Vatican II at 50 - Break out that white!
It’s Easter Sunday and time to break out those white shoes and white purses! At least, that’s according to the age-old theory that claims that Easter ushers in the threshold rite of wearing the whites that have been hibernating in our closets all winter.
The first time we saw Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio greeting the crowds as the new Pontiff, he was wearing an all-white cassock, the traditional vestment of a pope. Some say this white vestment began when Pius V, a Dominican, took office in 1566 and continued to wear the traditional habit of his order. Others say the color white also expresses the virtues of the papal office: holiness and purity.
In fact, most clergy wear a white garment under their vestments called an alb. The alb takes its name from the Latin alba which means white. The alb is a reminder of the garment used to clothe someone who is newly baptized. The clergy wear the alb to remind themselves that their ministry began in baptism, a sacrament that immerses us in the holiness of God and calls us to live out that holiness for the sake of others for the rest of our lives.
Over and over, the Second Vatican Council emphasized the importance of baptism, summoning us to live as daughters and sons of the living God, challenging us to die to ourselves in order that others might be served. Not even a month in office and Pope Francis is giving us a glimpse of what this looks like: shirking the elevated papal throne to stand at ground level to receive the traditional "obedience" of the Crdinals, riding the bus with the Crdinals instead of taking the Pope’s motorcade, forgoing a highbrow Holy Thursday liturgy in order to wash the feet of inmates by celebrating the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in a youth detention center.
‘Tis the season of Easter. ‘Tis the season to celebrate Baptism’s new life! ‘Tis the season to wear white on the outside and to allow our “innerwhite” to be seen, clothing the world with humility and service. Now, that would be a real fashion statement! Amen!
