Evening journal., 1908-04-15
SOLEMN OFFICE
OF TENEBRAE
To be Given This Evening in
All Its ImpresSiveneSS at
the Cath draI
WHAT CEREMONIES TYPIFY

Beginning tonight the solemn ofice
Of Tenebrae viii be celebrated in tho
Cathedral The services viii begin at
7.SO o'clock The same Office will be
chanted tomorrow and Friday even
ings at the same hour. The chanters
are seated on opposite sides OF the
main alter. and respond alternately
The Tenehrae. In the following trans-
lauon Is ranged under the titles OF
Maundy Thursday Good Friday. and
Holy Saturday. being the mathis and
lauds assigned 70 those days The
name Of Tenebrae Is given to IL from
the circumstance OF extingushinE,
during the course OF IL. all the candles
which have been prepared in the sane
tuary for the ceremony. In the strict
sense the word means darkness.
Concern Of the Church
The rites OF the Church upon these
three days declare her concern and
her trouble for the sufferings Of her
lRedcemer and the sins OF men. She
lays aside every expression OF JOY and
lfestivity. Her offices are not COM
lmenced with those impressive invoca-
tions by which she beseeches the Lord
to open her lips to sing His praises.
and 70 come TO her assistance. TO en-
able her TO render Him a homage
worthy OF His majesty The sacred
doxology, Gloria Patri. Is omitted at
the end OF the Psalms. No hymn OF
divine praise are sung. No Dominus
lVobiscum Is said, to ask the blessing
lof God upon the people. The psalms
land the lessons that constitute her
ofiice breathe scarcely anything else
but sighs and lamentations. Her ca
lnonical hours are terminated by the
same prayer, imploring God 10 look
with an eye Of pity on those for whom
His Son, our Lord, has vouchsafed to
suffer death. At every other time.
before she offers up a prayer. the peo-
lple are invited to unite with her IN
spirit, and at the conclusion express
their assent by the acclamation amen;
but upon this occasion to evince still
nsore the greatness Of her sorrow. the
flihvitation and the reclamation are
both omitted
/, Significance Of the Candles
The six candles on the altar and the
] lfifteen candles placed on thu epstla
side, in a triangle, all burning at the
! beginning Of the office, signify the
] lights OF faith preached by the proph-
4 cts and Jesus Christ or which faith
. the fundamental article is the mystery
q OF the Blessed Trinity. represented by
j tho triangular candlestick At the
e repetition Of the fourteen antiphons IN
. the mathis and lauds, fourteen of the
% candles in the triangular candlestick
e are extinguished. and at the last six
verses of the Benedictus those on the
= altar are put out. TO teach us that thu
y Jews were totally deprived OF the lighi
$ OF faith when they put our Saviour &c
3. death. But the fifteenth candle, tha
3. represents the light of the world
II Jesus Christ Is only hidden for a tim'
e under the altar. and afterward
j. brought out again. still burning, q
s. Signify that, though Christ according
to his humanity, died. and was laid il
= the sepulchre. yet he was always alivl
q according 20 His divinity by whicl
e He raised His body again to life. Th0
y darkness which pervades the sane
l. tuary while the Miserere and Prayer
Z are said recalls the intense dark
u ness that covered the whole earth al
His death; and the noise made at th'