Our monastery has as its main church obedience to serve the complete Typicon of the Orthodox Church, with the daily cycle of services with the completeness of the services. This is especially observed during Great Lent and Holy Week. The grace obtained from this cycle of services is boundless and besides filling the life of the monastics and seminarians, it attracts many pilgrims from around the world, who flock to the monastery to be able to live Church life at his fulness.
This year was no different. Now upon the eve of the Feast of Feasts, the Lord’s Pascha, we cannot help but reflect upon the services of the past week, with their richness in liturgical meaning. Living through these services we actually participate in the grace-filled events of the Lord’s Passion.
After Palm Sunday, we enter what at times is called the Bridegroom Services, in reference to the Bridegroom, the Lord Himself, Who is the Groom as described in the parable of the Bridegroom Who comes at midnight. The imagery is very meaningful of the fig tree, which bore no fruit and thus was condemned; Joseph the Beautiful, an image of the Lord Himself.
His Grace Bishop Luke served the last Presanctified Liturgy of the year on Great Wednesday, reciting for the last time the Prayer of St. Ephraim. Great Thursday we observedthe institution of the Eucharist with the Washing of Feet ritual, in which Vladyka washed the feet of twelve priests and deacons, thus showing the humility of the Saviour Who came to earth to serve and not to be served. On Thursday evening we served the Matins for Holy Friday with the reading of the Twelve Passion Gospels, a most moving service with immense liturgical meaning, especially of the Wise and Repentant Thief.
On Great Friday, after Royal Hours, the Tomb of the Lord was beautifully decorated with many and colorful live plants, thus depicting the Lord’s Tomb in Gethsemane. The Shroud of the Lord was solemnly brought out of the sanctuary to the Tomb. As we approached the Shroud, we are asked to beg the Lord’s forgiveness for our sins.
At 2AM, Saturday morning, one of the most moving services was held, the so-called Burial service of the Lord, with the praises sung before the Tomb, culminating in the procession around the church with the Shroud of the Lord. At the end of this service, we already feel the Resurrection with the change in melodies and the Gospel reading which concerns the Lord’s Resurrection.
Holy Saturday commemorates the Lord’s rest from His works. As the troparion proclaims, the Lord Who never left heaven, is in Hell conquering it, and is also in His Tomb. Only God Himself could accomplish this soul-saving Mystery. Before the Gospel reading, all of the vestments are changed to white, thus symbolizing our entrance into the feast of feasts, the Lord’s Resurrection. It only remains now to fully proclaim this at the Paschal Matins.
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