Passion Sunday 17 March 2024 Passion Sunday (Black Sunday, Care Sunday, Carling Sunday, Judica Sunday, Quiet Sunday, Silent Sunday) Christians use the word "passion" to describe the suffering endured by Jesus during the last few days of his life, especially the Crucifixion. This usage harks back to the origins of the word. Although we associate the English word passion with strong emotion, it in fact comes from the Latin passio, which means "suffering." In past times the fifth Sunday in Lent was known as Passion Sunday. Christians use the word "passion" to describe the suffering endured by Jesus during the last few days of his life, especially the Crucifixion. This name came from one of the Bible readings assigned to that day in Roman Catholic churches, which compared the animal sacrifices made by ancient Jewish priests with Jesus' sacrifice of his own life. This reading reminded the congregation of Jesus' sacrificial death, to be commemorated the following week on Good Friday. Indeed, Passion Sunday inaugurated a special season within Lent known as Passiontide. During Passiontide, the last two weeks of Lent, church services turned towards the consideration of Jesus' last days on earth. Throughout the first four weeks of Lent clergy members exhorted worshipers to reflect on their own relationship with God. By contrast, during Passiontide church services encouraged the faithful to meditate on the Passion story. Several Passiontide customs marked this change of direction. The Gloria, a hymn proclaiming God's glory, was omitted from worship services during Passiontide. This omission symbolized the fact that during his last days on earth Jesus was not glorified by those he sought to teach, but rather tormented and abandoned. A custom known as veiling also helped to set the mood of Passiontide. Veils, or lengths of cloth, were cast over crucifixes, sculptures, and religious images in churches. These veils were purple, in keeping with the system of liturgical colors that governs the hue of priests' robes and church decorations throughout the year in Roman Catholic churches. Purple represents repentance in this system of church color symbolism. Some evidence suggests, however, that before the sixteenth century red, a color associated with martyrdom, may have served as the liturgical color of Passiontide. Some writers believe that the practice of veiling evolved from the last line of the Gospel reading assigned to the fifth Sunday in Lent. Gospel readings come from the section of the Christian Bible that tells the story of Jesus' life. The Gospel reading assigned to this Sunday declares that after a dispute with religious authorities Jesus left the temple and hid himself (John 8:59). Some writers suggest that the custom of veiling provided a visual representation of Jesus'disappearance. Crucifixes were unveiled on Good Friday, sculptures and other religious images during the late-night Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. The customs associated with Passion Sunday inspired a number of folk names for the observance. In northern England Passion Sunday was called "Carling Sunday" from the custom of consuming carlings, or parched peas, on that day. In past times innkeepers often provided free carlings to their customers on Passion Sunday and housewives fried carlings in butter at home. The name "Care Sunday" may also have evolved from this practice, which died out in the twentieth century. Others suspect the name Care Sunday refers to cares, or sorrows, of Jesus, which are commemorated during Passiontide. The Germans called the day "Black Sunday " in reference to the custom of veiling religious images. In Slavic countries the fifth Sunday in Lent was known as "Silent Sunday" or "Quiet Sunday." Others called the day "Judica Sunday" in reference to the first line of the opening prayer, or introit, assigned to that Sunday's mass (for more on the Roman Catholic religious service known as the mass, see also Eucharist). In Latin it read Judica me, Deus, which means, "Judge me, God." Passion Sunday and Passiontide were observed by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and others who followed the church calendar rooted in Roman Catholic tradition. Orthodox and other Eastern Christians did not share this observance. In 1969 the Roman Catholic Church discontinued the celebration of Passion Sunday and Passiontide. Church officials changed the Bible readings assigned to the fifth Sunday in Lent and shifted the consideration of Christ's passion to Holy Week. Holy Week begins on the sixth Sunday in Lent, known to many as Palm Sunday. Although the name Palm Sunday is still widely used, Roman Catholic officials now prefer to call the sixth Sunday in Lent "Passion Sunday."
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