Holy week

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

I am curious about two services or groups of services during Holy Week:

For the first three days of Holy Week has anyone ever found a specific reference in the NT of how long Christ spent preaching in Jerusalem after His entrance? In some books there is reference to three days which thus correspond to Holy Monday -Holy Wednesday. However so far, I am unable to find any such reference in the NT. Do these first three days of Holy Week then telescope the preaching of Christ in Jerusalem from a longer unknown period of time?

Then I am also interested in the Holy Saturday Vesperal Liturgy. All of the services from Holy Thursday onwards follow a chronological order from the Mystical Supper through Christ's betrayal, crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Holy Saturday however seems out of sync especially with its references to the resurrection before Pascha has occurred. Is this service actually from the time when catechumens were baptized before the Paschal service?

Any thoughts on these questions would be appreciated.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Olga]

Dear Fr Raphael, you wrote:



Holy Saturday however seems out of sync especially with its references to the resurrection before Pascha has occurred.


The anticipation of the Resurrection is found in the Great Friday evening (Matins of Holy Saturday) service, even within the Lamentations. I am particularly struck by this passage from the sublime hymn "The Sun Hid its Rays": Give me this stranger, whose mother when she saw Him slain, cried out, ‘O my Son and my God, though I am wounded to the core and torn to the heart as I see You dead, yet confident in Your resurrection, I magnify You’.’ Here is the Mother of God, in the depths of utter sorrow and grief, yet, even then, there is that spark of hope, the anticipation of the Resurrection, of her grief being turned to infinite joy.

Perhaps this seeming anomaly of timing is analogous to the idea that in the heavenly world, linear time as we know it does not exist. Much iconography also reflects this in its narrative composition, and let's not forget the liturgical use of the word today, which refers not only to a commemoration in linear time, but to the eternal.

[Anthony Stokes]

Then I am also interested in the Holy Saturday Vesperal Liturgy. All of the services from Holy Thursday onwards follow a chronological order from the Mystical Supper through Christ's betrayal, crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Holy Saturday however seems out of sync especially with its references to the resurrection before Pascha has occurred.

Isn't there something in there that reflects Christ being in Hades? I can't remember off the top of my head, but that would seem to fit into the timeline.


Is this service actually from the time when catechumens were baptized before the Paschal service?l

I think parts of it still reflect that, like the fact that we sing "as many as have been baptized" and use the same Epistle reading as that in the Baptism service itself.

Sbdn. Anthony

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Sbdn Anthony Stokes wrote:


Isn't there something in there that reflects Christ being in Hades? I can't remember off the top of my head, but that would seem to fit into the timeline.


Yes- the second set of stichiri at Lord I Have Cried deal with this theme- the destruction of hell by Christ. The first set of these stichiri however are actually from the Saturday night Octoechos for Tone 1- ie resurrectional.

What I was particularly thinking of however was the singing of 'Arise O God and Judge the Earth' which is clearly resurrectional. Also at this point we change the vestments to resurrectional white.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

In response to Olga's post.

Yes, I'm sure that it is wrong to try to separate the themes of these services of Holy Tursday-Saturday too much. These themes actually flow into each other gradually moving towards a culmination in Christ's glorious resurrection.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Peter S.]

Just a thought. We bring the gladness from Christs Resurrection into the Holy Week since it has happened, along with the gladness from the past Palm Sunday, also at the historical level. And at least at the spiritual and escatological level. So it is sparks of hope in the darkness. Maybe the composers were thinking about that?

Peter

[Anthony Stokes]

Sbdn Anthony Stokes wrote:

What I was particularly thinking of however was the singing of 'Arise O God and Judge the Earth' which is clearly resurrectional. Also at this point we change the vestments to resurrectional white.
In Christ- Fr Raphael

It seems that the language of that particular hymn, "Arise O God..." is more of a request of something that hasn't happened yet. We're asking God to arise, not proclaiming that He has risen yet. Maybe that's it?

Now, in the Greek church there is a practice of having a procession at this service, where the priest is preceded by young girls spreading rose petals, while bells are rung (or in the case of my church growing up, hitting metal with spoons in the absence of bells). I would be interested in understanding the significance of that procession. Is it a proclamation of the resurrection? I've never seen it done in the Russian church.

