Tenebrae, which means
shadows or
darkness, is an ancient service traditionally observed on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings of Holy Week. The service consists of chanted psalms and scripture readings. As each is completed, one of the fifteen candles is put out, eventually leaving the Church in darkness. The candles are arranged usually in a plain triangular candelabra know as a 'hearse'. The service begins with the 15 candles being lit, but put out one-by-one after each psalm, until only one remains. The encroaching darkness of Tenebrae helps us to recall the desolation of Jesus, abandoned and left alone in the darkness of the night in the Garden of Gethsemane, when his friends could not stay awake to watch with Him as he prayed, alone at the trials before King Herod and Pontius Pilate, betrayed by Judas, one of the twelve, denied by Peter at the house of Caiphas, and alone on the cross as He cried out "Why hast thou forsaken me?" We think also of the three hours of physical darkness that fell over the earth at His crucifixion, when it seemed that the power of darkness had conquered all. The final light, the Jesus Candle, is left burning although it is removed and hidden from sight. A period of silence follows, broken by a loud noise. It reminds us of the earthquake which shook the ground at His death. Finally, the lit candle is brought back to its place, reminding us that Christ rose again from the dead on the 3rd day. The congregation leaves in silence. We are asked to contemplate the spiritual darkness of our own sin and our sin as the reason for the Lord's Passion.
(Taken and adapted from the brochure, 'Travel Through Holy Week With Christ' from the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, Charlottetown, PEI.)
Site Link:
http://www.stpeter.org/cathedra.html
Westminster Cathedral Choir - Te Deum laudamus.
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