The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-03-19
SOMETHING ABOUT HOLY WEEK.

Passion Sunday is so named III COMMUNICATION
of the Passion or suffering of Blessed Lord pre-
pious to His entering upon His agony. The itur-
Eica exercises and the prayers read at the Mass OF
the Sunday are intended to remind us of the ap-
proach of the Crucifxion.
Palm Sunday takes its name from the ceremony
of the blessing and distribution of the palms This
Blessing and distribution of the palms is to COM
memorate the entrance of Savior into Jeru-
salem, when the multitude "eut branches from the
trees and strewed them in the way" On this Sun
day, in many churches, procession takes place IN
the aisles to remind US of those who went before
Him and that followed crying out:
'Hosanna to the Son of David:
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord;
Hossanna in the highest"
This Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week,
which is consecrated to the special commemoration
of our Divine Lords suffering and crucifxion. On
this day the history of the passion, as told by ST.
Mathew, is read at Mass. On Wednesday, Thurs
day and Friday of Holy Week. the office of "Tene-
brae-darkness' is rected or chanted. While the
office that is, the Psalms and readings from the
prophets, is being said, fourteen candles
mounted on triangular candlestick, extinguished
one by one after each psalm, leaving however, one
pure white candle at the very top lighted At the
end of every second verse of the psalm "Benedictus
BLESSED art Thou Lord" one of the lights the
altar is put out till all extinguished The put
ting out of the lights is to remind of the aban
donment of our Savior by his disciples when He
was taken before the High Priest and the Roman
Governor Pontius PLATE The pure white candle
on the top of the triangle represents Lord in his
isolation.
Maunday- Thursday is so called from the first
word of the anthem, "Mandatum-a command: II
give you new command, that you love one another,
as I have loved you" (John xiii, 34), spoken by
Christ at the Last Supper On this Thursday only
one Mass may be said in the Cathedral or church.
This is the Mass of the Holy Eucharist and through
It runs an expression of joy and thanksgiving to
God for the eucharistic gift to the human race At
this the Bishop consecrates the holy oils used
during the coming year in Baptism, Confirmation
and for amounting the dying. After mass, the sa-
cred Host consecrated for the office of the follow
ing day, is carried in procession to an altar-caed
for the occasion epository-prepared and dec
GRATED with flowers and lights. particular indul-
gence is granted to all who visit and fervently pray
TO God while the most Blessed Sacrament is ex-
posed in the tabernacle of the repository.
Good Friday. Christ crucifed is the central
figure for alteration and the great and solemn OBJ
iect which claims the attention of the Church on
this day. For this end she commands to be read
the lessons prophecies and tracts which bear upon
the mystery of Redemption. The passion is sung in
the morning Office, and prayers are offered up to
God for Jew and infdel for all unbelievers exclud-
ing from the sufrages of the Church. for Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, offered Himself, bleeding
victim for the sins of every member of our race
The ceremony called "The Alteration of the Cross"
precedes the Mass of the Pre-Sanctifed, when all
present priests and people, reverenty kiss the image
of Christ nailed to the Cross.
Holy Saturday. On this day all the water
used for the year in baptisms is solemnly blessed
a few drops of the oil and chrism, consecrated by
the Bishop on Holy Thursday, are mingled with the
water. This mixing of oil and chrism with the wa
ter synbolizes our conservation to God in our in
fancy by the Sacrament of Baptism when spiritual
strength is impaired to us to help us in overcom-
ing our temptations to evil Incense is used at the
Gospel, and represents the sweet-smelling ointment
brought by the holy women to anoint the Body of
the dead Christ No lights are carried in the pro-
cesson to and from the baptismal font because the
disciples and the Apostles did not yet believe that
our Lord would rise from His tomb This also is