MONDAY, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK
...are the Days of the Bridegroom, with vigilance as their theme. The expression "Days of the Bridegroom” comes from the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins who must go to meet the Bridegroom (Matthew 24). The Troparion (theme hymn), of these daysbegins with the words, “Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight, and blessed is that servant Whom He shall find watching...” In long passages from the Gospels we hear the denunciations of the leaders of Israel, Christ's words concerning the end, and His parables of judgment and vigilance. He calls each of us to vigilance, for this evil world continues to exist in us. This same world blinded the hearts of the Judas and the Jewish leaders, and still blinds us today. We are called to cast the evil of this world from our lives, so that we will be prepared to enter the bridal chamber of Christ. Throughout these days we are warned that the End and Judgment are approaching. Each of us must watch and pray!
MONDAY BRIDEGROOM ORTHROS(served on Sunday evening):
The service centers upon Matthew 21:18-43, the story of the fig tree, the symbol of Israel and the world,created to bear spiritual fruits yet failing to respond to God. At the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, we read Matthew 24:3-35, the signs and announcement of the End: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away....”
THE LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTSis held the mornings of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
TUESDAY BRIDEGROOM ORTHROS(served Monday evening):
The theme of the service is condemnation of the Pharisees’ hypocritical religion, that is, those who think they are the leaders of men and the light of the world, but in fact “shut up the kingdom of heaven to men.” During thePresanctified Liturgy we read Matthew 24, the parable of the End. The reading includes the parable of five wise and five foolish virgins: “Therefore you also be ready, for in such an hour as you think not, the Son of Man will come.”
WEDNESDAY BRIDEGROOM ORTHROS(served Tuesday evening):
The theme is the rejection of Christ, the growing conflict, the ultimate warning “now is the judgment of theworld....” (John 12). At the Presanctified Liturgy we hear of the woman who poured precious ointment on Jesus (Matthew 26). She is the image of love and repentance. This is ourfinal Presanctified Liturgy, and is the last time we say the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian.
HOLY UNCTION(served Wednesday evening):
The Mystery or Sacrament of Holy Unction is celebrated on Holy Wednesday evening. Actually this service can be celebrated any time during the year, especially when one is ill. However, because of our need for forgiveness and spiritual healing, we offer this service during Holy Week for the remission of our sins.We should prepare for this service in a prayerful way, as we do for Holy Communion.
HOLY THURSDAY:
On Wednesday, the rejection of Christ was sealed by the contract between the leaders of Israel and Judas. On Friday, the powers of darkness do to the Lord as they will. On the day between, Thursday, the Lord acts: He offers Himself as the sacrifice of love at the last Supper, as His will and testament before leaving this world. He acts by washing the apostles' feet as the sign of love that will identify His disciple. He acts by voluntarily taking upon Himself, in Gethsemane, the sin of the world. Before the hands of evil men touch Him, He has already offered Himself insacrifice. Holy Thursday is, above all else, the day in which we encounter Jesus as love.
VESPERAL DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. BASIL:
The first part of the service is Vespers. The three old testament readings include:
1) The story of Abraham and his near sacrifice of his son Isaac, as a type of the sacrifice of the Son of God.
2) The story of God's conversation with Job and of Job'sresponse, “I know that you can do everything.” Thisspeaks to us of the gift of Christ's Body and Blood.
3) The beginning of the prophecies of the suffering servant of God, from Isaiah.
The Epistle reading is St. Paul's account of the Last Supper and the meaning of Communion. The Gospel reading, the longest of the year, details the full story of the Last Supper, the betrayal of Judas, and Christ's arrest in the garden. There is no kiss of peace today, because Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. The words of the prayer before communion, “Of Thy Mystical Supper, O Son of God, accept me today as acommunicant,” replace the cherubic hymn and the hymn of communion.
THE RITE OF THE WASHING OF THE FEET
This begins at the conclusion of the service. The Priest washes the feet of twelve men of the parish, demonstrating the humble love of our Lord, who washed the feet of His disciples.
Following the Liturgy we share a common meal. This is a fast day potluck (oil and wine permitted), similar to those held on the eves of Christmas and Epiphany.
Potluck on Great and Holy Thursday
No meat, poultry, dairy, eggs, or fish
Meant to be our last meal until Holy Saturday evening, this meal reminds us of the Passover Meal. The horseradish causes us to tear, reminding us that we have all been slaves “in Egypt,” slaves to sin. We are to eat soberly and without unnecessary talk. Writings of the Church Fathers will be read. This meal is Lenten (please, no meat, poultry, fish, dairy, or eggs); however olive oil is allowed. There will be a warming oven for keeping foods warm and the two refrigerators for keeping foods cold. The kitchen will not be available for food preparation. Please bring all foods ready to eat. There is a set-up crew and a clean-up crew. Following the potluck is the reading of the Passion Gospels.
