FEATURE
Of weeping and sorrow Do we still believe in maniples? asks Fr Bede Rowe
B
y this title I do not mean the Roman army formation which came into common practice during the Second Samnite War in 315 BC (though its importance cannot be underestimated). Rather I mean those little bits of cloth that some Priests wear over their left arm when saying Mass. The history of the maniple is quite interesting. It is common in the liturgy of the West from about the 6th Century onwards, and probably came about much earlier than this from the practical need of the Priest to wipe his face and hands when celebrating Holy Mass. Binding vestments This may sound a little strange to us in the frozen North, but around the Mediterranean in the height of summer, with no air-conditioning, a priest would have been glad of a small piece of cloth to mop his brow – his body being encased in binding vestments for the offering of the Divine Sacrifice. So by the 6th Century, the maniple had become a liturgical garment corresponding to the colour of the other vestments. Although in shape and style it developed at various times in various ways, it retained its place on the left arm, and always with something of its original meaning. Balance of sorrow
The maniple: common in the liturgy of the West from about the 6th century
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A translation of the prayer which the Priest says when he puts on the maniple is “May I deserve, O Lord, to bear the maniple of weeping and sorrow, in order that I may joyfully receive the reward of my work.” With weeping comes the need to wipe the face, and balance of sorrow and happiness typify the Priest’s offering of his life in sacrifice and joy. The maniple was an obligatory part of the Mass vestments until 1967. In that year the Sacred Congregation of Rites
WINTER 2016