Sbdn. Anthony

[Olga]

There is also an Athonite custom of making as much racket as possible by raising and slamming down the hinged seats of the monk's stalls along the walls of the church. The central chandelier is also prodded with a long stick to make it swing. Perhaps it is symbolic of the chaos generated when "hell was despoiled" due to Christ's presence there.

[Mike Fulton]

It seems that the language of that particular hymn, "Arise O God..." is more of a request of something that hasn't happened yet. We're asking God to arise, not proclaiming that He has risen yet. Maybe that's it?

Now, in the Greek church there is a practice of having a procession at this service, where the priest is preceded by young girls spreading rose petals, while bells are rung (or in the case of my church growing up, hitting metal with spoons in the absence of bells). I would be interested in understanding the significance of that procession. Is it a proclamation of the resurrection? I've never seen it done in the Russian church.

Sbdn. Anthony

I know in the Antiochian church I attend, we enter into the church with bells and the chandeliers are tapped with long sticks in order to make them swing. I don't know what is done in traditional Arab churches as this may be a tradition which has been adopted by my parish from Greek and Athonite practices.

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Some interesting information about the Holy Saturday Vesperal Liturgy of St Basil from The Guideline of Services from Russia. This relates to the question I asked previously about the meaning of this service.

First- the reason the clergy change to white it says is because this is a continuation of the ancient practice of white for the baptism of the catechumens at this time.

Secondly- it also says that the correct dismissal for this service is not "May Christ our True God Who rose from the dead..." but rather: "May Christ our True God through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, for He is Good and the Lover of Mankind." The reason why the resurrectional dismissal would not be used (it says) is that this does not correspond to the meaning of this service. Unfortunately there is no further explanation in the book of this meaning. I suppose though we can safely say that they do not think that this service is completely resurrectional in theme or perhaps Paschal.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Edith M. Humphrey]

In response to Olga's post.

Yes, I'm sure that it is wrong to try to separate the themes of these services of Holy Tursday-Saturday too much. These themes actually flow into each other gradually moving towards a culmination in Christ's glorious resurrection.

In Christ- Fr Raphael


Yes, it seems to me that the themes to flow into each other gradually, so that there is an organic quality or feel to the services, not the sense of something "cooked up" to meet the occasion. I have some specific questions about Holy Thursday's odes--

1. Who are the divine youths who exposed the God-contending pillar of wickedness in Ode 8--Shadrack, Mishak and Abednego (spelling is wrong, I know)? I presume, because we will meet them in the Song of the Three on Saturday.

2. What to make of "long-suffering Father"? merely patient? Or is the theme of suffering possible for the Father without being patripassian, because of perichoresis? Help? The Aposticha before the 12th gospel certainly links the long-suffering Father with the passion of the Son.

Thanks for any light shed on these two questions.

[Olga]

1. Who are the divine youths who exposed the God-contending pillar of wickedness in Ode 8--Shadrack, Mishak and Abednego (spelling is wrong, I know)? I presume, because we will meet them in the Song of the Three on Saturday.



Yes, these are the Three Holy Youths whose memory is always commemorated in Ode 8 of any Matins canon, and whose story is in the OT readings of Holy Saturday.



2. What to make of "long-suffering Father"? merely patient? Or is the theme of suffering possible for the Father without being patripassian, because of perichoresis? Help? The Aposticha before the 12th gospel certainly links the long-suffering Father with the passion of the Son.



Patient is a better translation than long-suffering of the Greek word makrothymos. Forbearing and slow to anger are also suitable terms.

[Edith M. Humphrey]

Friends:

Christ is Risen!

Olga wrote:


Patient is a better translation than long-suffering of the Greek word makrothymos. Forbearing and slow to anger are also suitable terms.

Thanks, Olga, for this. Of course, we might note that "patient" also contains within it the idea of suffering (Latin: patio, patere; past participle "passus"), just as makrothumos speaks of the passions. I had thought of this. But on thinking further, I wondered whether "patient" just sounds more acceptable because we often evacuate the word of its meaning, thinking that it simply means "waiting for a long time." But of course, the WAITING that is associated with patience involves a certain sacrifice, or reserve, or suffering, doesn't it? One opens a whole can of worms here, but I am reminded by this Pascha reference to the Father who is makrothumos of 2 parts in Scripture: Jesus' weeping over Jerusalem, when they "would not" be gathered; St. Paul's reference to Isaiah in Romans 10:21 regarding the LORD "holding out his hands" all day long to a disobedient people.