After the Last Supper, Jesus went to His agony and betrayal. He begged His disciples to stay awake and watch with Him: “Could you not watch one hour with me?” Likewise the Church, after celebrating the Liturgy and eating, does notsimply go to sleep this night. We keep vigil, listening to theGospel readings of His words to the apostles following the supper and during His agony, betrayal, arrest and trial. At this service we again sing the majestic Znamenny chant, considered by many to be Orthodoxy's most moving chant. We hold candles during this service, called theVIGIL OF GOOD FRIDAY, or the 12 PASSION GOSPELS SERVICE, which lasts about two and half hours. Following the reading of the 5th Gospel, as the choir sings, “Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung on the tree,” the priest carries the cross in procession and places the corpus of Christ on it.
A Slavic tradition is to bring the candles home following the service, and mark (scorch) a cross above the front door entry to the house, a reminder of the blood of the sacrificial lamb that was placed upon the doorway during the Biblical Passover. When the angel of death saw the cross of blood upon the doorway, he “passed over.”
THE THREE DAY PASSOVER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST:
Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Paschal Sunday. On these days the members of the Body of Christ, by completely laying aside the routine of life, by ceaseless prayer, and by the observance on Good Friday and Holy Saturday of the total Paschal fast, “pass over” with Christ from this world to His Kingdom. On Good Friday this world died—inasmuch as it will never become the Kingdom. Christ passed from this world, and in His Rising, did not return to it. Instead, He brought the new world, the new life. This is forever the mystery of the Christian life: being in this world but not of it. “You are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” This is the life into which we are baptized. During these blessed days, we partake invisibly of the Kingdom that will become fully visible at the end of the age.
THE CROSS:Holy Friday.
THE BURIAL:The Holy Sabbath on which Christ rested in the tomb, and by entering death destroyed its power from within. He descends into Hades/Hell (I Peter 3:19-20, 4:6; Eph. 4:8-10), delivering from Hades the souls of the reposed righteous.
THE RESURRECTION:Paschal Sunday, First Day, Eighth Day, Day of the Kingdom.
All three days are celebrated as one undivided act of God in the Church—the Three Day Passover.
GREAT AND HOLY FRIDAY:
From the light of Holy Thursday we enter into the darkness of Friday, the day of Christ's Passion, Death and Burial. In the early Church this day was called "Pascha of the Cross." This is the only day of the year when no Eucharistic Liturgy is celebrated. It is a day of darkness, sin and evil, in which the Church directs us to their awful reality and power in this world. For sin and evil have not disappeared, but, on the contrary are still active in our lives. On Great and Holy Friday the true nature of the world is revealed: a world which preferred then, and still prefers, darkness to light, evil to good, and death to life.
Having condemned Christ to death, this world has condemned itself to death. But this day of evil is also the day of Redemption. The death of Christ is revealed to us as the saving death for us, and for our salvation. It is a saving death because it destroys the very source of death: Evil. The evil can do nothing against Christ, for it cannot make Christ accept evil as truth. And so the death of Christ is itself the destruction of death. His death tramples down death. "Hell shuddered when it beheld Thee...its bonds were broken, its gates were smashed, the tombs were opened, the dead arose.”
THE READING OF THE HOURS AT 9AM, NOON, & 2:30PM:We accompany Jesus as He is placed on trial, is scourged, is crowned with thorns, bears His cross and iscrucified. We sing, "Glory to Your Passion, O Lord. Glory toyour Long Suffering, O Lord." And, "Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung on the tree. The King of the Angels is decked with a crown of thorns. He who wraps the heavens in clouds is wrapped in purple of mockery... Weworship your Passion, O Christ...show us also you glorious resurrection."
VESPERS OF THE BURIAL OF CHRIST:At the singing of "Joseph of Arimathea took you down from the tree," the body of Christ is removed from the cross and placed in a white cloth. The Burial Shroud or epitaphion (an icon of the reposed Christ) is then processed to the tomb which is prepared in the middle of the Church and is decked with flowers. The procession to the Tomb with Holy Burial Shroud is done as we sing "The Noble Joseph, when he had taken down your most pure body from the tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb." We then venerate the Holy Shroud.
