Tenebrae, from darkness to light

 
Father Joseph López, the pastor of Most Precious Blood Church, presided over a Tenebrae service on April 15. Tenebrae is a liturgical service celebrated in the darkness that recalls the death of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the events that took place —from the night he was betrayed to the moment he was buried.

The church interior reflected mourning: images were covered with black cloaks, the altar arranged without tablecloths and flowers; some of the celebrants wore black vestments. Father Lopez wore purple vestments, which reflected the spirit of Lent.

The word Tenebrae is a Latin word meaning shadows or darkness. This religious service originated in the first century and became common in ancient medieval monasteries. The service can occur on any of the three nights during Holy Week in anticipation of the Resurrection of the Lord. 

It was a profound and moving experience of prayer, song, and meditation in which fifteen candles in the Tenebrario or candlestick extinguish their flame one at a time after each reading, song, and reflection on the events of the Sacred Triduum. The candles represent Christ, the Apostles (excluding Judas Iscariot) and Las Tres Marías (the Three Maries.)

“Every candle I blew out made me think of how Jesus felt abandoned from the Garden of Gethsemane to his burial. It moves me to remember what Christ suffered in his darkest hours,” said Deacon Mark Cazalas, who attended the Liturgical Service for the first time. He said that he had learned from Father Joseph that it was a service practiced during Holy Week in the seminary.

Deacon Mark said that he felt in communion with the mysticism of the monks and the people of that time who at night lived under the gloom of candles because there was no electricity.

Other parish members participated in the readings of the Psalms and Gospels. Father R. J. Regalado reflected on the meaning of betrayal, false accusations, and everything that Christ suffered. He drew parallelism to the life of any human being who suffers betrayals. Jesus teaches us that even in the most vulnerable moments, transfixed by pain, He thought of others: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke -23, 34).

The liturgical service begins, by candlelight, with an opening prayer; which is an act of contrition and Psalm 51 (Miserere) is prayed, “Have mercy on me, oh God, to the extent of your mercy; According to the greatness of your goodness, blot out my offenses. Wash me thoroughly from my guilt, cleanse me from my sin...” Then there are seven readings from the Gospels that narrate: the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, the agony and arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the denial of Peter, the accusation of the Sanhedrin before Pilate, the mockery of the people and the crucifixion, the death of Jesus on the cross and burial. Each of the readings are followed by prayers and songs of praise (Matins and Lauds) accompanied by sacred music prepared especially for this ritual by the choir and at the direction of Marty Wind.

At the end of the farewell prayer, a clattering noise was made —a tradition common in the Tenebrae liturgy to symbolize the convulsion of nature that follows the death of Jesus, and the rolling of the stone that closed his tomb. In those moments, the church was completely dark and the fifteenth candle hidden behind the altar representing Christ came out to the center, in the hands of Father Lopez —symbolizing Christ the Light of the world.

Many parishioners seemed to be grieving during the liturgy as if they were at a funeral. They lovingly accompanied each other sitting in the pews, reading the little books that the church provided to follow the rite. “Traditionally, at funerals, we dress in black. It is a way of mourning. In a way, this liturgy prepares you for the funeral of Jesus and His loneliness. I had never experienced anything like this,” Deacon Mark Cazalas said.

Expressing respect and reverence, the people quietly filed out under a darkened Church.