This is a common question during Lent. Since we veil out of reverence for the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and Jesus is not in the tabernacle during morning prayer on Good Friday nor through most of the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord, should we still wear our veils?
There are varying opinions on the matter. On the one hand, if we veil because Jesus is present, it follows that we shouldn't veil if He is not. It would make a strong statement about the reason for our veils. Fr. Richard Heilman posted something to this effect last year, although I can't seem to find it now.
On the other hand, the church is still the house of God; it has been consecrated and is therefore sacred space. Furthermore, if you think about it, Jesus is still technically in the building at an altar of repose.
So, what should we do?
Let's consider a couple of points:
First, veiling is not mandatory anymore, so we are free to veil or not to veil. If you are anxious about figuring out the right thing to do, be at peace. God does not wish us to be anxious.
Secondly, it would be good to find out what the custom was when the veil was required. If you are reading this and are old enough to remember attending a Good Friday service in the 50's or 60's before women stopped wearing veils, please post a comment with your experience. Since I have no personal experience, I go back to canon 1262.2 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law. What it actually said was this:
1262.2. Men, in a church or outside a church, while they are assisting at sacred rites, shall be bare-headed, unless the approved mores of the people or peculiar circumstances of things determine otherwise; women, however, shall have a covered head and be modestly dressed, especially when they approach the table of the Lord.
The key words here are "in a church or outside a church, while they are assisting at sacred rites." I think it's safe to assume that "sacred rites" would include all of the liturgies of the Triduum, including the Good Friday services.
That said, I remind everyone that we are not under the 1917 Code of Canon Law anymore but rather the 1983 code promulgated by Pope St. John Paul II, which is completely silent on women's head coverings in church. No one is under the obligation to veil.
With that in mind, my recommendation to any Catholic woman pondering the question of whether to veil at church on Good Friday is this: do what is most meaningful to you.
If removing your veil when Jesus is not in the sanctuary helps you immerse yourself in the events of Passion of the Lord more deeply, then keep your veil off until Jesus is brought in right before Holy Communion.
If you sense that the dignity of the entire liturgy or the knowledge of the presence of Jesus at an unseen altar draws you to continue this beautiful act of reverence throughout, then wear your veil to start to finish.
Either way, once the Good Friday services are over, please share with the rest of us below what you did and why!
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