Friday evening is theLAMENTATIONS SERVICEof Orthros of Holy Saturday. This service is one of the most beautiful and melancholy services in Orthodoxy. The service begins as a Funeral Service at the Tomb of the Lord during which we sing the moving Lamentations. They are divided into three long sections or stasis, each with its own distinct musical character. The second half of this Orthros service contains truly majestic music sung as sorrow and joy struggle against one another, and now joy begins to win. “This is the most blessed Sabbath on which Christ has fallen asleep toarise on the third day.” On the Saturday Sabbath, the Creator rests from all His work. “The Life sleeps and Hell trembles.” The Tomb is now revealed to us as the Life-Giving Tomb. “The Lord has descended into Hades and has destroyed the reign of death.” “Oh, how great the joy, how full the gladness, that You have brought to Hades' prisoners, like lightning flashing in its gloomy depths.”
Life enters the Kingdom of death. “Wishing to save Adam, you did come down to earth. Not finding him on earth O Master, you did descend to Hades seeking Him.” During the service we have a procession with the Holy Shroud, but this is not a funeral procession. It is the Son of God: The Holy Immortal, Who proceeds through the darkness of Hades, announcing that the dead shall arise. The service concludes with scripture readings which include the reading of Ezekiel's “The Dry Bones”. Now Hades is destroyed and the theme of the Resurrection appears. The prokeimenon before the Gospel Readings is “Arise, O Lord, and help us!”
THE ALL NIGHT VIGILfollows this service, in which a vigil of prayer before the tomb is kept throughout the night.
This is an ancient tradition in the Orthodox Church, based upon the account of Mary Magdalene and the other f, who sat near the Tomb watching as their Lord was buried. The Holy Friday Vigil at Christ's Tomb is our opportunity to help keep watch over our Lord's body as He descends into Hades to loosen the bonds of death. A sign-up sheet will be provided for all who wish to keep an hour of prayer. This will enable us to watch the Tomb throughout the night. Those participating in the Vigil will read Psalms. The Vigil will end at 10AM with the PASCHA VIGIL
THE PASCHAL VIGILbegins Saturday morning.
Anticipating the events of Holy Pascha, Vespers begins as a dark service and concludes in light. We hear many Old Testament readings, each of which directs us to Christ. This is followed by the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. The Priest changes into white and scatters flower petals and laurelleaves as a bright hymn is sung prior to the reading of the Gospel. These leaves remain on the floor throughout thePaschal season. The Gospel reading is our first encounter with the account of the Resurrection. Holy Saturday has announced Holy Pascha, but in an undertone. The concluding blessing does not mention the Resurrection, for the message of the Resurrection still has a secret quality about it. Following the Vigil, a potluck meal of bread, wine and fruit will be eaten to sustain us until the morning. It is suggested that those who come from a distance arrange to stay on Holy Saturday night in the house of someone living nearby.
Breaking of the Fast on Great and Holy Saturday after the Divine Liturgy
No meat, poultry, dairy, eggs, or olive oil; no desserts
All who participate are invited to bring bread, fruit, and wine but no olive oil. Although the food is not placed on the buffet table but rather spread around the room, please bring extra for sharing with guests and other parish members. Fruit juice is provided.
Please note: The kitchen will not be available for food preparation. Please bring fruit already prepared for serving and bread easily cut or already cut into serving pieces. No desserts are eaten at this time. There is a set-up crew and a clean-up crew. The clean up crew will also set up for the service Pascha morning.
HOLY PASCHA (EASTER):
The Feasts of Feasts, the King and Lord of Days!
Please place your Pascha baskets (see below ) on the tables in the tent before entering the church. Keep your coat on, as we will be processing outside (weather permitting) soon after the beginning of the service.
When you enter the Nave of the church it will be dark.
Remember to pick up candles prior to entering the nave. Youshould not light your candleat this time. Lighting of thecandles is part of the services and the priest will begin with lighting thePaschal candle and then everyone will come up and have his/her candle lit from the Paschal candle that the priest is holding. In lighting the candles be careful to hold the already lit candle upright as your neighbor tilts his or her unlit candle into your flame. This helps to keep wax from dripping onto the floor and hair from catching fire.
We assemble "before the dawn,” as did the Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Tomb. As Paschal Orthros begins, we light our candles as we sing:
Come receive the Light, not overcome by night,
Come, Glorify Christ, who is risen from the dead.
We then process outside and circle the Church, as we sing:
Your Resurrection, O Christ Our Savior,
The angels in heaven sing.
Enable us on earth to Glorify you in Purity of Heart.
Then we sing
Christ is Risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And upon those in the tombs bestowing life!
The Priest knocks on the door three times with the cross, crying out “Lift up your gates...” The people re-enter the Church, which is now brilliantly lit. The Glorious Paschal Canon, attributed to St. John of Damascus, 7th century, is sung. We hear the Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom, and then celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. At the conclusion of the service, we receive the traditional red eggs.
