Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-03-21
HOLY WEEK.
1 The Closing Days OF Lent-PaIm sun
day-BOIensu and Commemorative
Services I'm she Roman and
AngiO-CafhOlic Churchea.

umpnant entry OF our Savior INTO JeIu
! salem, five days before the crucitxinn
/ Like the faithful people who paid thei
} sincere homage to Jesus Christ, and re
J ceived him with scclamations and heart
J felt Joy, we should welcome him to on
souls, adore him as our supreme LOr
J and Master, and entTeat him to com
and reign in our hearts by subjectinI
, them to the msxims Of the gospel, Thi
! is the first day OF Holy Week, which
consecrsted to the special commemors
. tian OF our divine Savior's suffering
and death. At mass in the Cstho
, lie churches the history Of the
passion IL reeited or suug. When cir
cumstances permit the passion j
chanted by three clergymeD, one o
whom takes the part Of the evangelis
or narrator, another that OF the syDa
gOgue, and the third that OF Jesu
Christ. On Wednesday, Thursday anC
Friday of Holy Week, the office 0
Tene6rGe, which consist of the "Mstini
and Lsuds" of the last three days, is re-
cited or chauted. During this cere
mony, fourteen yellow lights mounted
on a triangular candlestick, are extin
guished one by one after each psalm
leaving only the white one at the sum.
NIT lighted. Also at the end of every
second verse OF the Benedictus one o.
the lights on the altar is put out, till al
are eXtinguished. This extinction o
the lights typifes the abandonment o.
our divine Savior during his passion
He is represented by the white candle
at the top of the candltstick, which
during the DliSeTeTe is taken from the
triangular stand and concealed behind
the altar until slight noise is made al
the end of the office, intended to signify
the convulsed state of nature at the
death Of Christ, when it is brought forth
again and replaced on the candlestick
from which it was taken to remind us
i that the divinity of our Lord was
never separated from his humanity.
Next Thursday is Hdundy- Thursday,
in memory of our Lords last supper,
when he instituted the blessed sdcrd.
nleTlt OF his precious blood and body, so
called from the first word of the an
i them, MdndGtu7l, etc. John xiii, 34).
I give you O. neaU command, that yOoI
LoUe one another as I hdUe loved yOu
which is sung on that day in the Catho-
lie churches, when the prelates begin
the ceremony Of washing the peoples
feet in imitation Of Christ's washing
those Of his disciples before he instituted
that blessed sacrament. On MGu1d,y-
| Thursday but one mass is said, that OF
the Holy Eucharist, as an expression OF
| joy and gratitude for that holy institu-
ton, though its special cOmmemOration
is deferred to another time, the church
being wholly occupied during Holy
Week with the passion OF Christ. Dur
ing the Gloria the bells are rung, after
which they are silent until the same
part of the mass on Holy Saturday,
to honor the silence of our Savior during
his passion, and express the mourning
of the Church for the death of her d.
vine Spouse. AT the mass of this day
the bishop consecrates the holy oils
| which are used in the administration of
the sscraments. After mass the
sacred host, consecrated for the
Office of the following day, is
carried in procession to a repository pre-
pared for its reception, which is hand
somely decorated, and the faithful there
visit our Lord in thanksgiving for the
| inestimable blessings conferred by the
institution of the Holy Eucharist. The
blessed Sacrament is removed from the
principal altar, which is also divested of
all its usual ornaments, to represent the
destitutiOn Of our Savior in his passion,
and the grief of the church in recalling
his sufferings.
Friday of this week is denominated
Good Friday. Christ crucified is the
great subject that engrosses the atten-
| ton of the church on that day, and
for this end she reads such lessons and
tracts as relate to the mystery of re-
demption. The passion is sung in the
morning, and prayers are offered up for
all sorts of persons, to show that none
are excluded from the suffrages of the
church, since Jesus Christ offered him
self q victim for the sins of all man
kind. Next the clergy and laity adore
Jesus Christ crucifisd, which they eX-
press by the veneration paid to the
cross. After this ceremony the sacred
host is brought from the repository to
the altar, and the service is concluded
by the priest receiving the divine VIC
tim that was slain on that day.
Next Saturday is Holy Saturday. The
TenebTde, or Mdtins, with the other
canonical hours of this day, are conse-
Grated to the memory of our Lord in his
sepulchre; at mass he is represented to
the faithful as coming out OF the grave
and triumphing over death by his resur-
rection. The word ''night, 4" used in the
the collect of the mass, in the Preface
and communicates, shows that the
office and mass, now said in the middle
of the day, were formerly said in the
following night, to honor the time Of
our SaviOr's resurrection, which hap
pened in this night. The affairs deprived
OF their ornaments on Mdlady. Thurs
day, are again clothed with them, and
a new Fire is blessed to illuminate them.
The Office begins with lighting a triple
candle, which is emblema:ic of the
the light Of Christ, and signifies that
the faith Of the Blessed Trinity proceeds
from the light communicated to us by
Christ risen from the dead. The Pd8chdL
candle, blessed in the next place by the
deacon, is figure OF the body of Jesus
Christ, and not being lighted at first
represents him dead; and the five blessed
grains Of incense fixed in it, denote
the aromatic spices that embalmed him
in the sepulchre. The lighting of the
PdschdL candle, is a representation of
his rising again to new life; and the
lighting Of the lamps and other candles
afterwsrd, teaches the faithful that the
resurrection Of the Head will be follow
ed bv that Of the members. After this
ceremony, the church disposes the
cdteehUDlerS for a worthy receiving of
baptism, for which purpose she reads
twelve lessons out of the Old Testament,
called prophecies, and after each, says
a eolemn prayer; by both OF which she
not only instructs them in the effects
and fruit of that sacrament, but
begs FOR them, Of Almighty God,
all the advantages of it. As
he was laid in the sepulchre truly
dead, and came out again truly alive,
so the sinner is buried in the baptismal
water, as in q mystical grave, and is
taken out again animated with new
life Of grace. " For we sre buried to-
gether with him, by baptism unto death,
that as Christ is risen from the dead by
the glory OF the Father, so we also may
walk in newness Of life" Rom, vi. T.
Before the administration of the Sac
rsment, the 6dptiSHldL font is blessed
with ceremonies that are full of mystic
ries. First-The priest divides the water
in the form of cross, to teach US that
it confers grace and sanctity by the mer-
its OF Christ cruCified. Second He
touches the water with his hand, pray
ing that 1t may be free from all impress
siOns Of evil spirits. Third-He signs 1t
thrice with the sign Of the cross, to bless
it, In the name Of the Holy Trinity,
Fourth-He separates it with his hand,
and casts out some Of it toward the four
parts OF the world, to instruct us that
the grace Of baptism, ike the rivers Of
Para iise, flows ali over the earth. Fifth
He breathes thrice upon it in the form
OF cross, desiring God to bless it with the
infusion Of his Holy Spirit that it may
receive the virtue Of sanctifyiug the
soul. Sixth-He plunges the Paschal