Tenebrae

Tenebrae or "Night of Shadows" is celebrated Wednesday evening of Holy Week. This awe-inspiring service involves many members of the congregation reading lessons from the Old Testament, New Testament and Psalms which help us to focus on the Passion of Christ. At the end of each reading section, a candle in a special candelabrum holding seven candles is extinguished until the church is dark. Even the Paschal Candle is removed, then returned.

From the Tenebrae service book:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?"

The opening words of Psalm 22.

As an overwhelming sense of abandonment came over Jesus in His last moments, he turned to the words of the Psalmist to express His despair. The story is reported in the Gospel of Mark this way,"And at about three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani", that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Mark 27:46 See also Mark 15:34