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Show HOLY "WEEK. Ancient Christian Laws Origin of Palm Sunday Tenebrae, Its Significance Sig-nificance Ceremonies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy ' Saturday. (Written for The Intermountain Catholic) The Lenten season, during the coming com-ing week, will find its completion in the solemn services, ancient but ever new, of the Church. The last week is designated des-ignated Holy Week. In former times it was called, both by the Greeks and Latins, the Great Week: and sometimes some-times the week of austerities. The term Groat Week was applied, because of the perat things wrought by God in this week. Man's redemption was accomplished, ac-complished, the tyranny of Satan was overthrown, sin and its curse taken eway and Heaven opened to the Paints. In ancient times the fsft exacted during the last week of Lent was more rigorous1 and austere than that required during- the rest of Lent. A writer of the IV century St. Epiphanius states "that only bread and Frilt, with no other drink but water, were allowed," during Holy Week. The Greeks who do not faet on Saturdays of Lent ob-vrve ob-vrve a very rigorous fast on Holy Saturday. Sat-urday. In the early ages of the Church Christian rulers, during Holy Week, exercised clemency towards prisoners, by forgiving debts, and releasing crimi-' crimi-' nals, certain grievous crimes excepted, from prison. In the Cod. Theod. 1, ix, are given many indulgent privileges which applied to the Great Week and that after Easter Sunday. Referring to those laws, having the Imperial sanction. St. Ambrose has written "The holy days of the lat week in Lent are the time when the bonds of debtors were to be loosed." St. ChryMstom elso wrote "That the Emperors set prisoners pris-oners at'liberty on the Paschal Solemnity Solemn-ity that they might imitate, as far as in them lay, the example of our Lord, .who at this time delivered up from the i bonds of our sins, and made us cap- j able of enjoying numberless blessings. For Vic ought as much as possible to imitate his kindness and mercy. Again he wrote: "The imperial letters are pent forth, commanding all prisoners to be loosed from their bonds, etc." Slaves w-eVe set at liberty during the I Great Week, and the octave of the j Paseh. The laws of Theodisius forbade for-bade all judicial acts, and legal processes, pro-cesses, except that which had reference to the freedom of slaves. In the Justinian Jus-tinian Code LIU, tit. 12. de Feriis, leg. S, is to be found the following enactment: enact-ment: "Let all actions at law, whether public or private, cease in the fifteen Paschal days. Yet all men have liberty at this time to grant freedom to their slaves, and whatever acts are necessary neces-sary to be done at law for this purpose pur-pose are not prohibited. Constantine, the Great, made a similar exception with res-poet to the Lord's day, on which all other legal proceedings were forbidden. Those laws dating back to the commencement of the fourth century, cen-tury, approved by the first Christian rulers show their profound respect for the Cross, and the Resurrection which were honored during Holy Week, and the week after the feast of Pasch. PALM SUNDAY. Holy "Week is ushered in by the celebration cele-bration of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, which occurred five days before His crucifixion. It was meet that before his passion he would be received and honored as the Messiah. Mes-siah. Hi3 ministry being finished, having preached to all who lived in the ; cities, and country of Palestine, before offering himself as a real victim for the sine; of the whole world, he makes a public and triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Je-rusalem. It was according to prophecy "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: Shout for joy O daughter of Jerusalem: Jerusa-lem: behold thy King will come to thee, the Just One and the Savior: He is poor and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." Zach. ix:9. Nearing Jerusalem He stayed two miles from the city in the village of Bothania, with His friends, Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Being the Sabbath day he remained with this devout family fam-ily till the following morning Sunday when he proceeded to Jerusalem. Nearing Near-ing Bethpagi, a suburb of Jerusalem, he sent two of His disciples into that village for an ass to ride on. In the Gospel of St. Mark xi chapter, will be found a history of this remarkable Incident In-cident of the life of