You may have noticed this past Sunday, if you went to Mass, that your church covered the statues in the sanctuary (altar area). Not all Catholic churches do this, but all of them did prior to the 1960s and the custom seems to be returning to most churches in our islands.
Veiling the statues shocks us, and it is meant to.
We are two weeks away from the bitter suffering and crucifixion of the Lord when the statues are covered. The Church is wanting us to feel the loss of the Lord. He was arrested and taken away. Imprisoned, He was absent from His Mother and His disciples for that time. We, too, should feel something of their sense of loss when He was taken away.
Two Sundays before Easter was called by our mañaina (elders) DAMENGGON LÅSARO. LAZARUS SUNDAY.
Which Lazarus?
Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, who died and who was brought back to life by Jesus even after Lazarus had been buried several days in the tomb.
Well that was the last straw for the enemies of Jesus. Outdone by Jesus, His enemies resolved to put Him to death, and the ball started rolling leading to His arrest and crucifixion.
But why is this Sunday named after Lazarus?
In the Missal (Mass prayer book) used in Spain at one time, and still is used in a few parts of Spain, took its Gospel for the Sunday before Palm Sunday from the story of Lazarus' resurrection. So, in Spain, the Sunday before Palm Sunday was called DOMINGO DE LÁZARO, and because the Catholic missionaries in the Marianas were mainly Spaniards until the late 1930s, our mañaina called it the same thing, but using the Chamorro version of the name.
Here's how the schedule looked in the old days :
DAMENGGON
LÅSARO (LAZARUS SUNDAY) (cover statues) |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
DAMENGGON RÅMOS (PALM SUNDAY) Start of
Holy Week (Semåna
Sånta) |
Holy
Monday |
Holy
Tuesday |
Holy
Wednesday |
Holy
Thursday |
Good
Friday |
Holy
Saturday Statue veils
come off at Vigil Mass |
EASTER
SUNDAY |
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