“THE HOUSE OF GOD AND THE CHURCH SERVICES, 3”  

In the canon the joy of the true Israel, which had been deemed worthy to witness the Royal Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem, is described. This was the coming of the Lord of heaven and of earth, the Messiah, the Christ, the Lord of the Israelites and the King of Sion, taking possession of His own Kingdom with power, authority and glory. The canon also describes the evilness of the scribes and pharisees, and of the Jewish high priests, with which they regarded this festival of the Son of David, and which during it brought about their disgrace. All the living are invited in the canon to glorify the Lord, going to His voluntary Passion, which has delivered us from Hades and from death.

The prokeimenon is: “Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord, God is the Lord and hath appeared unto us,” - words addressed to the approaching Lord.

In the Apostle reading (Phil. 4:4-9), the faithful are called to meekness, to love of peace, to a prayerful disposition, and to believe in the teachings of Christ.

The Gospel reading (John 12:1-18) tells of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem and of the Supper in Bethany.

The megalynarion is:

God is the Lord and hath appeared unto us;
let us keep the feast together.
Come, and with great rejoicing let us magnify Christ
with palms and branches, and let us cry aloud:
Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord our Saviour.

A particular rite at the feast of the Lord’s Entry is the blessing of the palms or pussy-willows at the Vigil, after the Mattins Gospel. These are then distributed to the those praying in church. The palms remind us of the event of the Entry of Jesus Christ, when the children and the people cut palm branches from the trees and spread them in the way before Christ, and furthermore they are symbols of the awakening of man after death, just as nature awakes after its winter slumber. It is for this reason that in the troparion, the palms are called the symbols of victory.

In the next issue, DV, we shall return to §121 and “The Services of the Festival of Pascha”.