Christ. The humility hu-mility of the Savior of the world in selecting such mean equipage for His triumphant march into Jerusalem is plainly manifest. Some of His disciples spread their own clothes on the ass, j which He rode; others strewed the ground over which He passed with their garments and green boughs cut from j the trees that shaded the wayside. A J large concourse of people chiefly the poor, and innocent children, walked be- j fore and behind Him. They carried i green boughs in their hands, and all, I with joyful acclaimation united in a song of praise: "Hcsanna to the Lord of David: blessed is He that corneth in the name of the Lord; Hosanna to the Highest." The royal prophet made special application to Christ of the He- j brew word Hosamna. Ps. cxviii, and I St. Jerome explaining its import wrote that it means Lord, Save!- The joyful 6ong, sounding the praises eft Jesus, that rent the air, so He entered the city,, would mean, "Salvation and a j prosperous reign to the Messiah who is by excellence the Son of David prom-i prom-i iaexi by the Prophets, and who comes in the name of the Lord." The everct was the fulfillment of ancient prophecies prophe-cies "Say the daughter of Zion: Behold thy Savior comes." Isa. lxii, 11; also Zachary tellg of it. "Tell ye the daughter daugh-ter of Zion. Behold thy King cometh unto theweek, and sitting upon- an ass, and a eoart the foal of her that is used to the yoke." Mat. xxi 5. To commemorate this striking event in the life of Christ, and in' imitation of the devout Jews who spread green olive and palm-tree branches on the road! over which the Savior passed-, the Catholic Church has annually for nineteen nine-teen centuries on the Sunday preceding Holy Week blessed green boughs or sprigs, euch as she can obtain, presents pre-sents them to her children, who hold theni in their hands during the reading of the passover, and last gospel. The Sunday is designated in her liturgy as Palm Sunday, and will be observed tomorrow. to-morrow. TENEBRAE. The office of Tenebrae is said in the church on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Holy Week. The word Tenebrae Ten-ebrae signifies darkness, and is so called, as at the conclusion of its recitation reci-tation all the lights are extinguished as an expression of the deepest mourning, mourn-ing, and in memory of the great darkness dark-ness which covered the whole earth when Jesus was crucified on Calvary. On the epistle side of the altar rests a triangular candlestick with fifteen candles can-dles lighting. At the conclusion of each psalm one candle is extinguished. "When Lauds are finished only the white candle on top remains lighted. During the chanting of. the Benedictions Benedic-tions the six candles on the high altar are extinguished. At the commencement commence-ment of the Psalm Miserere the lighted torch on the top of the triangular candlestick can-dlestick is removed and hid behind the altar. At the conclusion of the psalm it also is extinguished, and a noise made, which represents the earthquake and splitting of rocks, which occurred as the Son of God expired on the cross. The doleful chanting of the Lamentations Lamenta-tions and entire office of Tenebrae during dur-ing these three days are commemorative commemora-tive of the funeral obsequies which the church wishes to pay to her Spouse Redeemer and divine founder. Fourteen of thecandles on the triangular triangu-lar candlestick are yellow wax, which ! indicate penance or mourning, and I which are always used when purple or black vestments are prescribed by the rubrics. The candle on top, representing repre-senting Christ himself, is white. The number of candles and the rites observed ob-served during the recitation of the office of Tenebrae are very ancient. The very forms to be used during the coming week are to be found in an old manuscript copy of the lVman order (of the divine office) that dates back to the seventh century. All the solemn sol-emn rites used by the Catholic church during Holy Week fro of primitive antiquity, and when carried out according ac-cording to the mind of the church cannot can-not fail to impress all with the solemnity solem-nity and dignity of her ritual, and the necessity of winding up the season of Lent in a devout and penitential manner. man-ner. HOLY THURSDAY. On this day, at the morning services, changes her attitude of mourning into that of joy and gladness. The altars are all decorated with flowers, and her ministers robed hi white vestments officiate. The reason is because she commemorates