Following the service, the Blessing of the Paschal/Easter Baskets takes place. Each household should prepare a“Pascha basket,” customarily containing meat, dairy products, cheese, eggs, butter, bread, and anything else you like. The baskets will be blessed, and together we will share Paschal breakfast. Following our light meal together, we typically return to our homes to perhaps take a nap and prepare for the afternoon Paschal Feast.
Pascha Morning
All foods acceptable
Parishioners should bring a Paschal basket for their family. This may includes meat, cheese, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs and sweets that we now enjoy for the first time since Meat Fare or Cheese Fare Sunday. Bring your favorites!
Traditionally, a lit candle is in the basket at the time it is blessed, usually stuck into a loaf of bread. Have the candle ready to light when the baskets are blessed. There is also the tradition at St. Paul of bringing a bit extra to share with guests, as well as to share with many our church family members, as we visit each other’s tables and greet each in celebration of our Lord’s Resurrection. There is no buffet table and people bring only what they put in their baskets, not their baskets plus something for the table. There is a clean-up crew who will also set up for the Paschal Feast, which follows the Paschal Vespers later in the day.
PASCHAL AGAPE VESPERSis a bright and short afternoon service, including the Reading of the Gospel in Many Languages. If you would like to read in the language of your choice, let the Priest know.
THE PASCHA/EASTER FEASTfollows the Paschal Vespers. It includes feasting, games, dancing and a Pascha egg hunt. This is it! This is the time to rejoice, to truly and totally celebrate the Resurrection of Christ!
It is our teaching that he who does not truly celebrate has not truly completed the Fast! Therefore, with fervor, we cry out:
CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN!
Greek: Christos anesti! Alithos anesti!
Russian: Christos voskrese! Vo istinu voskrese!
Arabic: AI Masseeh kam! Hakkan kam!
The children’s Pascha Egg Hunt begins immediately afterVespers. Children up to grade 6 are invited to participate. Parents are asked to provide 12 plastic eggs (per child), which should be filled with stickers, candy, coins, or small toys. Each child will also need his or her ownbasket.
While the children’s activities occur, the kitchen crew and set up crew will be getting things ready for the feast.
There will be no kitchen space available for food preparation. There will be a warming oven for keeping foods hot during the service and until the feast is ready to be served and two refrigerators to keep foods cold that need to be kept cold.
BRIGHT WEEK AND PASCHAL TIME:
The 50 days of rejoicing from Pascha to Pentecost are the oldest liturgical season of the Church Year—older even than Great Lent or Holy Week! That is because rejoicing in the Lord's rising to new life is the most essential dimension of the Christian understanding of time. The number "50” in the Old Testament is called a "jubilee," a time of unbounded rejoicing. The Church experiences in these 50 days a foretaste of the release, rest, and gladness of the Kingdom of God. For this reason some Orthodox Christians do not fast during this time, and there is no kneeling during this season.
In the Old Testament, the seven weeks from Passover to Pentecost were celebrated as the period of the wheat harvest; at Passover, the first sheaf of the new wheat was offered, and then during the 50 days the harvest was completed. Likewise, in the New Covenant, at Pascha we celebrate the Lord's rising as the "first fruits" of those who have fallen asleep, and during the 50 days of the Paschal season, concluding at Pentecost, we rejoice and anticipate ourselves as the final and ultimate harvest of the Kingdom.
BRIGHT WEEKis the first week of the Paschal season and is kept by the Church with great joy. Bright Week does not mean that having celebrated Pascha we "take a break from Church" and stop worshiping. If we have truly entered into the struggles of Lent and Holy Week we will naturally want to extend the Paschal Celebration! The daily services of Bright Week remind us to keep our celebrations God-centered and not to "pagan out." Let us extend our celebration by worshiping together and extending hospitality to one another. These eight days are experienced as an icon in time, for "8" is the number beyond the seven weekly days of worldly time, and the Lord's Rising brings us a life new and uncontainable by this world. After all the hours of worship during Holy Week, it is a tragedy if this life of worship comes to a halt on Pascha morning. Bright Week balances Holy Week. Its light and joyful services complete the length and effort of Holy Week. Following the Resurrection of the Lord, the apostles were continually in the temple, praising and blessing Him (Luke 24). During the short, bright evening Vespers Service of Bright Week, we sing resurrection hymns that were sung on Pascha. You are strongly encouraged to participate in as many of the Bright Week services as is possible.
We must not limit the feasting to one day only! Let us make every attempt to extend the Paschal Feasting into Bright Week. For this reason, we are encouraged to take Bright Monday off from work.
BRIGHT MONDAY:
In the morning we celebrate theDivine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Following theservice we share a potluck lunch and continue our Paschal celebrations.
BRIGHT WEEK VESPERS:
During this week we have short, bright Vespers Services at which Paschal hymns are sung.
