A is for Amice

The amice- a beautiful priestly vestment that is not seen as much as it used to be i.e. before the liturgical reforms of 1972. The amice consists of a plain rectangular piece of white cloth, accompanied by two white ribbons at each top corner which help keep it fastened around the shoulders. The beauty of the amice to me is on a much  symbolic level, as there is not much fascination to be drawn from a piece of cloth that is hidden under a bulk of vestments.


Sense in simplicity


The amice is/was used by priests to cover up their clothing before placing an alb on which, in those days ,would not have been made to fit snugly around the neck. This idea of the priest shielding his identity as a human being, as a child of the world before saying Mass is thought provoking. The amice is a sign, in this sense, of true commitment to God - the sign of a person who says truly, 'Thy will be done!' It is an outward sign of the priest's desire to be recognised as nothing more than a bridge from God to the people - he covers up everything that identifies him as being from outside the walls of the church and shows his willingness to devote himself entirely to Jesus Christ.

When the priest takes the amice, he first places it on his head for a few seconds before moving it to his shoulders, the vesting prayer which accompanied the action was this:

'Place upon my head, O Lord, the helmet of salvation, for fighting and overcoming all the wiles of the Devil: and for overcoming the savagery of all my enemies.'

I find this prayer so poignant that I find myself saying it more often than I wish. Sometimes a subtle nudge will cause me to utter the words, like putting on a hat, or throwing a towel round my neck on the way out of the gym; sometimes I might say it when I know I will face difficulty. Whenever I say it, I draw true strength from it, and it reminds me of the Holy Spirit's gift of courage that I have been blessed with. 

The amice - a lost, useless and unneeded tradition? Or an undiscovered reminder of divine promise?

Keep the faith,

James