Great and Holy Pascha!

Christ is Risen!

The Paschal Sermon of St. John Chryostom:

If any man be devout and loveth God,
Let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast!
If any man be a wise servant,
Let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord.

If any have laboured long in fasting,
Let him how receive his recompense.
If any have wrought from the first hour,
Let him today receive his just reward.
If any have come at the third hour,
Let him with thankfulness keep the feast.
If any have arrived at the sixth hour,
Let him have no misgivings;
Because he shall in nowise be deprived therefore.
If any have delayed until the ninth hour,
Let him draw near, fearing nothing.
And if any have tarried even until the eleventh hour,
Let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness.


For the Lord, who is jealous of his honour,
Will accept the last even as the first.
He giveth rest unto him who cometh at the eleventh hour,
Even as unto him who hath wrought from the first hour.
And He showeth mercy upon the last,
And careth for the first;
And to the one He giveth,
And upon the other He bestoweth gifts.
And He both accepteth the deeds,
And welcometh the intention,
And honoureth the acts and praises the offering.

Wherefore, enter ye all into the joy of your Lord;
Receive your reward,
Both the first, and likewise the second.
You rich and poor together, hold high festival!
You sober and you heedless, honour the day!
Rejoice today, both you who have fasted
And you who have disregarded the fast.
The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously.
The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.
Enjoy ye all the feast of faith:
Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness.

Let no one bewail his poverty,
For the universal Kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one weep for his iniquities,
For pardon has shown forth from the grave.
Let no one fear death,
For the Saviour's death has set us free.
He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it.


By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive.
He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh.
And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry:
Hell, said he, was embittered
When it encountered Thee in the lower regions.

It was embittered, for it was abolished.
It was embittered, for it was mocked.
It was embittered, for it was slain.
It was embittered, for it was overthrown.
It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains.
It took a body, and met God face to face.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?


Christ is risen, and thou art overthrown!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life reigns!
Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave.
For Christ, being risen from the dead,
Is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be glory and dominion
Unto ages of ages.

Amen.

We had a lovely Paschal Service - Xavier served in the altar, the joy and happiness was palpable, and Christ is Risen!

The weather is gorgeous today, we're off for Vespers and then a big parish picnic.

Great and Holy Saturday

Hymns of Holy Saturday (Hymns from the Anoi)
“Come, let us see our Life lying in the tomb, that He may give life to those that in their tombs lie dead. Come, let us look today on the Son of Judah as He sleeps, and with the prophet let us cry aloud to Him: Thou hast lain down, Thou hast slept as a lion; who shall awaken Thee, O King? But of Thine own free will do Thou rise up, who willingly dost give Thyself for us. O Lord, glory to Thee.”
“Today a tomb holds Him who holds the creation in the hollow of His hand; a stone covers Him who covered the heavens with glory. Life sleeps and hell trembles, and Adam is set free from his bonds. Glory to Thy dispensation, whereby Thou hast accomplished all things, granting us an eternal Sabbath, Thy most holy Resurrection from the dead.”

Bay or laurel leaves are thrown around the church during the Vesperal Liturgy on Holy Saturday. It’s the Liturgy of St. Basil with 12 Old Testament Readings. Afterwards, dried fruit and bread are shared with the congregation to sustain them in the final hours of the fast.

Last night's service was as beautiful as always, although my kids were both a bit cranky, so we had some "kid issues" there. Also, I am not feeling great, so I had to sit through a lot of it. And, somehow got kicked in the head while kneeling. All in all, though, it was a prayerful Holy Friday and I look forward to tonight's brilliant and joyful service. I should clarify I had every intention of going to Holy Saturday Liturgy, but after waking up not feeling great plus having to deal with some issues with Eddie's car, I decided to rest up for tonight.

(photo from the GOA site, taken by John Thomas)

Great and Holy Friday

Through a tree Adam lost his home in Paradise, and through the Tree of
the Cross the thief made Paradise his home. For the one, by eating,
transgressed the commandment of his Maker; but the other, crucified at
Thy side, confessed Thee as the hidden God. Remember us also, Savior,
in Thy Kingdom.

For my sake Thou wast crucified, to become for me a fountain of
forgiveness. Thy side was pierced, that Thou mightest pour upon me
streams of life. Thou wast transfixed with nails, that through the
depth of Thy sufferings I might know with certainty the height of Thy
power, and cry to Thee O Christ the Giver of Life: O Savior, glory to
Thy Cross and to Thy Passion.

When Thou wast crucified, O Christ, all the creation saw and trembled.
The foundations of the earth quaked in fear of Thy power. The lights of
heaven hid themselves and the veil of the Temple was rent in twain, the
mountains trembled and the rocks were split. With the faithful thief we
cry: Remember us, O Savior.

O Lord, on the Cross Thou hast torn up the record of our sins; numbered
among the departed, Thou hast bound fast the ruler of hell, delivering
all men from the chains of death by Thy Resurrection. Through this Thy
Resurrection, O Lord who lovest mankind, we have been granted light, and
cry to Thee: Remember us also, Savior, in Thy Kingdom.

from the Stichera at Matins of Holy and Great Friday
Tonight is the beautiful Lamentation Service – Psalm 119 with verses interspersed. It’s long and tiring and beautiful and prayerful all at the same time.

