Here Come the Brides

A few days ago I went to adoration, wearing my veil like I always do, when I don’t forget to switch it from my backpack to purse or vice versa. The struggles we Catholic college students undergo are trying. The next day as I was thinking about the last visit, I questioned myself, “Why do I really wear a veil?” I’ve been asked this before, and it seemed like a simple question with the usual answers:

Out of respect for the True Presence. 
As an inner and outer act of humility before God.
It’s scriptural.
As a reminder that mass is sacred.
It helps to focus on mass and prayer.
Simply because I want to.

So on and so forth. 

Some time ago I wrote a post about why I veil. Two actually. This third post is making the topic into a trifecta, it’ll probably be the last time I talk about it. The reasons listed above are all legitimate and valid reasons to wear a veil, but I felt there had to be more to this habit of mine. I’m pesky like that, I always think there has to be more than what’s already on the surface. I remembered what my friend once said to me; approaching Christ to receive Him in Holy Communion is like a bride approaching her spouse at the altar. What do brides wear? 

Veils. 

The Catholic Church is referred to as the Bride of Christ, with Christ as the Bridegroom.
In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul wrote, “Let women be subject to their husbands, as to the Lord: because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. He is the savior of his body. Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it: that he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life: that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish.” (5:22-28) 

This passage is a beautiful example of what a true marriage should look like; reflecting the relationship between Christ and us, his bride the Church. Especially now that Lent has passed, we were and are reminded just how perfectly Christ delivered Himself up for the Church, by His Passion and death. Allowing Himself to be utterly destroyed, shedding every last drop of His Precious Blood, for the sake of sanctifying and cleansing us, His bride. In the same way, husbands are called to die to themselves in order to sanctify their wives and make them holy, while wives must imitate the Church by being subject to their husbands, in order to bring each other to Heaven. That being said, marriage definitely is not for the weak. Neither is Catholicism, since practicing sacrificial love is always part of the package, wed or not. The formula of love is pretty important, and like Matt Fradd said, if we don’t get love right, we won’t get life right. Simple as that. 

Where does the veil come in? Though I’m not sacramentally married, it doesn’t matter because when I go up to receive Christ in Communion, in a way I become a bride to Him, as all women do. I am His and He is mine. It’s only fitting that brides wear veils as they approach their spouses at the altar, as they prepare to give themselves, and vice versa. We give our imperfect selves to Christ, and He in turn, gives us His perfect self. In a sense, women are representing the union of Christ and His bride, the Church, who we all are.

Within the Church we see, hear, taste, smell and touch. It’s all very sensual, not allowing our faith to just be some fantastical idea that’s up in the clouds, cold, unseen and untouchable. So we have instruments like the rosary, incense, scapular, candles, vestments, holy water, and the veil, that bridge the link between Heaven and earth. The Eucharist is the most precious of all, Christ’s perfect gift of Himself to us.

I don’t veil to be better than anyone, or to draw attention to myself, or even for some personal agenda. At the end of it all, I wear my veil without shame because I love Christ, imperfect as that love may be. It will only be through humility, constant purification and aid from the Blessed Mother, that not only myself, but all of us, can come to love Christ perfectly, as He loved us… His bride the Church.