the institution of the blessed Euchrist. During the High Mass the bishop of the diocese consecrates conse-crates the holy oils to be used during the entire year in the administration of the sacraments. On Holy Thursday the Savior, at his last supper, instituted the holy sacrifice of his own adorable body and blood, when he took bread, blessed it. and said. "This is my body," commanding his apostles and their successors suc-cessors in the Christian priesthood at the same time to continue this profoundly pro-foundly mysterious and sublime work, then and there ordaJning them priests of the new dispensation. After Mass the Blessed Sacrament is removed from the high altar to a repository place in a suitable place in the church. At Mass the bells, rung at the changing of the "Gloria in Excelsis," will not be heard until Holy Saturday. The kiss of peace is not given because of the betrayal of Judas by a kiss. The laity are exhorted exhort-ed to approach the altar and receive holy communion on this day. GOOD FRIDAY. Following the celebration of the institution in-stitution of the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, comes the commemoration of Christ's death on Good Friday. In all her ceremonies the church expresses the deepest mourning and sorrow. Her altars are bare, the cross is covered with a black veil. There is no consecration, conse-cration, consequently no Mass. The sacrament is taken from the altar of i repose, where it was placed the pre- I vious day, and after the priest recites the Lord's Prayer and other prayers j said by him at Mass, he consumes the consecrated particle. . j In her prayers she includes all on j this day, because on Good Friday Christ died for all men. She presents the cross for the veneration of the faith-; faith-; ful, who come to the altar ras and kiss the cross, which he made the instrument in-strument of his triumph over sin and man's redemption. Its glory is madj manifest because, on the wood of the white cross, his divine victory and strongest demonstration of mercy and love were proclaimed. The cross and Jesus are inseparable, and they who fail to see an immediate and direct relationship re-lationship between Christianity and the cross have not the spirit of Christ. Hence, after the resurrection, his name is always associated - with the cross. "You seek Jesus, the crucified," Mat. I xxviii 5, said an angd to the pious j woman who went to the sepulcher St. Paul, declaring the object of his preaching, said: "We preach Christ crucified," 1 Cor. 1-23. and again the great apostle of the Gentiles said: "Jesus and him crucified," 1 Cor. 11-2. The crosses, the memorial of the sufferings suf-ferings of our dearest Redeemer, and the pledge of his infinite love. At its foot in deep meditation all devout souls imbibe the spirit of him whose surname it might be termed. HOLY SATURDAY. The last day of Lent, the eve of the resurrection, is styled Holy Saturday. The morning services, which preach the Mass of the day, are solemn and impress.ive, His body in the sepulcher and his blessed soul descending to limbo are the mysteries which the church would recall. At the entrance of the church the first part of her ceremonies cer-emonies begins by the blessings of fire. The newly blessed fire typifies Christ rising from the dead to kindle in man's soul the spiritual fire of his love. With a taper ignited by the blessed fire, the triple candle signifying the trinity of persons in one God, is lighted' by the celebrant as he proceeds from the church door to the altar. After reaching reach-ing the altar the blessing of the Paschal candle by the deacon begins. It is ar emblem of Christ rising from the dead and shedding light throughout the world; also announces the joy and glory of the resurrection. The five grains of frankincense inserted in the candle during the blessing symbolically represent rep-resent the five wounds of the Savior and the embalming of his body. In parish churches the baptismal font is blessed immediately after the ceremony of blessing the Paschal candle, can-dle, and the sacrament of baptism solemnly sol-emnly administered the ceremonies are concluded by the singing of the Litany of the Saints, when the ministers implore im-plore divine aid and mercy for sinful man through the sacred mysteries of Christ's death and resurrection. At tho conclusion of the Litany Easter is announced an-nounced by the solemn Mass of Christ's) resurrection, and to a;L the faithful this announcement becomes known by the ringing of bells at. the "Gloria in Exctlsis Dio." |