The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-18
THE WEEK OF AUSTERITIES.
Palm Sunday, and Why and How the
Day Is Celebrated by the Catholics.
The Various Religious Ceremonies Performed
During the Week Before Easter in Cath
Ollie Churches and Their Significance.

Wcoh ueIOre Easter. InlS week, from the great
mysteries and various ceremonies celebrated and
performed in it, is the great week, the =,
week, of the Catholic Church
o"'e1 'A0 p"'AA'A ~eek-that is, the week of
Of the cross. or of suferings. Palm Sunday is
appointed to celebrate the triumpant entry of
Jesus into Jerusalem, when many of the Jews
cut branches from the trees and strewe5 them in
che way he was to pass. It is in memory Of this
that in Catholic churches the palms ere blessed.
distributed to the faithful, and carrie by them
In solemn procession while the history of the
passion is read out of St Matthew's gospel.
This ceremony is to signify that they are to par
take of the triumphs of Jesus Christ by virtue
Of His death and passion. Green boughs Of any
sort may be used to represent the palms. but for a
few years the churches here have supplied them
selves with palms from the South. Ore of the
eldest and most beautiful hymns of the church
Is sung upon this occasion, "Vexilla Regis
Prodeunt"
Behold the royal ensgns fly,
Bearing the cross's mystery;
Where life itself did death endure
And, by that death, did life procure"
Services are held in the Catholic churches
every day during Holy Week. In the evenings
of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the solemn
Office, called the ''Tenebrm," is performed. The
name of Tenebre is given to it from the circum
stance of extinguishing. during the course of it,
oil the candles which have been prepared in the
sanctuary for the ceremony. The six candles on
the altar, and the fifteen candles placed the
epistle side, all burning at the beginning of the
Office signify the lights of faith preached by the
prophets and Jesus Christ which faith, the
Blessed Trinity. is represented by the triangular
sandlestick. Many persons, non-Catholics, are
NJ loss to understand the significance Of the
lighting and extngushing Of the candles In
the Tenebre fourteen of the candles are in the
triangular candlestick, beginning at the lowest
on the left, then the lowest on the
right and so on alternately, the numbers
at the antphones showing when a candle
those candles on the altar are put out to signify
that the Jews were totally deprived Of the light
OF faith when they put the Savior to death. But
the fifteenth candle. that represents the light Of
She world. Jesus Christ is only hidden for a
time under the altar, and afterwards brought
out again, still burning. This is to signify that
though Christ according to his humanity, died,
yet he was always alive according to his divini-
". The Tenebrse (darkness) which pervaGes
the sanctuary, is to remind of the darkness that
covered the earth at Christ's DEATH and the
noise at the end of the prayer, represents the
confusion of nature for the loss of its author;
when the earth trembled the rocks were rent.
the graves opened, and the veil Of the temple
was torn from the top to tho bottom.
.Maunday Thurday is the Thursday of the
Lords supper, being the day when the Lord, at
his last supper, instituted the sacrament of the
Eucharist. It is called Maunday Thursday from
the ceremony OF washing the feet, called in the
Subic ..Mandatum," which is the first antiphon
sung during the ceremony. The mass of the
Holy Eucharist is celebrated at the morning
office; and Joy and thanksgiving are expressed
by the ringing of the bells and the white color of
the vestments and ornaments of the altar After
the "Gloria in Excelsis' is sung during the
morning Office the bells are silent the remainder
of the day all Good Friday and Holy Saturday
mt. sne recurreuce Of the same hymn on the
last mentioned day.
On this day, Thursday, the clergy Of the
Catholic churches formerly met, and in some
now do, to perform the ceremony of washing
the feet; the superior washing the
feet of his interiors This is to teach us to
initiate the humility Of the Savior The bless
ing of the oil of catechumens, and of the oil of
made on this day. The blessing by the bishop
Of the .Oleum Infirmorum"-the oil for the sick
lis in Latin translated in these words: II ex-
ercise and adjure, 0 unclean spirit, and every
assault and illusion of Satan, in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,
TO depart from this oil, that it may be made an
unction of grace to strengthen the temple of the
living God; that in it the Holy Ghost may dwell
through the name Of God, the Father AL
mighty" etc.
Zee Of Jesus Christ on the cross, but on Good
Friday she offers no sacrifice, nor is there any
conservation of the Holy Eucharist, so that in the
Office that is performed, instead of the mass, she
contents herself with a bare representation of
the Passion. On this day the faithful pray for
all all sorts of persons even schsmatics, heretics
Jews and pagans. During the Tenebr@, each day,
the first lesson consists of reading from the
Lamentations OF Jeremiah.
On Holy Saturday, the affairs which had been
pwfu Nf hosN nonfc On Nov NHx-T
day, are again clothed with them, and new fire
is blessed to illuminate them. The morning
efice begins with lighting triple candle,
which ia emblematic of the light of Christ, "
Trinity proceeds from the light communicated
by Christ risen from the dead. The paschal
candle, blessed in the next place by the deacon
10 figure of the body of Christ. ard not being
lighted at first represents him dead, and the Ave
grains Of incense fixed in il denotes the aromatic
spices that embalmed him in the sepulchre. The
lighting of the paschal candle is representation
of his rising again to new life, and the lighting
Of the lamps and other candles afterwards
teaches the faithful that the resurrection of the
head will be followed by that of the members
The blessing of the new fire on this day is an in
teresting and solemn service, as is the blessing
Of the paschal candle. after which comes the
reading of the prophecies.
Christians, Easter is the greatest of all holy
days. Although some derive the word Easter
from "Oster." signifying rising, others hold that
1t comes from the name Of Saxon deity "Eos-
trc," whose festival was kept about the same
time. 1t is appropriate that the feast should
mark the return of all things to life and light
with the vernal equinox, although the dispute as
10 whether it should take place before or after
she equinox once raised schism in the Catholic
Church that required all the imperial power of
she great Constantine to heal.
Easter Sunday, or as it was formerly called,
Dominica Gandii," (the Sunday of joy) like
many other ceremonies which have come down
to us from earlier times, has been changed from
It's original, and, to some extent. pagan charac-
ter until now it is the festival of the resurrec-
hon Of our Lord Easter in earlier days was
introduced by fasting on one day only-ths Fri
layin Passion Week known as Good Friday. The
lime was extended to forty hours in token that
Christ had lain that long in the tomb and from
this 1t was at last prolonged to forty days, the