Lent

Pope Benedict on Silence

Continuing his Lenten messages pertaining to the value of silence in our lives, Pope Benedict XVI delivered another pointed message at this past Wednesday's general audience:

The interplay of word and silence that marks the prayer of Jesus during his entire earthly life—especially on the cross—also touches our own lives of prayer, in two ways. The first concerns our welcoming of God’s Word. Interior and exterior silence are necessary in order that this word may be heard. And this is especially difficult in our own day. In fact, ours is not an age which fosters recollection; indeed, at times one has the impression that people have a fear of detaching themselves, even for a moment, from the barrage of words and images that mark and fill our days.

He continues, speaking specifically of personal prayer and liturgy:

Tenebrae (an Explanation)

I have had more than a few people ask me about the purpose, meaning, etc. of the ancient Tenebrae (latin for 'darkness' or 'shadows') service held during the Easter Triduum, especially after hearing we've re-started the tradition of having all the Seminarians, together with the Archbishop, pray this office every year on the eve of Good Friday at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.

Here's a basic explanation of the Ancient Office of Tenebrae, found on the programs we were given this year:

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