It seems to me that we encounter an unavoidable paradox at this point: if we don't attribute some kind of passion to the Father, then many of the parables don't "work" (Jesus' father who ran to greet the prodigal: why run? why is this an example of love?), and we tend to think of the Father as a mere principle, subhuman and unable to be moved; if we attribute passion to the Father we are in danger of thinking that the Holy One can be subtracted from or added to, that God can substantially CHANGE.

I suppose it depends on how one defines suffering: if by suffering we mean that the Father can suffer loss that is substantial, then it is heretical; if by suffering we mean that the Father loves so as to yearn for us and our return (or in the case of the crucifixion, the Father can yearn for his Son, be grieved by his suffering), then that seems right and good. Both Son and Spirit are said to "suffer"--I understand why the fathers were very reluctant to attribute this action or characteristic to the Father, but if we do not allow it, at least in one sense, then we are hard pressed to recognize the Father as a Person and not merely a principle or force. I suppose I would say that the Father's love cannot be less than ours, and so, however he responds to our disobedience or suffering, and to the suffering of the Son, it must be more profound than human suffering, and not less??? I realize, of course, that the most "correct" way to think about the suffering of God is to say that God suffers "in the Son" (and not in the Father). But I am thinking also of Romans 8:22 ff, where the Spirit groans, and of the language of intimacy in John, especially chapters 14-17, where all that the Son has the Father has (and has given). Surely there must be some responding echo to Jesus' passion in the Father? Something that does not require us to attribute change, in the absolute sense, to God.

It seems to me that this theological question is paralleled by what I see to be a tension in Eastern Orthodox teaching regarding human passions--mostly they are to be quieted, tamed, controlled. Yet Simeon the New Theologian and Palamas speak of a godly passion, a desire for God that may be described as intense, and all-consuming.

What do others think? Are we at the verge of mystery here? Should I just be quiet?

Thanks,
Edith

[Andreas Moran]

(Jesus' father who ran to greet the prodigal: why run? why is this an example of love?)

I once read - it may have been in Barclay - that in the ancient world, an important personage would never run because it would be undignified. Thus the father's running in the parable would be taken by Christ's audience as indicating the eagerness with which the father greeted his son's return - so eager, and full of love, he would abandon all decorum. (I think also of Zacchaeus climbing a tree in his eagerness to see Christ, sinner though he was. He forgot all decorum and climbed the tree like a child.)

[Anna Stickles]

Then I am also interested in the Holy Saturday Vesperal Liturgy. All of the services from Holy Thursday onwards follow a chronological order from the Mystical Supper through Christ's betrayal, crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Holy Saturday however seems out of sync especially with its references to the resurrection before Pascha has occurred. Is this service actually from the time when catechumens were baptized before the Paschal service?

In Christ- Fr Raphael

I noticed mention of the seventh day in the Holy Saturday services. And yet St Symeon and maybe others speak of the eighth day, the Kingdom of Light, and I was wondering if there is some liturgical symbolism here between Saturday's service being connected with the seventh day and the Paschal service with the eighth day.


What I was particularly thinking of however was the singing of 'Arise O God and Judge the Earth' which is clearly resurrectional. Also at this point we change the vestments to resurrectional white.


In fact doesn't St Peter say that judgement will begin with the house of God? And the book of Hebrews calls us to enter into God's rest. Maybe this reference to the resurrection before Pascha has occured is representative of our baptismal resurrection that starts now?

I found a wonderful article online here (http://www.feastoffeasts.org/node/18) By Fr. Alexander Schmemann Following is a partial quote.


Great and Holy Saturday is the day on which Christ reposed in the tomb. The Church calls this day the. Blessed Sabbath. The great Moses mystically foreshadowed this day when he said: God blessed the seventh day. This is the blessed Sabbath. This is the day of rest, on which the only-begotten Son of God rested from all His works. . . . (Vesperal Liturgy of Holy Saturday)

By using this title the Church links Holy Saturday with the creative act of God. In the initial account of creation as found in the Book of Genesis, God made man in His own image and likeness. To be truly himself, man was to live in constant communion with the source and dynamic power of that image: God. Man fell from God. Now Christ, the Son of God through whom all things were created, has come to restore man to communion with God. He thereby completes creation. All things are again as they should be. His mission is consummated. On the Blessed Sabbath He rests from all His works.