Then, one of the most beautiful hymns of the church year (I say that about almost all of them, don’t I?) The Noble Joseph, when he had taken down Thy most pure body from the tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb.

Afterwards, the bier will be processed around the church three times and we will enter back into the church under it (this is a time that one needs to be extra careful to not light their hair on fire with their candle, as I learned the hard way one Holy Friday).

And, then, the readings will slowly turn towards the Resurrection – the Valley of the Dry Bones, and the “I shall arise”. We are entering the final hours before Pascha.

(PS, thank you – my throat is still slightly tickly, and my nose a bit runny, but I’m feeling good. Your prayers are helping, I appreciate it.)

Great and Holy Thursday.

Today commemorates the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper and the Washing of the Feet of the Disciples, the Betrayal of Christ and the Agony in the Garden.

Troparion, Tone 8

When the glorious disciples at the supper were illumined by the washing of
the feet, then was the impious Judas darkened by the disease of avarice. And
he betrays Thee, the Righteous Judge, to the lawless judges. See, O lover of
possessions, how for money's sake he hanged himself! Flee from that
insatiate soul, which dared such things against His Master. O Lord, who art
good towards all men, glory to Thee!

Kontakion, Tone 2

Having taken the bread in his hands, the traitor stretches out those hands
in secret to receive the price of Him who with his hands created man. And
Judas the slave and deceiver still repented not.

Ikos: Having all approached the mystical supper in fear, let receive the
bread in purity of soul and remain with the Master, that we may behold how
He washes the feet of His disciples. And let us do as we have seen Him do,
submitting one to another and washing each other's feet. For so Christ
commanded His disciples. But Judas the slave and deceiver took no heed.

Tonight, we will have the beautiful Twelve Gospels Service,(meaning twelve readings from the Gospels - every single word written about Christ's Betrayal, Trial and Passion) which is technically Matins for Holy Friday (all Holy Week services are served in anticipation). As I mentioned last year, one of my favorite prayers of the entire church year is read at this service:

Beholding her own lamb led to the slaughter, Mary followed with the other women, in distress and crying out: "Where goest Thou, my child" Why dost Thou run so swift a course? Surely there is not another wedding in Cana to which Thou now dost hasten to change water into wine? Shall I come with Thee, my child, or shall I wait for Thee? Give me a word, O Thou who art the Word. Do not pass me by in silence, O Thou who didst keep me pure, for Thou art my Son and my God"

The grief and pain is incredible, is it not?

On a totally secular side note, I woke up this morning with a tickly throat and appear to be coming down with a cold. I’ve begun taking Airborne, but covet your prayers as going through Holy Friday and Pascha with a cold doesn’t sound fun. But, even worse, is the idea of missing it because I’m sick.

Great and Holy Wednesday

The Hymn of Kassiane:

Lord, the woman caught up in a multitude of sins, sensing Your divinity,
assumes the perfumer's role; lamenting, she provides myrrh in anticipation
of Your burial. "Alas!" she cries, "for me night is a frenzy of excess, dark
and moonless, a love affair with sin. You draw from the clouds the waters of
the sea; will You accept the fountainhead of my tears? In Your inexpressible
condescension You made the heavens incline; incline now to the groaning of
my heart. I will cover your spotless feet with kisses, then dry them with my
tresses. Eve heard those footfalls in the twilight in Paradise, and hid
herself in fear. Who can fathom the magnitude of my transgressions or the
depths of Your judgments, my soul's Savior? In Your boundless mercy do not
reject me Your handmaid."


Tonight, we will have the Sacrament of Holy Unction, the prayer of Annointing:



Prayer of Anointing

O Holy Father, Physician of souls and bodies, Who didst send Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to heal every infirmity and deliver from death: Heal Thou, also, Thy servants from the ills of the body and soul which do hinder them, and quicken them, by the Grace of Thy Christ; through the prayers of our most Holy Lady, the Birth-Giver of God and Ever Virgin Mary; through the intercession of the honorable bodiless Powers of Heaven; through the power of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross; through the protection of the honorable, glorious, Prophet and Forerunner John the Baptist; of the holy, glorious and righteous Martyrs; of our righteous and Godbearing Fathers; of the holy and healing unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, Cyrus and John, Thaleleus and Tryfon, Panteleimon and Hermolaus, Samson and Diomidis, Mokius and Aniketos; of the holy and righteous ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna; and of all the Saints. For Thou art the Fountain of healing, O God, our God, and unto Thee do we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.


Icon of St. Kassiane from The Convent of St. Elizabeth

Great and Holy Tuesday


"Behold, O my soul, the Master has conferred on thee a talent Receive the gift with fear; Lend to him who gave; distribute to the poor And acquire for thyself thy Lord as thy Friend; That when He shall come in glory, Thou mayest stand on His right hand And hear His blessed voice: Enter, my servant, into the joy of thy Lord." (Tuesday Matins)


Icon from the OCA site

Holy Week! As it is Orthodox Holy Week (why? See here) I've decided to copy MaryPoppinsNOT and post the reading and icon from each day of this Blessed Week.

Holy Monday
"Thy Bridal Chamber I see adorned, O my Savior And I have no wedding garment that I may enter, O Giver of life, enlighten the vesture of my soul And save me."