The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-03-23

DEVOTfONS ALL CEN NTE
ABOUT THE PASSION AND SUI
FERINGs OF OUR BLESSED
LoRD-cEREMoNIEs OF HOLY
WEEK.
Entering upon the last week %
Lent, on March "a, Holy Mother
Church begins the most serious an(
solemn period of the entire ecclesias
tical year, writes Rev. P Benedict ir
Messenger of the Most Precious
Blood. Once again there will be dra
matized before our eyes with all the
intensity of deepest pathos the great
est tragedy that was ever enacted on
the face of the earth: viz: The Death
OF the worlds Redeemer.
Already the expression of it's aw-
full gloom and desolation is stealing
over us, chilling in us our very heart S
blood, yea, nervous and trembling, we
dread to meet the cruel ordeal of wit
Messing the death of a loved One
our Divine Benefactor, but we shall
also witness the climax in the mani
festation of Gods love for fallen, sin
full mankind.
Only the Catholic can understand
or appreciate this great season. Lent
prepares us for it's mysteries. The
Catholic Lent is not fad or passing
fancy. 1t is not a time to make pre-
tense of religion by startling novel
ties in external worship and spectacu-
lar appeals to the purely natural man.
During Lent the Catholic goes down
into the dark olive grove of Gethsem-
ane and suffers with Him, Who sweat
blood. He stands with Him before
Herod and PLATE. He hears the sen
tencc of death pronounced on Him.
He is not ashamed of Him when He
bears the criminals gibbet on His
shoulders, and he watches the life
blood flow from His broken heart He
glories in His cross, and does not re-
pudiate that sacred symbol of re-
demption, and is not afraid to put it
high upon our church-steeples and
reverence it on Bonded knee.
The Church appeals to US with all
the gorgeous and impressive splen-
dor of the ceremonies of Holy Week.
The days which carry with them a
special meaning are Palm Sunday,
Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and
Holy Saturday.
Palm Sunday.
This day reminds us of the trium-
Jerusalem, when the people with palm
branches in their hands came out to
meet Him and to salute Him as the
Son of David. The blessing of palms
takes place before the principal Mass.
Following the words of praise, "Ho-
sanna to the Son of David" also sung
by the choir, prayer is said fol-
lowed by the reading of a lesson
taken from the Old Testament con-
corning the miraculous mamma. Then
are sung the gospel describing the
entry into Jerusalem, preface, and
several prayers invoking blessing
on the palms, which arc sprinkled
with holy water and incensed, then
distributed among the faithful, who
hold them in their hands during the
Passion and after services take them
to their homes to be preserved as a
protection against spiritual as well as
temporal evils.
Tenebrae.
Tenebrae has its origin in the fact
that the first Christians being hunted
and prosecuted were obliged to meet
in obscure, gloomy places to celebrate
the sacred rites by the light of can
dies AS rule, the tenebrae are sung
mainly in cathedrals and larger city
churches. They consist of psalms,
lessons, and lamentations referring to
the passion and death of Christ
of the grief and sorrow of the prophet
Jeremias over the hardheartedness of
the Jews and the destruction of Jer-
uSalem.
At the opening of the tenebrae ff-
teen candles arc burning on a trian-
gular candlestick, and at the end of
each psalm and after the verses of the
"Benedictus" candle is extinguished
except the last one which remains
lighted, but is taken from the holder
and placed behind the altar anC
again returned to the triangle ant
left burning The extinguishing CT the
lights, one after another, denotes the
dispersal of the apostles; however
the one left burning teaches us tina
the light of the Godhead in Chris
4 Jesus, although apparently dimmeC
during His sufferings was never ex
tinguished, and at the resurrection
shone forth with dazzling brilliancy.
Holy Thursday.
On this day we sit with our divin,
Redeemer at the supper table of Hi
love, and when He gives us His bod.
to eat and His blood to drink in hol.
communion, we will not question Hi
word or measure the power of Coz
with the rule of human senses. Hi
words will mean more to us thai
cringjng science or intellectual pride
At the Mass commemorative the il