THE TRANSITION

Holy Saturday is a neglected day in parish life. Few people attend the Services. Popular piety usually reduces Holy Week to one day - Holy Friday. This day is quickly replaced by another Easter Sunday. Christ is dead and then suddenly alive. Great sorrow is suddenly replaced by great joy. In such a scheme Holy Saturday is lost.

In the understanding of the Church, sorrow is not replaced by joy; it is transformed into joy. This distinction indicates that it is precisely within death that Christ continues to effect triumph.

[Edith M. Humphrey]

I once read - it may have been in Barclay - that in the ancient world, an important personage would never run because it would be undignified. Thus the father's running in the parable would be taken by Christ's audience as indicating the eagerness with which the father greeted his son's return - so eager, and full of love, he would abandon all decorum. (I think also of Zacchaeus climbing a tree in his eagerness to see Christ, sinner though he was. He forgot all decorum and climbed the tree like a child.)

Yes, that is what I was suggesting--here, the figure who corresponds to our heavenly Father throws aside all custom, and runs eagerly to greet the prodigal. Has he been yearning for him? One would suppose so...and so, the Father cannot be a total stranger to "suffering," understood in a certain sense, But we must tread carefully here.

Best to all this Bright Week!
Edith

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Anna Stickles wrote:


I noticed mention of the seventh day in the Holy Saturday services. And yet St Symeon and maybe others speak of the eighth day, the Kingdom of Light, and I was wondering if there is some liturgical symbolism here between Saturday's service being connected with the seventh day and the Paschal service with the eighth day.

In fact doesn't St Peter say that judgement will begin with the house of God? And the book of Hebrews calls us to enter into God's rest. Maybe this reference to the resurrection before Pascha has occured is representative of our baptismal resurrection that starts now?

I found a wonderful article online here (http://www.feastoffeasts.org/node/18) By Fr. Alexander Schmemann Following is a partial quote.


As we went through these particular days of Holy Week I was able to find commentary in the Guideline to Services book from Russia which clarified that the character of this service comes from that fact that it was then that the catechumens were baptized. According to the notes in this book this is the reason why the change to white is made when it is.

On other lists others also corroborated this point.

Although I wouldn't want to discount other interpretations I would personally say that Fr Alexander's point pertains more properly to the Matins of Holy Saturday (done usually on Friday evening) rather than the Liturgy of Holy Saturday.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[M.C. Steenberg]

There is a wonderful blending of imagery and symbolism in the Great Saturday service of the Divine Liturgy. It is also a service that is challenging to 'sort out', in terms of precise reasons specific things are done at certain moments, given that much of what now takes places at the seperate service of Vespers/Liturgy on Saturday morning was originally part of a longer Paschal Vigil, later seperated into the distinct service we have today.

Beginning with Vespers, the hymns (e.g. on 'Lord, I have cried...') mingle together the 'lamentations' of the Saturday (now technically passed, as vespers begins the new day) with the Paschal proclamations of the Resurrection (since Sunday, Pascha, is already come), dwelling on the Lord's descent into Hades and His rising forth. The two themes -- the tomb and the Resurrection -- are united together.

The fifteen readings of the Old Testament -- and this is not the point at which catechumens were baptised in the ancient Church, or are in the modern -- recount the history of salvation, and moreover the typological revelation of Christ's resurrection, in which this salvation consists. In some sense this is the 'last rite of instruction' prior to baptism for the catechumens, recounting the whole history of God's care and perfection of the human race, aimed at His offering and rising forth from Hades - an economy into which they are about, at last, to be fully joined. To those already illumined, it is the annual event of reading whereby the faithful are drawn anew into the story of resurrection and perfection that is the full fruit of the Paschal message. Whether to the catechumen preparing for baptism, or the faithful of many years or a lifetime, this is one of the most important sequences of readings of the entire Church year.

The centrality of Great Saturday to the catechetical life of the Church is exemplified in the trisagion being replaced by 'As many as have been baptised...'; and the arrival of the faithful at the Liturgy -- i.e. the transition from the beginning of the service, which is Vespers, into the Divine Liturgy which takes place from the epistle and Gospel readings -- marked out by the transition from black vestments to the white of baptismal purity and illumination (the white vestments are not white as Paschal, but white as baptismal).

