Vestments come in different colors to mark the distinctive character of the liturgical day we are celebrating. The liturgical calendar is the appointment of specific days of the year to remember the great example of the saints. We can think of these like birthdays or anniversaries – they happen on the same date of each year. Throughout the year there are also seasons to the liturgical calendar.
The liturgical year starts with season of Advent followed by the season of Christmas. Ordinary time follows for a few weeks, before we begin Lent for a period of 6 weeks. Then the three-day season of the Triduum (latin for “three days”) includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Easter begins with the Vigil of the Resurrection on the evening of Holy Saturday. Easter then goes for 7 weeks until Pentecost. Then we resume Ordinary time were we left off before Lent.
The vestment colors match the character of the liturgical days and seasons. Below is a list of the colors and the seasons or saints’ feast days for which they are used.
Red – Used in celebrating Good Friday, when Jesus shed His blood in atonement for our sins, and on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles as tongues of flame. Red is also worn when we celebrate the martyrs, who shed their blood in witness to the Faith.
Green – Worn during Ordinary time. Ordinary time celebrates the working of the Holy Spirit; green reminds us of the growth (like the plants and trees in the springtime) that the Holy Spirit wants to bring in our relationship with God. During Ordinary time we hear about Jesus’ miracles, teachings, and example which helps us to grow closer to the Lord.
Violet – Used in the seasons of penance, Advent and Lent. These season are marked by purification and preparation so that we are ready for the coming feasts.
Rose – Used on two Sundays, both of them halfway through the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent. They symbolize the lightening of the heart because the time of penance is closer to an end and rejoicing will soon begin with the coming of Christmas or Easter, respectively.
Black – Not commonly seen, but this color can be used on All Souls day and at funerals. These days are marked by mourning for those we loved who have died. The priest wears black because the Church here on earth is in mourning, however the vestments are trimmed in silver or gold – a sign that we have a reason to hope in the Resurrection of the dead into Eternal Life.
Check back over the next few weeks for subsequent articles on the liturgical vestments.
Since I have been here at St. Joseph, many of you have asked about my vestments and why I wear them. I appreciate these questions, and I am going to be writing regularly to answer them. Over the next several weeks, I will be answering the common questions about vestments and giving a little introduction to the vestments the Priest wears at Mass.
The Priest’s use of special garments for liturgical celebrations is actually older than the Church itself. From the time of the Temple worship in the Old Testament, the priestly class would don special garments when they would go to offer sacrifices in the temple. The Priest’s vestments take their origin from these ancient garments, but changed with the new kind of worship that Christ instituted with the New Covenant. After the resurrection amd ascension of Christ into heaven, the disciples would gather to celebrate the ‘breaking of the bread’, or the Eucharist as Christ has instructed when he told them to “do this in memory of me” (Lk. 22:19). The apostles (and first bishops) wore their everyday clothing, but eventually they went to distant lands and adopted the clothing of the people to whom they were proclaiming the Gospel. These styles of clothing became the basis for the garments of different liturgical traditions in various places, what are called ‘Rites’.
Our liturgical tradition comes from Rome, which is why we are called Roman Catholics. Our vestments differ from the Byzantine Rite Catholics, Ukrainian Rite Catholics, and the other Eastern Catholic Rites, which are 23 in number (all in union with the Pope in Rome). The vestments we wear are based on the daily dress popular at the time of the apostles who were in Rome in the first and second centuries. Saints Peter and Paul went there and as they began celebrating the liturgy, began wearing their ‘Sunday best’ to celebrate Mass, which were highly decorated variations of the daily clothing styles of the Romans. Vestment styles have adapted and changed slightly over the years, but are still basically the same as these early Roman vestments worn by the Apostles of Rome, Sts. Peter and Paul.
Isn't it strange how many Christians, who take their time and have leisure enough in their social life (they are in no hurry), in following the sleepy rhythm of their professional affairs, in eating and recreation (no hurry here either), find themselves rushed and want to rush the Priest, in their anxiety to shorten the time devoted to the most holy Sacrifice of the Altar?
- St. Josemaría Escrivá