Tenebrae

MABUHAY!

It is the 4th Day of Holy Week. Today I will not make a special Wednesday post.




The name"Tenebrae" has been given because this Office is celebrated in the hours of darkness, formerly in the evening or just after midnight, now the early morning hours. At Holy Trinity it was celebrated at 7pm, at sunset. There is an impressive ceremony, peculiar to this Office, which tends to perpetuate its name. There is placed in the sanctuary, in front of the altar, a large triangular candlestick holding seven candles. At the end of each psalm or canticle, one of these seven candles is extinguished, but the one which is placed at the top of the triangle is left lighted.

With the last candle left, the priest/deacon/cantor takes the last candle and normally goes behind the High Altar and drops either a box of candles, or something that would make a loud noise or boom which represents the earthquake that followed Christ's death at Calvary. Once it has been done, they priest/deacon/cantor brings the candle back to the candleabra places it back in the middle, blows it out and the service is over. The congregation is then to depart in silence.



Have A Good Day!

Don't Forget to make a good confession!