectively, rose-colored
vestments may be used. This color is
symbol of hope and of joy; it's pur-
pose, therefore, is to encourage the
faithful to persevere in their fast
and abstinence unto the end of the
penitential season. Vestments of gold
cloth may take the place of white,
red, and green vestments.
We find that the use Of colored
h vestments is prescribed by God Him
self in the Old Testament Thus in
Exodus we read:
And he made, of violet and purple,
or scarlet and fine linen, the vestments
for Aaron to wear when he ministered
IN the holy places, as the Lord COM
manded Moses. So he made an
ephod of gold, violet and purple, and
scarlet twice-dyed, and fine twisted
linen with embroidered work. And he
cut the plates of gold, and drew them
into small threads, that they might be
twisted with the wool of the aforesaid
colors." exodus 80, 1-3.)
CoIors of Vestments.
Inspired by such divine ordinances,
the Church of God also has prescribed
vari-colored vestments for her minis
tiers when they stand at the altar to
offer the Sacrifice of which that of
Aaron was but the figure.
The colors of the vestments enhance
the beauty of our services by the dis.
play of their rich hues; they lend our
worship variety pleasing to the eye;
; above all, they have, in the mind of
the Church, an obvious symbolical
meaning, and thereby help the wor-
shippers, almost unconsciously, to enter
into the spirit of the divine services.
What is the symbolical meaning OF
the different colors employed?
Symbolic Meanings.
White is the color of light, and is
expressive of purity, innocence, holi.
ness and joy. 1t is the robe of the
baptized-a robe which must be kept
unstained and unsullied. On Mount
Thabor, Holy Scripture tells u.s. the
face Of Jesus shone as the. sum-, and
His garments became white as the
snow. All the joyful and glorious
mysteries of Our Divine Lord are
celebrated in white, as no other color
so appropriately expresses His radiant
purity, His innocence, His eternal
glory. 1t is also the color most fitting
ly used on the feasts of the Blessed
Virgin, the holy angels, the saints whe
are not martyrs, such as the con
fessors, the virgins, etc, All these
belong to that heavenly multitude
which no man can number and which
st. John saw before the throne Gin thu
sight of the Lamb clothed with white
robes" (Apoc. Z, 81. These have
never lost their baptismal innocence
or have washed their robes white il
the blood Of the Lamb" (Apoc. Z, 14)
The white vestments appeal to the
faithful to assist at the Holy Sacrifice
adorned with the white robe O.
sanctifying grace.
Red Vestments.
Red is the most striking of al
colors. 1t expresses the ardent Low,
with which the Holy Spirit iniame.
our hearts, and is emblematic of tina
all-devouring flame from which il
derived the strength that enables on,
willingly and cheerfully to sacrific,
everything, even life itself, in defenc,
OF the faith. 1t is, therefore, tn,
color used at all Masses in honor O
the Holy Ghost, on the feast of tn,
Holy Cross and the Precious Blood
and also on all feasts of Apostles an,
martyrs.
Green for Hope.
Green is the symbol of hope. It i
the color of nature, Grass, flower
and trees clothe themselves with il
1t is the color of spring. Green vest
ments are used on the Sundays afte
Epiphany and Pentecost. The Epiph
any is the feast of the manifestation
of Christ to the gentiles, to whom a
well as to the Jews, He is a sign of hop
and resurrection. Pentecost is tn
birthday of the Church. On that da,
the Holy Ghost became it's soul an,
life-giying principle, and through
offers to the world redeemed by Chris
the fullness of truth and holiness, an,
the promise of everlasting salvation
1t is the star of hope which guide
the earthly pilgrim to his heavenl
fatherland. When you see the greer
vestments, says st. Gregory, remen
Der the eternal spring of the life t
come, where the just, planted in tn
house of the Lord and in the courts O
our God, shall sprout forth like tn
lily, and flourish like the palm tree.
Purple and Sorrow.
Violet or purple is a combination O
blue and red. Blue is the color o
depression. 1t, therefore, symbolic
: the humiliation which comes from tn
consciousness of sin. When the re-
is added to it, it takes on a brighte
hue. The red, therefore, symbolic
the ray OF divine grace, which, pene
trating our natural sorrow, raises it t
the heights of Christian penance
M