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How many of your priests/parishes use a chalice veil for Holy Mass?  You can bet one is used at The Sabine Farm!  On the right you see the chalice as at the beginning of today’s Mass (for the Seven Maccabees in the older, 1962 Missal).

Today I had a question in the ASK FATHER Question Box which I thought I would pass along, since people seem to like liturgical tidbits around here:

AFQB - The ASK FATHER Question Box: Liturgy, Music & The Seven Sacraments: Veiling of sacred vessels  

By Anonymous Monday, July 31, 2006 – 9:06 pm:

Hi Father,

I was wondering if you could explain the history and significance behind the veiling of the chalice used at Mass. At my parish, the chalice is left on the altar, veiled, during the Liturgy of the Word, and also at the end of Mass, but at another parish I go to the chalice is veiled but left on the side, credence table during and after Mass.

Thank you and God bless you!

By Fr. J.T. Zuhlsdorf  on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 – :

I don’t understand how, at that "other" parish the chalice can be left on the table since it has to be used during the Eucharistic Prayer: "...the chalice is veiled but left on the side, credence table during and after Mass..." Oh well….

In any event…. we read in GIRM 118: Calix laudabiliter cooperiatur velo, quod potest esse aut coloris diei aut coloris albi.... The chalice is, laudably, to be covered with a veil, which can be either of the color of the day or of the color white.  [NB: The use of the subjunctive in cooperiatur is more than a suggestion.  It really ought to be done.]

A practical function of the chalice veil is to indicate, when it is lifted from the chalice for the offetory, the shift from the "Liturgy of the Word" to the more sacrificial, eucharistic part of Holy Mass..

There can be a more symbolic vision, however. The chalice veil can be connect to the curtain described in the book of Exodus and in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews which sectioned off the Holy of Holies.

    For a tent was prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence; it is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain stood a tent called the Holy of Holies, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, which contained a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant (Hebrews 9:2-4).

This was the curtain that tore in two when Christ died on the Cross.

    And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split; the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised (Matthew 27:50-51).

The ripping of the curtain in the Holy of Holies at the death of Jesus marks the shift from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant which the Lord spoke about during the Last Supper:

And likewise He took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 22:20).  [NB: And it was poured out "for many", also, but I digress.]

The use of a chalice veil reminds us that somethings are worthily hidden from view until the right moment. It also reminds us of the great Sacrifice of the Lord on Calvary even before we enter into the sacrificial language of the Eucharistic Prayers.

 

I should add something.  Remember that the Holy of Holies is still to be veiled.  When there is a procession with the Blessed Sacrament a canopy is used.  Even to go from the altar to the canopy and ombrellino was employed.  The true sign of the Real Presence in the tabernable is the tabernacle veil and/or baldichin over the altar, rather than the presence lamp.  As well, in the tabernacle, all the vessels which contained the Blessed Sacrament were veiled, the ciboria for Hosts and also the pyx with the lunette used for Exposition.  This surely harkens back to the mysterious cloud that descended on the mountain or tabernale/tent when God desired to have a word with Moses. 

Here is today’s page from the calendar printed by the Holy See for use in the offices of the curia and other institutions.

Notice that, in addition to it being the feast of the great Doctor St. Alphonsus de’ Liguori, it is also that of Bl. Peter Favre, SJ (who and sure pronounced his name correctly, a concept the folks in Green Bay – and the quarterback himself – just don’t seem to grasp).  It is the feast of the Seven Maccabees, as I mentioned in another entry, and also the feast of the dedication of the Roman church, San Pietro in Vincoli, where you find the statue of Moses by Michelangelo.

Among the many saints we commemorate today we find in the Martyrologium Romanum the Seven Maccabee brothers. Here is their entry:

2. Commemoratio passionis sanctorum septem fratrum martyrum, qui Antiochiae in Syria, sub Antiocho Epiphane rege, propter legem Domini invicta fide servatam, morti crudeliter traditi sunt cum matre sua, in singulis quidem filiis passa, sed in omnibus coronata, sicut in secundo libro Maccabaeorum narratur. Item commemoratur sanctus Eleazarus, unus de primoribus scribarum, vir aetate provectus, qui in eadem persecutione, illicitam carnem manducare propter vitae amorem respuens, gloriosissimam mortem magis quam odiosam vitam complectens, voluntarie praeivit ad supplicium, magnum virtutis relinquens exemplum.

