Tenebrae is a liturgical service of sung readings and Psalms that features distinctive symbolic elements of Christ’s passion and death. Tenebrae means “shadows” or “darkness” in Latin. The service shows the darkness that comes over the earth upon Christ’s death. One of the chants of the service draws from Scripture that tenebrae factae sunt — “darkness fell” at the death of Christ (Matthew 27:45-46). Candles are gradually extinguished, and a loud noise, called a “strepitus” at the service’s conclusion symbolizes the chaos following Christ’s death.  
 
Historically, it was a portion of the Liturgy of the Hours prayers of Matins and Lauds for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Holy Week. Now, it is often an adaptation or shortened form of those prayers typically offered on Spy Wednesday of Holy Week. Tenebrae is designed to serve as a powerful, reflective experience for the faithful ahead of the Easter Triduum. The representation of the darkness of sin and death serve to call the faithful to embrace the light of Christ, who has conquered death.  
 
Those attending a Tenebrae service for the first time may be startled by entering a church shrouded in darkness except for the light of a few candles, the gradual extinguishing of those candles, and the loud banging noise (the “strepitus”) that builds and echoes in the darkness at the service’s conclusion.  
 
Tenebrae is not only rich in striking visual elements, but also features some of the most distinctively mournful music the Church has to offer with the chanting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah and the Psalms. According to Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, associate professor and the director of sacred music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, CA, the Church has seen Tenebrae as “a funeral service, in some ways, for Christ,” providing a “spiritual picture” of the darkness after the death of Christ before the Resurrection.  

SOURCE: https://www.ncregister.com/features/tenebrae-services-spy-wednesday  
 
TAGS: Story

If you could have coffee with St. Joseph, what would you ask him? Here is a compilation of some responses to that question that were collected from the internet.  
 
“What were your favorite memories of Jesus as he was growing up?”  
 
“Were there times after you committed to raising Jesus as your own son that you felt your patience and understanding wear thin?”  
 
“What was living with a teenage Jesus like?”  
 
“Could you pray for my husband’s and my sons’ holiness, and how can I be an aid in that as a wife and mother?”  
 
“What was it like to teach Jesus?”  
 
“What was it like to hold the Creator of the universe in your arms?”  
 
“How did you maintain your composure and trust during the sudden flight to Egypt?”  
 
“Could you teach me to love your son Jesus in the Holy Eucharist the way you did?”  
 
“Could you tell me your story with Mary and Jesus through your perspective, and how you experienced those things?”  
 
“When Mother Mary wasn’t looking, did you do anything with Jesus that would have given her a heart attack?”  
 
“Can you teach me how to be silent and to hear Our Lord in my soul?”  
 
“What did you learn from Jesus firsthand?”  
 
“How should I pray to you and ask your help to meet a Godly life partner?”  
 
 
So, now it’s your turn. What would YOU ask him?  
 
PHOTO: AI-generated on grok.com  
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​TAGS: Reflection