There is something especially profound in the transition through the epistle and Gospel to the full Liturgy, though it is also here that some of the historical questions around the formation of the service come to the fore. After the fifteenth Old Testament reading, a Little Litany follows, which leads into the prayer of the trisagion. However, the trisagion is replaced by 'As many as have been baptised...', which is the entrance hymn of the newly-illumined. It is clear that this is sung to bring the newly-baptised into the fulness of the Liturgy. In the services as they exist at present, the baptisms ought properly to happen at that period after the Old Testament readings, before the Little Litany (pace to some commentators, but the idea that the baptisms would happen during the Old Testament readings is quite outside the norms of Orthodox practice). Originally these baptisms would have taken place in a separate baptistry, so the entrance hymn would genuinely have been for their renewed entrance into the Church. This baptismal hymn is sung, and is followed by what even today remains the baptismal epistle reading.

At the end of the epistle reading, the choir sings, rather than the usual 'Alleluia' that follows the epistle, the special refrain: 'Arise, O Lord, Judge the earth, for Thou shalt have an inheritance among all the nations...'. This is sung whilst the burial shroud of Christ still lies entombed in the Church: it is the Church singing out, calling out, to the sleeping Christ: 'Arise!' And it is here that the clergy change to white vestments, and that the Church itself is bedecked in white coverings.

(Though changing vestments to white at this point seems to be a 'compensation' for the contracted service, and makes little sense if done in conjunction with actual baptisms: one must change into white earlier, in order to effect the baptism in baptismal colours. When we have baptised on Great Saturday in our parish, the change to white vestments has taken place at the end of the Old Testament readings.)

The Gospel reading is extremely powerful: standing in the Church amidst the tomb of Christ and His burial shroud, the first Paschal Gospel is proclaimed. The Church lives in the knowledge of her Lord's Resurrection. Even at the tomb she proclaims His rising forth. The newly-baptised, in their white garments, have as their first liturgical 'act' as illumined Orthodox Christians, the standing to hear proclaimed the Gospel of Resurrection before the tomb of the sleeping Lord. From the first moments of life in their new birth, they are drawn into the the living expectation of humanity before its Creator.

XB, Dcn Matthew

[Andreas Moran]

The fifteen readings of the Old Testament -- and this is not the point at which catechumens were baptised in the ancient Church, or are in the modern

Thank you for this. Do we know what the arrangements were for baptism - when it took place?

[Father David Moser]

Thank you for this. Do we know what the arrangements were for baptism - when it took place?

I think Fr Matthew answers this question later on in his explanation where he says


After the fifteenth Old Testament reading, a Little Litany follows, which leads into the prayer of the trisagion. However, the trisagion is replaced by 'As many as have been baptised...', which is the entrance hymn of the newly-illumined. It is clear that this is sung to bring the newly-baptised into the fulness of the Liturgy. In the services as they exist at present, the baptisms ought properly to happen at that period after the Old Testament readings, before the Little Litany (pace to some commentators, but the idea that the baptisms would happen during the Old Testament readings is quite outside the norms of Orthodox practice).

Also, given the rubrics which are currently used when a baptism is done within the context of the liturgy, it seems perfectly clear that this is the case. In these rubrics, the pre-baptismal rite and prayers (making of a catechumen, exorcisms, creed) are done after the hours, before the Liturgy begins. Then the procession to the center of the temple takes place (with the font sent in the temple itself) and the liturgy begins with "Blessed is the Kingdom..." while the priest makes the sign of the cross over the font with the Gospel book. The baptismal rite takes the place of the antiphons culminating in the baptism and chrismation of the person. Then "Let us pray to the Lord. Lord have mercy. For Holy art Thou… As many as have been baptized… "(with procession around the font.). Prokeimenon: “The Lord is my light and my salvation…” coupled with the Sunday (or festal) prokeimenon. The clergy and servers renter the altar and the epistle and Gospel are read (combined with the baptismal readings as suggested above. If there were already two gospels appointed the epistle and gospel for the saint is dropped.) After this the liturgy continues as usual. The Churching occurs after the priest's communion, just prior to the appearance of the Gifts for the communion of the faithful. Ablutions and tonsure are incorporated with the reading of the prayer before the ambo.