You remember the Maccabees? The Maccabees were Jews who rebelled against the Hellenic Seleucid dynasty in the time of Antiochus V Eupator. The Maccabees founded the Hasmonean dynasty and fought for Jewish independence in Israel from 165-63 BC. In 167 BC, Mattathias revolted against the Greek occupiers by refusing to worship the Greek gods. He killed a Hellenizing Jew who was willing to offer a sacrifice to the Greek gods. Mattathias and his five sons fled to the wilderness of Judea. Later Mattathias’s son Judas Maccabaeus led an army against the Seleucids and won. He entered Jerusalem, cleansed the Temple, and reestablished Jewish worship. Hanukkah commemorates this victory. In the period 167-164 BC Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163) killed and sold thousands of Jews into slavery. He violated the Jewish holy sites and set up an altar to Zeus in the Holy of Holies (1 Maccabees 1:54; Daniel 11:31). The people revolted and Antiochus responded with slaughter. He required under penalty of death that Jews sacrifice to the gods and abandon kosher laws. "Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment" (Hebrews 11:35-36). A chief of the scribes, Eleazar, an old man, did not flee. Pork was forced on him, into his mouth, he spat it out and was then condemned to death.

St. Ambrose, in his work On Jacob and the blessed life recounts Eleazar’s death along with the deaths of seven sons of a mother. The work is filled with Neo-platonic and Stoic themes, especially about virtue theory. Ambrose goes through all their deaths in detail, making commentary on them for what they meant.

In the period 167-164 BC Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163) killed and sold thousands of Jews into slavery. He violated the Jewish holy sites and set up an altar to Zeus in the Holy of Holies (1 Maccabees 1:54; Daniel 11:31). The people revolted and Antiochus responded with slaughter. He required under penalty of death that Jews sacrifice to the gods and abandon kosher laws. "Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment" (Hebrews 11:35-36). A chief of the scribes, Eleazar, an old man, did not flee. Pork was forced on him, into his mouth, he spat it out and was then condemned to death.
St. Ambrose, in his work On Jacob and the blessed life recounts Eleazar’s death along with the deaths of seven sons of a mother. The work is filled with Neo-platonic and Stoic themes, especially about virtue theory. Ambrose goes through all their deaths in detail, making commentary on them for what they meant.

In these scenes recounted by Ambrose from IV Maccabees, the mother is being tried by being forced to watch each of here sons executed in different ways, eldest to youngest. She urges them not to give in. Ambrose thus explores the theme of how God choses the weak and makes them strong. The ancient "priest" Eleazar should be weak and infirm due to age, but he is a tower of strength. The mother of the seven boys should be weak by nature but is unshakable. The mothers is venerate by the Greeks as St. Solomnis. The sons are not to be moved to infidelity, even the youngest. Here is a taste of Ambrose in De Iacob et vita beata II, 12:

 

The words of the holy woman return to our minds, who said to her sons: "I gave birth to you, and poured out my milk for you: do not lose your nobility." Other mothers are accustomed to pull their children away from martyrdom, not to exort them to martyrdom. But she thought that maternal love consisted in this, in persuading her sons to gain for themselves an eternal life rather than an earthly life. And thus the pius mother watched the torment of her sons … But her sons were not inferior to such a mother: they urged each other on, speaking with one single desire and, I would say, like an unfurling of their souls in a battleline.

It would be fun to look at more of these texts from Ambrose. They are really interesting.

Thousands of Christians Attacked by Chinese Communists By PETER SIMPSON - The Daily Telegraph August 1, 2006

BEIJING — Hundreds of Chinese police clashed with thousands of "underground" Christians over the demolition of a church that had been deemed an illegal structure.

