Seeing red: the liturgical color for fire and passion

By Patricia Kasten
Compass Associate Editor

Third in a series

We use it on stop signs, emergency vehicles and danger signs. We use it to symbolize passion, love and intense emotion. It's the color of fire, bull fighters and "DANGER" on warning signs.

Red is definitely a stand-out in the spectrum of colors.

And it is a stand-out in the spectrum of liturgical colors.

In the church calendar, there are only three seasonal feasts that use the color red for vestments, auxiliary altar cloths and liturgical decorations: the Passion of the Lord, Good Friday, and Pentecost.

All three feasts symbolize the deep and intense love with which God brings about salvation. Red symbolizes love, fire, passion and blood. These three feasts speak of them all.

Intense love

"There is a baptism with which I must be baptized," the Lord said of his coming passion and death (Lk 12:50). He also asked his disciples, James and John, if they could endure this same baptism (Mk 20:20-28). The colors of the Passion and Good Friday symbolize the baptism which the Lord underwent in his own blood and by which we were redeemed and the church received its birth.

Initiation

"Flames as of fire appeared, which parted and came to rest on each of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:3-4). The readings of Pentecost tell us of the Holy Spirit.

The color red, representing this spiritual fire and the intense love of God, symbolizes the Spirit, who is Love. In liturgies, the color red is also used for confirmation celebrations, since it is through the action of the Spirit that we are incorporated into the Body of Christ and confirmed in our faith.

The symbol of flames over the disciples is reminiscent of the Old Testament prophets, who were often associated with fire, whether for their oratory skills or for actual fire, as when Elijah brought fire down upon the sacrifice on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). Confirmation is one of the three sacraments of initiation; the other two are Eucharist and baptism. At baptism, Christians receive a candle, symbolizing the Spirit coming into their lives. The rite of baptism tells us, "You have been enlightened by Christ. Walk always as children of the light and keep the flame of faith alive in your hearts."

Keeping that flame of faith alive requires fortitude - one of the gifts of the Spirit. Pope John Paul II explained fortitude as giving "strength to the soul, not only on exceptional occasions such as that of martyrdom, but also in normal difficulties: in the struggle to remain consistent with one's principles; in putting up with insults and unjust attacks; in courageous perseverance on the path of truth and uprightness, in spite of lack of understanding and hostility."

Martyrdom

This brings us to the fourth use of the color red in liturgy of the Mass. Red is used for the feasts of the birthdays of the apostles and evangelists and the feasts of the martyrs. (The feast of St. Lucy, an early Roman martyr, is celebrated on Dec. 13.)

The word "martyr" comes from the Greek martus, for "witness." Originally, the term referred to the apostles, who had witnessed the events of Jesus' life - and died for the faith (except St. John). However, as early Christians also died for their faith, "martyr" soon came to mean those who, while not seeing or hearing the human Jesus, so firmly believed in Him that they were willing to sacrifice their lives for his Gospel. They underwent the baptism promised to James and John.

Tertullian, writing in the second century, said the blood of martyrs was the seed of the church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 18 centuries later, said, "Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith... The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine" (no. 2473).

Red as a liturgical color reminds us of the price paid for our salvation - both by Christ, and by his faithful witnesses, the martyrs, who chose to conform themselves to him to the point of shedding their own blood.

All followers of Christ are called to stand ready to provide such witness, though few of us will be called to literally die for our faith. Celebrating the feasts of martyrs is meant to stir up the holy fire that resides in our souls as a gift of the Holy Spirit.

Next: No blue Christmas/Advent