A continuous flow of people entering and exiting our Church, humming prayers, kneeling, surprised that the Church’s lights are off, even at the altar of Repose… it’s darkness is only broken by the gentle sanctuary lamp in keeping with the liturgical norms.
Some feel the need to ask why lights are off even at altar of repose.
The Church today “fasts” even from the Eucharist. Today is the day of shadows and darkness, because Our Dear Lord, was betrayed, falsely accused, tortured, nailed to the cross, killed. The Lord of Light absorbed in himself the spiritual and material existential darkness, for a moment the Light of the World is overshadowed by the darkness of evil, sin, frailty, nothingness… Liturgically we live this great mystery on the Great Friday by extinguishing all liturgical lights, except for the gentle sanctuary lamp, symbol of the hope of new life awaiting resurrection.
Locally the fragrance from the “borma tas-sepulkru”, smelling like embalming oils, enhances our experience of the death and burial of Christ.
Liturgical sobriety even in the use of words in liturgy -reduced to the bare minimum- sharply contrasts the glittering of colours, proliferation of exhibitions, noise and chatter which tend to capture our attention, distracting us from really focusing on the Great Mystery of the Great Friday… If we really focus, understand a bit… on this day will surely remain dumb, silent, appreciative of sobriety.
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