Up to 500 police forced back as many as 3,000 Christians who had gathered during the weekend to mount a peaceful demonstration against the state’s demolition of the church in the eastern province of Zhejiang.

More than 20 Christians were injured in the clashes Saturday, while five organizers of the protest were arrested, according to the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy.

Its spokesman, Frank Liu, said locals were rebuilding the unregistered church after it was destroyed last year by a typhoon.

As news spread that a demolition crew had been sent in, demonstrators massed at the construction site. Police were called in, leading to clashes.

A police officer involved in the incident acknowledged that the clash took place but denied that any Christians had been arrested.

The unnamed officer said: "It is clear that this church was an illegal structure. It did not have the approval of the Religious Affairs Bureau or the government. The church had to be destroyed. They can explain their demands, but if they are in violation of public order, laws, and regulations, we will deal with them in accordance with the law."

China maintains tight control over religious affairs and requires all faith communities, whether Buddhist, Taoist, Islamic, or Christian, to register and carry out their activities according to strict and ever-changing guidelines.

There are an estimated 80 million Christians praying outside China’s state-regulated church. At Christmas and Easter, elevators and stairwells of public housing complexes are packed with smartly dressed Christians on their way to a service at a "house church."

Last year, President Bush attended one of Beijing’s five officially recognized Protestant churches during a visit to the country. He wrote in the visitors’ book: "God bless China’s Christians."

A spokesman for Amnesty International in Hong Kong, Mark Allison, said: "This latest incident proves that despite the odd overture towards more freedom of expression and the building of a harmonious society, China’s leaders will use force to crack down on unsanctioned religion.

"Those arrested, like the thousands of Christians interned across the country, who largely go unreported, are forbidden to worship the religion of their choice. They will receive summary justice by the police and be sentenced to re-education through forced labor or sentenced to prison," he said.

While Beijing has been doing battle with the Vatican for decades and appointing its own priests, it is also struggling to rein in new and growing religious movements that have attracted millions of new followers in recent years.

The most prominent target has been the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which was banned in 1999 as a threat to public safety and communist rule. Its worshippers are regularly tortured.

In another story:

Card.Zen: “Beijing banned Catholic youth from joining us”

The cardinal yesterday accused four Chinese provinces of not giving Catholic youth permission attend Asian Youth Day, considered by Beijing to be “an anti-China event”.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews/SCMP) – The governments of four Chinese provinces “have forbidden many Catholic youth from coming to Hong Kong for the Asian Youth Day” that for them is “an anti-China event”, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun said yesterday. The bishop of the territory was giving an address to inaugurate the event that brought together 1,000 Catholic youth from 20 countries across the continent.

“Many Chinese youth told us they wanted to come but they did not manage to get permission from the authorities,” said the cardinal. He did not want to supply the names of the provinces implicated but said that around 60 youth had managed to come “disguised” as tourists.

The bishop of Infanta (Philippines), Mgr Roland Joven Tria Tirona, chairman of the youth commission of the Asian Bishops Conference – that organized the event together with the diocese of Hong Kong – praised the “courage and generosity of Cardinal Zen” who was hosting the Day.

He said: “Every time we organize this meeting, we realize that half the Asian population is made of youth and that these do not merely live off technology and indifference. Asian Youth Day looks upon these youth as a father looks upon his children and tells them, ‘you are precious to me, I believe in you’.

The cardinal said: “It’s very sad that government officials spoilt this opportunity for exchange, because this event is of a spiritual not a political nature”. In any case, the diocese led by him “helped some youth by giving the funds necessary for the territory’s hospitality”.

Despite the ban, around 30 Catholic youth from China did manage to come to attend the Day events. A university student from Hebei presented her request for permission together with another four people, but only hers was approved.

She said: “I gave ‘sightseeing’ as the purpose of her visit. My friends mentioned the function here and their applications were rejected.” Yang, who comes from Hunan, used the same approach: “We applied in groups of three or four, saying we wanted to go for tourism to make us look less suspicious."