Why the 'Passion'? What's Tenebrae? And why does Easter's date change?
CHARLOTTE — Sometimes the words we use in Holy Week and Easter feel so familiar we don't consider their origins. Same for the date of Easter, which changes from year to year. The following is a quick FAQ guide to Catholics' Holy Week vocabulary and key history.
Q. Why do we use the word "Passion" to describe the suffering of Jesus?
A. The word "Passion" comes from the Latin word for suffering. When referring to the events leading up to the death of Jesus, we often capitalize the word "Passion" to differentiate from the modern meaning of the word with its romantic overtones.
Q. Why do some parishes cover the cross and statues during Holy Week?
A. Before 1970 it was customary to cover crosses and statues during the last two weeks of Lent. After 1970, the practice was left up to the discretion of each diocese. In 1995, the U.S. bishops' liturgy committee gave individual parishes permission to reinstate the practice on their own.
Q. What is Tenebrae?
A. The word "tenebrae" comes from the Latin word meaning "shadows" or "darkness." It was originally the name given to somber parts of the Liturgy of the Hours that are chanted in monasteries on the last three days of Holy Week. The tone of the prayers is filled with sorrow and desolation. At various points during a Tenebrae service, candles are extinguished and there is a cacophony of noise, which evokes feelings of betrayal, abandonment, pain, sadness, and darkness associated with the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Parishes sometimes offer Tenebrae services during Holy Week.
Q. Why do we call it "Good Friday"?
A. In the English language the term "Good Friday" probably evolved from "God's Friday" in the same way that "goodbye" evolved from "God be with you."
Q. Why do some parishes celebrate the Good Friday liturgy in the afternoon and others in the evening?
A. Ideally, the liturgy should take place at 3 p.m. However, in order to encourage more people to attend, the liturgy can take place later in the evening, but never after 9 p.m.
Q. What is Pascha?
A. The word "Pascha," or "Pasch," comes from the Greek word for the Passover. The early Christians used the word to describe the resurrection of Jesus as the Christian Passover. Today, we sometimes refer to the death and resurrection of Jesus as the Paschal Mystery, which is derived from the word Pasch. Orthodox Christians still use the word Pascha when referring to Easter.
Q. Who decides the date of Easter?
A. In 325, the Council of Nicaea decreed that Easter would be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. It can occur as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.
— Lorene Hanley Duquin. Lorene Hanley Duquin is a Catholic author and lecturer who has worked in parishes and on a diocesan level.
Catholics in Latin America and throughout the world celebrate the life and ministry of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo on March 23. The 16th century bishop upheld the rights of Peru's indigenous peoples, and became one of the first canonized saints of the Americas.
Turibius was born in Spain during 1538, to a noble family in the kingdom of Leon. Even as a child, he frequently prayed, fasted and gave to the poor, and he eventually developed the daily habit of praying the rosary along with the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
He went on to study law at the University of Salamanca and eventually served as a judge for five years in the territory of Granada. His judicial wisdom and diligence drew the attention of King Philip II, who wanted Turibius – who was still a layman – to be consecrated as a missionary archbishop for the Spanish colony of Peru.
Turibius became greatly dismayed, protesting to the king and Church authorities that he was not even a priest and could not possibly accept the charge. In a series of letters, he pleaded that he was not personally capable of serving as the archbishop of Lima – nor, he reminded them, did canon law permit a layman to become an archbishop.
Eventually, however, he had little choice but to comply. The 43-year-old was consecrated as a bishop in 1581 and immediately left for Lima, Peru.
The new archbishop undertook to travel throughout the rugged and mountainous diocese, where he observed many of the worst effects of colonialism – both upon the enslaved and oppressed natives, and on many of the colonists who seemed to have lost their souls in the pursuit of wealth.
He responded with constant prayer and penance as he traveled throughout his territory administering the sacraments, teaching the Catholic faith and establishing schools, seminaries and hospitals.
To the indigenous Peruvians, the archbishop was a herald of the Gospel who held their lives as more precious than their country's supplies of gold and silver. But to the many colonists whose behavior showed no sign of their Catholic origins, he was a prophetic scourge – whose efforts to awaken the public conscience earned him rebukes and opposition.
Turibius ultimately managed to make three visitations of his diocese, under rugged and dangerous conditions, which occupied about half of his 25 years as archbishop of Lima. He united the Peruvian Church at an administrative level by holding several local councils of its clergy, but he was also known to spend days traveling to reach a single person with the message of Christ.
The archbishop became seriously ill in 1606. He sensed that his death was imminent, and he decreed that his possessions should be distributed to the poor. St. Turibius died on March 23, and his body was found to be incorrupt the next year. He was declared a saint in 1726, and is now regarded as the patron of native peoples' rights and Latin American bishops.
— Benjamin Mann, Catholic News Agency