From these rubrics we can see again that the baptism and chrismation take place just prior to the reading of the Epistle and Gospel and that the "As many as have been baptised..." is taken from the baptismal service and replaces the "Holy God..." This is consistent with the baptism taking place following the OT readings but before the Epistle and Gospel on Holy Saturday.

It is also worth noting that the Holy Saturday service is a Vesperal Liturgy - a combination of Vespers (which replaces the antiphons) and Liturgy which picks up at the reading of the Epistle and Gospel and continues from there. The sequence following the OT readings is the transition from Vespers to Liturgy and so to insert the baptism/chrismation here essentially places it directly between the Vesper service and the Liturgy (where, imo, it truly belongs and makes the most liturgical sense as the first communion then comes from the Chalice at that very liturgy).

I have used this arrangement, btw, whenever I have a baptism at the end of Lent (on Lazarus Saturday) or when there is a family that lives a long distance from the Church and it would be difficult to travel to the Church on separate days (since one cannot properly commune an infant from the reserved gifts, they would need to come for the baptism one day and to the liturgy the next for the Communion)

Fr David Moser





Originally these baptisms would have taken place in a separate baptistry, so the entrance hymn would genuinely have been for their renewed entrance into the Church. This baptismal hymn is sung, and is followed by what even today remains the baptismal epistle reading.

At the end of the epistle reading, the choir sings, rather than the usual 'Alleluia' that follows the epistle, the special refrain: 'Arise, O Lord, Judge the earth, for Thou shalt have an inheritance among all the nations...'. This is sung whilst the burial shroud of Christ still lies entombed in the Church: it is the Church singing out, calling out, to the sleeping Christ: 'Arise!' And it is here that the clergy change to white vestments, and that the Church itself is bedecked in white coverings.

(Though changing vestments to white at this point seems to be a 'compensation' for the contracted service, and makes little sense if done in conjunction with actual baptisms: one must change into white earlier, in order to effect the baptism in baptismal colours. When we have baptised on Great Saturday in our parish, the change to white vestments has taken place at the end of the Old Testament readings.)

The Gospel reading is extremely powerful: standing in the Church amidst the tomb of Christ and His burial shroud, the first Paschal Gospel is proclaimed. The Church lives in the knowledge of her Lord's Resurrection. Even at the tomb she proclaims His rising forth. The newly-baptised, in their white garments, have as their first liturgical 'act' as illumined Orthodox Christians, the standing to hear proclaimed the Gospel of Resurrection before the tomb of the sleeping Lord. From the first moments of life in their new birth, they are drawn into the the living expectation of humanity before its Creator.

XB, Dcn Matthew[/QUOTE]


There is a wonderful blending of imagery and symbolism in the Great Saturday service of the Divine Liturgy. It is also a service that is challenging to 'sort out', in terms of precise reasons specific things are done at certain moments, given that much of what now takes places at the seperate service of Vespers/Liturgy on Saturday morning was originally part of a longer Paschal Vigil, later seperated into the distinct service we have today.

Beginning with Vespers, the hymns (e.g. on 'Lord, I have cried...') mingle together the 'lamentations' of the Saturday (now technically passed, as vespers begins the new day) with the Paschal proclamations of the Resurrection (since Sunday, Pascha, is already come), dwelling on the Lord's descent into Hades and His rising forth. The two themes -- the tomb and the Resurrection -- are united together.

The fifteen readings of the Old Testament -- and this is not the point at which catechumens were baptised in the ancient Church, or are in the modern -- recount the history of salvation, and moreover the typological revelation of Christ's resurrection, in which this salvation consists. In some sense this is the 'last rite of instruction' prior to baptism for the catechumens, recounting the whole history of God's care and perfection of the human race, aimed at His offering and rising forth from Hades - an economy into which they are about, at last, to be fully joined. To those already illumined, it is the annual event of reading whereby the faithful are drawn anew into the story of resurrection and perfection that is the full fruit of the Paschal message. Whether to the catechumen preparing for baptism, or the faithful of many years or a lifetime, this is one of the most important sequences of readings of the entire Church year.

