The office of Tenebrae resembles a funeral service and is distinguished by its profound symbolism. The gradual darkening of the Church, the mournful psalms, the loud striking of the books at the moment of Christ’s death, and the ending in complete silence and darkness have no parallel in the Matins of the Divine Office. "The Church, by this solemn rite of Tenebrae, would have us be wholly occupied with the thoughts of our Saviour’s Passion…the desolate silence which closes the ceremony, speaks e