Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-04-04
Palm Sunday Appointed to Hon
or the SaviOur's Entry Into
Jerusalem.
Solemn Services on Holy Thurs
day, Good Friday and Holy
Saturday.
VENERA7ION OF The CROSS

Next week is Holy Week-the
greatest week in the ecclesiastical
year. leading up to the greatest feast
in the ecclesiastical year, Easter.
The first day Of Holy Week Is
called Palm Sunday, being appointed
to honor the triumphant entry OF
Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, wnen
many of the Jews cut off branches
from the trees, and strewed them in
the way through which He was to
pass. 1t is in memory of this tri-
umph that the palms are blessed,
distributed to the faithful and car
ried by them in solemn procession.
They hold them also in their hands
while the history of the passion is
read out of st. Matthews gospel; to
signify by that ceremony that they
are to partake of the triumph OF
Jesus Christ by virtue of his death
and passion. In the benediction OF
the palms are mentioned the
branches of the palm tree, olive tree
and other trees. which are made
use of in countries where these trees
grow; but in our northern countries
we supply that defect with any sort
of green boughs, which are called
palms from the original ceremony,
and they are intended to represent
to us our Saviour's victory over the
prince of death, and the riches OF
his mercies, the palm branches being
emblems of victory and the olive
branches of mercy.
The Roman missal and breviary
call Holy Thursday "the Thursday OF
the Lords Supper"-being the day
when our Lord, at his last supper,
instituted the sacrament of the
Eucharist. 1t is called by the
French Absolution Thursday, be-
cause the sentence of absolution was
then pronounced over the public
penitents. We call il "Maundy
Thursday" from the ceremony OF
washing the feet, called in the rubric
mandalum, which is the first
antiphon sung during the ceremony.
The mass on this day differs from
the rest of the office. That of the
holy Eucharist is celebrated, sub
ject therefore of joy and thanksgiv-
ing, expressed by the ringing of bells
and the white color of the vestments
and ornaments of the altar. For
though the church is wholly taken
up during this week with the passion
of Christ, and for that reason has
appointed the feast of Corpus Christi
as a day of thanksgiving for the insti-
tuition of that sacrament, yet she
should not refrain from expressions
of her Joy and gratitude on the very
day when our Lord was pleased to
give us so wonderful a pledge of his
love. But after the "Gloria in
Excelsis" the bells are silent
during the remainder of this day,
all Good Friday and Holy Saturday,
until the recurrence of the same
angelical hymn on the last mentioned
day. This is intended to honor the
wonderful silence of our Saviour
during his passion, and to express the
astonishment and mourning of the
church for the death of her
spouse. The rubric prescribes the
conservation of two hosts; one for
the sacrifice Of this day, the other
to be carried in solemn procession to
a place adorned with lights. where
1t is kept with great splendor for
the office of the next day The
reason of this solemn worship of
God in the blessed sacrament is to
give the people an opportunity of
returning thanks to God for this in
estimable blessing on the very day
itself Of its institution; and this
sentiment is strikingly evinced by
them in their frequent visits to the
places where II is reserved. The
blessed sacrament is removed from
the principal altar, that the devotion
of the passion, which was there COM
menced the evening before at the
''Tenebrae," may be continued with.
out pomp or magnificence. After
the vespers the priest with his min.
listers divest the affairs of the
church OF their coverings and Other
ornaments. The antiphon "Divis
erunt" and the psalm "Deus, Deui
meus," said by the priest, and suns
by the. choir during the ceremony
sufficiently show that it represents
the stripping of our Saviour ol
his garments. for which ths
soldiers cast lot, and which they
divided among themselves Th'
nakedness of the altar signifies tina
Christ in his passion lost all hi
beauty and majesty, and was in
manner deprived of the glory of hi
divine nature.
The church commemorates ever.
day the bloody sacrifice of Jesu
Christ on the cross by true and rea
unbloody sacrifice. in which sh
offers to God the same body an
blood that we're givein for the sin
OF the world. But on Good Frida
she offers no sacrifice. nor is ther
any conservation Of the Holy Euch
arist-the priest receiving the sacre
host which he had consecrated tn
day before. So that In the offic
which is performed. instead OF IN
mass, she contents herself with
bare representation OF the passion
and makes II her chief business /
expose to the fsithful Jesus Chril
crueified for them. For this en-