The centrality of Great Saturday to the catechetical life of the Church is exemplified in the trisagion being replaced by 'As many as have been baptised...'; and the arrival of the faithful at the Liturgy -- i.e. the transition from the beginning of the service, which is Vespers, into the Divine Liturgy which takes place from the epistle and Gospel readings -- marked out by the transition from black vestments to the white of baptismal purity and illumination (the white vestments are not white as Paschal, but white as baptismal).

There is something especially profound in the transition through the epistle and Gospel to the full Liturgy, though it is also here that some of the historical questions around the formation of the service come to the fore.

[Andreas Moran]

I recall that Great and Holy Saturday is the only Saturday in the year (I think!) on which oil is not permitted thus even in this small way marking it out as different from other Saturdays.

[Olga]

I recall that Great and Holy Saturday is the only Saturday in the year (I think!) on which oil is not permitted thus even in this small way marking it out as different from other Saturdays.

Yes, this is true. No oil on Holy Saturday, though many folks are unaware of this, unless their priest gives the crowd proper "riding instructions" before the giving out of Holy Communion at the Holy Saturday liturgy. One priest I know once memorably reminded his flock that this Saturday was a fasting day, unlike all others, "so I don't want to hear word come back to me that you'd gone home and got stuck into the roast!!"

[Andreas Moran]

I've got hold of the booklets, 'Matins of Holy Satruday' and 'Great and Holy Saturday, Vespers and the Divine Liturgy of St Basil', produced by OCA. They look very good and the language is traditional though I've spotted a few mistakes in that. The point is re-inforced that Holy Saturday is overlooked and people tend to think in terms of the Crucifixion on Friday and the Resurrection on Sunday. But this is to miss an essential part of Christ's saving acts. People leap from joy to sorrow, but Holy Saturday explains why and how that leap is made. It is during Holy Saturday that Christ descended into Hades bringing life to what was the realm of death. We sing that Christ has overcome death by death and to them in the graves he has given life. Our icons of the Resurrection show not Christ's resurrection but His descent into Hades. Our Paschal hymn and our icons are actually about Holy Saturday. His rising from the tomb on Sunday proves the accomplishment of our salvation by conquering death. It makes little sense to sing as we do and venerate our icons of the Resurrection and yet fail to observe Holy Saturday for the great day it is, both liturgically and in God's plan for our salvation.

[Peter S.]

I've got hold of the booklets, 'Matins of Holy Satruday' and 'Great and Holy Saturday, Vespers and the Divine Liturgy of St Basil', produced by OCA. They look very good and the language is traditional though I've spotted a few mistakes in that. The point is re-inforced that Holy Saturday is overlooked and people tend to think in terms of the Crucifixion on Friday and the Resurrection on Sunday. But this is to miss an essential part of Christ's saving acts. People leap from joy to sorrow, but Holy Saturday explains why and how that leap is made. It is during Holy Saturday that Christ descended into Hades bringing life to what was the realm of death. We sing that Christ has overcome death by death and to them in the graves he has given life. Our icons of the Resurrection show not Christ's resurrection but His descent into Hades. Our Paschal hymn and our icons are actually about Holy Saturday. His rising from the tomb on Sunday proves the accomplishment of our salvation by conquering death. It makes little sense to sing as we do and venerate our icons of the Resurrection and yet fail to observe Holy Saturday for the great day it is, both liturgically and in God's plan for our salvation.

Yes.

And everything he did when he suffered on the cross, in the salving act, where he said that "It is finished/fulfilled", John 19:30, on Holy Friday. "Christ is risen from the dead" in the famous hymn also points to the act of Ressurection on Sunday.

Christ is risen!

[Carlos Antonio Palad]

The central chandelier is also prodded with a long stick to make it swing. Perhaps it is symbolic of the chaos generated when "hell was despoiled" due to Christ's presence there.

Isn't the shaking of the chandaliers routinely done during vigils in monastic churches?

[Maria Murray]

Does anyone have a suggestion for where to find when and by whom the specific hymns/tropars etc of Holy Week were introduced into the services? I am having a very hard time finding anything. I understand that St. Cosmas wrote some canons, and much of the singing originates in Holy Scripture. But for example, who wrote "Behold the Bridegroom comes..." or "The Wise Thief"? It would be helpful to at least know when the church began to sing them.
Thanks much and have a great Holy Week.
Maria