The Shepherd, May 2005
“THE HOUSE OF GOD AND THE CHURCH SERVICES”, 2
On the first Sunday we celebrate the Triumph of Orthodoxy, which was inaugurated by the Empress Theodora in 842 A.D., to celebrate the restoration of the worship of the holy icons. At the end of the Liturgy a moleben is served, either in the centre of the church or with a procession around the church, with the icons of the Saviour and the Mother of God. During this service we pray that the Lord will establish Orthodox Christians in the Faith and call back to the Church those who have apostatised. The deacon then leads the recitation of the Symbol of Faith (the Creed) and the anathemas are proclaimed - that is a statement of the fact that those who have deviated from the true Orthodox Faith have separated themselves from the Church. We also chant “Eternal Memory” for those who have departed this life but who were defenders of Orthodoxy, and “Many Years” for the hierarchs and others who are still struggling in this life and are faithful to Orthodoxy.
[Fr Antonov omits any reference to the Sunday of St Gregory Palamas.]
On the third Sunday in the fast, after the Great Doxology in Mattins, the Holy Cross is brought out into the middle of the church, so that the faithful might venerate it. This is done so that they might be encouraged and strengthened to keep the rest of the course of the fast. For this reason the Sunday and the following week are known as those of the Worship of the Cross.
The fourth Sunday is dedicated to Saint John Climacus, who wrote a work called “The Ladder,” in which he sets up a ladder or series of the virtues which lead us up to the Throne of God. The Thursday of the following week, the fifth, is sometimes called St Mary of Egypt’s Standing [actually more commonly St Andrew’s Standing]. The life of St Mary of Egypt, who was at first a very great sinner, serves as an example to us all of true repentance and encourages us to flee as to a refuge to the inexpressible loving-kindness of God. During the Mattins for this day (usually served on the Wednesday evening), we read the whole life of St Mary and also the full Canon of St Andrew (which was read in four parts on the first four days of Lent). On the Saturday of the fifth week, we have the Laudation of the All-holy Theotokos. The Akathist Hymn is chanted at Mattins on this day. This service was established inGreece, originally as a thanksgiving for the Theotokos’ deliverance of the Imperial City of Constantinople from invading enemies. For us, the Akathist, the Laudation of the Theotokos, serves for our confirmation in the hope of the aid of our Heavenly Intercessor, which delivers us from invisible enemies, rather than from visible foes.
On the Saturday of the sixth week, we celebrate Jesus Christ’s resurrection of Lazarus, and so this Saturday is called Lazarus Saturday. At Mattins on this day, we chant the Evlogitaria of the resurrection: “Blessed art Thou, O Lord.” And during the Liturgy, in place of “Holy God,” we chant “All ye that in Christ have been baptised, Christ have ye put on. Alleluia.” In the evening we have a Vigil Service, in which we commemorate the triumphant entry of the Lord into Jerusalem before His voluntary Passion, and during this service palms and branches that have been blessed are given to the faithful. Thus, this is Palm Sunday. On the evening of this day, the dismissal at the end of Vespers begins with the words, “May the Lord Who cometh to His voluntary Passion for our salvation, Christ our true God……” And so we enter into Passion Week.
… to be continued in the next issue with “Passion Week; the Services of Passion Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday”
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