Holy Week- A Recap, An Immersion in Specticle

Hi guys!
I have no idea if I've posted about this or not but I'm going to start with Palm Sunday and work my way through Easter.
I think in this last week I've come to fully understand how my background in theatrical studies in college and my experiences in the church are beginning to collide. At first I was wondering why it was that the Passion story was being read over and over again, but what I came to realize over the course of the week is that on different days, different elements of the story are brought to the forefront and are expounded upon. The specticle is what does it also, that focusing on a single moment in story is also shown through specticle.
It starts on Palm Sunday, we as the congregants get to participate in Jesus' coming to Jerusalem by the joyous singing and the waving of palm frawns. I got the opportunity to read during the service. I had a part in the story of the passion as well as reading the Old Testament and Epistle lessons.
The week continues with the service of Tenebrae. I didn't know what this service was all about so I looked it up on Wikipedia before I went. Sure, it's not a good source to use for a paper, but for general information I don't worry about it; if I want to learn more, I'll search some other places.
This service is once more a reading of the Passion story, but what happens this time is that as the piece of scripture is read, the reader snuffs out a candle. At the conclusion of all the readings, all of the candles are extinguished and the chapel is darkened. Then to increase the sense of disquiet, Rob-the priest, turned off most of the lights as he left the room, thus leaving us in almost darkness, and unlike most services I've been to, the congregation leaves in complete silence.
The service continues the next day with the last supper. Maundy thursday is when we get to participate in the great gift that Christ gave his disciples. He washed their feet and broke bread and drank wine with them. So in this service we are given the same opportunities. I've had my feet washed before- last spring at Vocare, but this time the opportunity was extended for us to share the experience with someone else, we had the opportunity to was their feet. I went up and Father Rob washed my feet, and at the conclusion I leaned forward and said that I would like the opportunity to do that for someone else. So he told me to switch places with him and he told me what to do and where things were located. I had the joy of getting to wash my friend Louise's feet. I was honored to get to do that for her. I looked up at her and noticed that she started to cry, but apparently, she wasn't the only one. Before I went up to get my feet washed, I asked my mom whether she wanted to go or not. She initally said no but apparently at the sight of my doing so for another person, she started to cry and she decided that she wanted to get her feet washed as well. After that was finished, we shared in the last supper by taking communion. Another poignient point of specticle comes after communion, at the end of the service there is the "stripping of the altar". I didn't know what this was going to be like and was shocked to see what happened next. The stripping of the altar is supposed to represent the stripping and beating of Jesus so to quote Rob, "It's not done with kid gloves." Rob and Pat- St. Matthew's candidate for the Diaconate did it. They took the candles off and abruptly handed them to a large group of people. Then Rob grabbed the fare linen and practically tore it from the table and tossed it to one of the folks in the group that are set to receive the things that came from the altar. At the conclusion, the altar is completely bare and the crosses that have had a red cloth or something on them are draped in a black veil. Needless to say I sat there with my mouth open in shock and tears running down my face. If Holy Week is full of symbols to help us better understand the reality of what happened, then that certainly did it for me.
The next day was Good Friday, the name is kind of ironic I think because on that day Christ was beaten, made to literally walk to his own death, willingly submit to what they were doing and suffered in agony while being hung by his hands and feet to slowly suffocate to death.
Early in the day, about noon, there is a service called the Solelm Collects. I wasn't able to go to that service, but I looked it up in the BCP that I've got on my ipod and listened to it. I will be honest I don't remember much of what it was about, to be honest, I think I was still in shock from what had happened the night before.
Later that evening we had the Stations of the Cross. I learned a lot that day, in the Catholic Church, they traditionally have 14 stations, with the last 5 being in one church in Jerusalem, the Church of the Holy Sepulcre (my spelling is bad I know). So at St. Matthew's we only had 8 Stations.
I had the opportunity during the stations to read one. It was another good example of Specticle, we literally carried the cross from one location to another, and this was a Big cross. I have no idea how big it actually was but it was big and looked heavy.
At the end of the service we all gathered around the altar and knelt before it. The altar was still bare and the cross was laid before it.
The next day was Saturday and there weren't any services going on here but I found myself thinking a lot that day about what Easter was going to be like and how it was going to be different.
Then there was Easter. I am ashamed to say that I did not make it to the Easter Services that day. I could not sleep to save my life and the longer I found myself awake, the more frustrated I became, and it was a viscious cycle of lack of sleep and frustration. I finally fell asleep at about 7 or so that morning. When I woke up, it was to a text message from Father Rob. He asked if I was ok and when I said I was he said that it was a shame to miss Easter. I was So frustrated with myself! I've worked so hard during Lent, trying new things, experiencing new things and working on my relationship with God. So to not be there on the day when the celebration is to be had, kind of leaves me feeling empty on the inside.

So Holy Week this year has been a very enriching experience. I've never experienced Holy Week before and I'm glad that I've had this experience, even if I didn't get to the last service.
So I get it, I understand how why Specticle is so important during Holy Week. It uses different techniques and different services to bring out specific things in order to impact the emotions of those who experience those things. I don't think my understanding of Easter is ever going to be the same again, and I'm glad.

Thanks guys for reading this and I hope that you all had a Happy Easter with your families.
PS: the Pictures are:
The candle is to represent the service of Tenabrae
The next picture is of the stations of the cross. In that picture I'm reading (bottom right hand corner of the picture)
The last picture is of the bare altar with the cross in front of it.

Nancy