[Sidenote:  P. II.  Office of Tenebrae.]

Having premised thus much on the office in general, we may now return to holy-week.  Besides palm-sunday, three other days in the week are particularly devoted to the commemoration of the history of our redemption; holy-thursday, because on it our Lord instituted the blessed Eucharist, and his passion began; good-friday, on which He was crucified and died; and holy saturday, on which His sacred body remained in the tomb.  The church commences her solemn service of each of these days with that part of the divine office called matins and lauds, and at this time Tenebrae from the darkness with which it concludes.  It used of old to be celebrated at night, as it still is by some religious communities[47]; but it now takes place on the afternoon preceding each of those three days.  Nor is this unusual:  for “the ecclesiastical day is considered to begin with the evening or Vesper service, according to the Jewish reckoning, as alluded to in the text.  “In the evening and morning and at noon day will I pray, and that instantly”. (Tracts of the Times, No. 75).

[Sidenote:  Matins and Lauds.]

The office of Matin so called from Matuta or Aurora consists at Tenebrae of three nocturns.  Each of these is composed of three appropriate psalms with their anthems, followed by three lessons taken from scripture or the fathers.  Immediately after matins, Lauds or the praises of God are sung:  they consist of five psalms besides the Benedictus or canticle of Zachary, to which succeeds the Miserere or 50th psalm.  Some of the short prayers usually said are omitted:  for the church during this season of mourning strips her liturgy as well as her altars of their usual ornaments[48].

[Sidenote:  Extinction of the lights.]

A triangular candlestick, upon which are placed fifteen candles, corresponding to the number of psalms recited before the Miserere, is peculiar to this solemn office, and is placed at the epistle-side of the altar.  After each psalm one of the candles is extinguished by a Master of ceremonies, and after the Benedictus the candle placed on the top of the triangular candlestick is not extinguished, but is concealed behind the altar and brought out at the end of the service; while that canticle is sung, the six candles on the altar also are extinguished, as well as those above the cancellata or rails[49].

[Sidenote:  Meaning of this ceremony.]

Lamps and candelabra were presented to the sanctuary by the faithful during the first ages of persecution; and in more tranquil times to the basilicas by Constantine and others who erected or dedicated them.  They were lighted, as S. Jerome observes, in the day time “not to drive away darkness, but as a sign of joy”:  and therefore the custom of gradually extinguishing them at the office of Tenebrae we may justly consider with Amalarius as a sign of mourning, or of the sympathy of the church with her divine and suffering Spouse.  The precise number of lights is determined by that of the psalms, which is the same as at ordinary matins of three nocturns.