Purple is a color that is often associated with royalty, spirituality, and wisdom. In the Christian tradition, the color purple holds special significance in relation to sacraments and liturgical celebrations. The sacrament most commonly connected with the color purple is the sacrament of penance and reconciliation.
What is the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation?
The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, commonly referred to as just Confession or Reconciliation, is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. It involves the confession of sins by a penitent to a priest who then grants sacramental absolution and prescribes actions of penance to make amends for the sins.
The sacrament is rooted in the mission of Jesus Christ and the power he entrusted to his apostles and their successors. As recounted in John 20:19-23, Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and told them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” This established the power of forgiving and retaining sins through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Through this sacrament, Christians are able to encounter Christ through the priest who acts in persona Christi, or in the person of Christ. Catholics believe that confession of sins helps reconcile individuals with God and the Church. It offers penance, forgiveness, and spiritual healing.
Steps of the Sacrament
The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation involves several steps:
- Contrition – The penitent expresses sorrow for their sins.
- Confession – The penitent confesses their sins to the priest.
- Penance – The priest assigns acts of penance to the penitent to make amends for the sins.
- Absolution – The priest grants sacramental absolution to the penitent.
These elements allow the individual to reflect on their sins, confess them, receive forgiveness through God’s grace, and make amends through penance.
History of the Sacrament
In the early Church, there was a public form of penance for grave sins. This involved public confession, penance, and exclusion from the community for a period. Readmission to the community involved a public ceremony of reconciliation.
From Irish monasticism in the 6th century, private penance started becoming more common for lesser sins. This involved confession to a priest who would assign a penance and grant absolution.
In 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council made annual auricular confession of sins to a priest obligatory for all Catholics. This established the form of private, individual confession and penance familiar today.
In the 20th century, the Second Vatican Council highlighted the communal nature of sin and conversion. Greater emphasis was placed on the role of the community in celebrating and living out reconciliation.
Today, the Rite of Penance involves four main forms:
- Individual confession and absolution
- Communal celebration with individual confession and absolution
- General absolution without prior individual confession for emergencies/special circumstances
- Liturgies of the Word with the community and a communal penitential rite.
Private confession to a priest remains the norm for Catholics, but there are now more communal aspects around penance and reconciliation as well.
Significance of the Color Purple
In the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, the color purple holds spiritual significance:
- Purple symbolizes penance and preparation. It reminds us that we must spend time in repentance and have a contrite heart before celebrating reconciliation.
- Purple also represents forgiveness and mercy. The priest wears a purple stole as a sign of the authority Christ has given him to pardon sin.
- Purple is a royal color connected to Christ the King. The sacrament celebrates the reconciliation of the individual with Christ and the Church.
- Purple also symbolizes transformation. Through penance and absolution, our sins can be wiped clean and our souls transformed.
In the liturgical calendar, purple is used during the seasons of Advent and Lent. Both are penitential seasons of spiritual preparation and repentance.
The priest wears purple vestments when hearing confessions and granting absolution. Purple candles may also be lit in the confessional. This use of purple connects the sacrament with penance, preparation, mercy, and spiritual change.
How the Color Purple is Used
There are various ways that the color purple is used in relation to the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation:
- Priest’s stole and vestments: The priest wears a purple stole over his shoulders and may also wear a purple chasuble when administering the sacrament and granting absolution.
- Church hangings and banners: During the penitential seasons of Lent and Advent, purple hangings and banners may adorn the church and confessionals.
- Confessional candles: Purple candles are often placed inside or around the confessional.
- Penance services: Communal penance services may incorporate purple candles, banners, or other decorations.
- Preparation aids: Catechism teachers and programs may use purple in study materials, guides, and brochures to help prepare individuals for the sacrament.
This use of the color purple throughout the rite helps establish an atmosphere of penance, solemnity, and sacredness surrounding the sacrament. It is a visual reminder of the spiritual transformation taking place through God’s gift of mercy and forgiveness.
Purple in Other Sacraments
While purple is most extensively used in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, it does also appear in other sacramental rites as well:
- Baptism: The priest may wear a purple stole when baptizing adults or older children, especially during Lent. This symbolizes the repentance and spiritual preparation for baptism.
- Confirmation: The bishop may wear purple vestments when conferring the sacrament of Confirmation on some occasions, connecting it with preparation to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
- Anointing of the Sick: The priest may wear purple when celebrating this sacrament for those facing serious illness or preparing for death, linking it to penance and the hope of eternal life.
- Holy Orders: Purple may be used in the ordination rite for deacons and priests who will have the faculty to hear confessions.
However, the extensive use of purple seen in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is unique. This highlights the strong historic connection between this sacrament and the transformative, preparatory meaning behind the color purple.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the sacrament most closely associated with the color purple in the Roman Catholic tradition is the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Purple symbolizes penance and preparation as well as God’s divine mercy and forgiveness. It is used in vestments, church decorations, confessional candles, and catechetical materials to establish the proper atmosphere for this healing sacrament centered on spiritual conversion. The color purple plays an important role in conveying the solemnity and significance of reconciliation with God and the Church.