Regardless of the day the procession is held, the setup is pretty much the same. There would be pasos or images of the saints or scenes in the Passion of Christ. There would be altars where the priest would stop to say a prayer. And of course, there would be people holding candles during the procession. When I was a kid, the processions was very organized. People fall in two lines beside the pasos. In between altars, we prayed the Rosary. Some even walked barefoot.

A lot have changed since then. Processions became more crowded but for the wrong purposes.  I know this is a tradition that will continue for a long time but whether the intentions and solemnity will be preserved is a different question.

More entries at Daily Post.

I leave you with the beautiful voice of Melkite Deacon Imad Bawab from Amman, Jordan.

Deacon Imad Bawab

The chant is from the Pasa Pnoi of the Holy Tuesday Service (Monday Night):

Chant Text:

Idiomelon. Mode 1.
Praise Him for His mighty acts, praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness.

How shall I enter into the splendor of Your saints since I am unworthy? For if I dare to enter the wedding hall along with them, my garment will betray me, for it is not fit for the wedding; and then I shall be bound and cast out by the Angels. I pray You, O Lord, to wash away the stains on my soul, and save me since You love humanity.

– Jack Rabah

Photo from Imad Bawab’s facebook.

I will be at Church every evening this week, but my favorite service is Thursday evening when the Twelve Gospel readings that lead to the Holy, Saving and Dread Passion of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ are chanted. At that service, we will nail his icon to his cross. Even now, just thinking about the service makes my eyes well up with tears.  For me, it is the most moving night of the year and the service I most look forward to every year!  I love my Faith.  It is the foundation of who I am.  From the moment I sat through my first Orthodox Liturgy, my soul was finally at peace and I knew my heart was home.

What I truly value is the fact that I live in a country where I am free to practice Orthodoxy, while my neighbors have the freedom to practice Islam, Judaism, or whatever Faith they feel is right for them.  Too often, our citizens take this freedom for granted.  It is the entire premise of why this country was founded.  Yet, too many Americans look at Church as another chore to accomplish on Sunday.  Or worse yet, they don’t practice a Faith at all.  Did you know that, even in this modern age, a Christian is martyred every 5 minutes for practicing their Faith?!  So, in the time it will take you to read this post and the attached articles, at least 2 people in the world have been killed just for being a Christian.  My hope is that Americans will realize how precious our religious freedom is, that they will find the Faith where their heart is at home and their soul is at peace, and that they practice it with passion!

Related articles

• Barbarians Celebrate Greek Orthodox Holy Week by Kidnapping Archbishops (syrianews.cc)

The Passover Seder concludes with a hymn and the fourth and final glass of wine.

Mark 14:26 reads, “and when they had sung a hymn, they went to the Mount of Olives.” There is no mention of the fourth glass of wine.  At the third glass, Jesus says He will not drink from the fruit of the vine again until He drinks it in the kingdom of God.

What does that mean?

The fourth glass is called the cup of consummation and it symbolizes the finalization or completion of an agreement.  But, Jesus doesn’t drink it.

In an earlier blog post, Hide and Seek, there was mention of promises from a Jewish groom to his bride.  These promises are the same promises represented by the four glasses of wine.  This is no coincidence.   God doesn’t do coincidence.

In Jesus’ time, when a Jewish couple decided to marry, the groom would come from his father’s house and make an arrangement for the bride with her father.  The bride was given a contract, a covenant, stating that the groom would care for her; they were engaged. From that point on, although not officially married, the bride was considered consecrated, set apart, for the groom.

After the agreement is made, there would be a period of separation.  The groom returned to his father’s house to prepare a home for himself and his bride. This could take any amount of time, depending on the wealth of the family, how large the living space would be and things of that sort.

When the groom’s father gave the approval that the living area was acceptable, the groom could go collect his bride.  A huge celebration would ensue and the marriage was consummated.  The covenant of marriage was completed.

Just like the Jewish groom, Jesus left His Father’s home to come to Earth and establish a covenant with us and we have been set apart for Him.

Just like the Jewish groom, Jesus went back to His Father’s home to prepare for us.

In Matthew 26:29, Jesus says, “I tell you, I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Just like the Jewish groom, Jesus promised to come back for us.  He’s just waiting for His Father to give the OK.  Then the marriage will be finalized and He will drink that fourth glass of wine.

Carla Hale, 57, said she was told she was being let go because her relationship is against teachings of the church.

She plans to file a complaint this week with the city of Columbus, which prohibits firings based on sexual orientation, her attorney said Monday. She already filed a grievance that is now in the hands of a union representing teachers in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus.

Some current and former students have rallied behind the physical education teacher, staging a protest outside the diocese headquarters and starting an online petition that has collected about 100,000 supporters.

Hale said she was fired during Holy Week in March after an anonymous letter sent to school administrators drew attention to the obituary published in The Columbus Dispatch.

A copy of the letter provided by her attorney was signed “a concerned parent.”

“My daughter came home and told me that one of the gym teacher’s mother had died,” the letter said. “She asked me to pray for her. When we looked in the obituaries, I was shocked by what I saw. It had her teacher’s name and that of her ‘spouse’ listed. It was two females!”

Hale, who is Methodist, was informed about two weeks after her mother’s death that the school was investigating, but she never had a chance to discuss it with school leaders, said attorney Thomas Tootle.

Hale, who had spent 19 years teaching at Bishop Watterson High School, said the decision to acknowledge her partner was not immoral.

“It’s kind of baffling that someone would take an obituary and use it, to me, in such a mean-spirited manner,” Hale said at a news conference last week.

The Diocese of Columbus would not comment directly about the firing, but it said school employees can’t go against teachings of the church.

“All Catholic school personnel at the outset of their employment agree that they will abide by the rules, regulations and policies of the Catholic Diocese, including respecting the moral values advanced by the teachings of Christ,” the diocese said in a statement.

Hale’s attorney said he will file a complaint Tuesday with a Columbus community relations board, arguing that the firing violates the city ordinance on employers discriminating based on sexual orientation. Another option is a wrongful termination lawsuit, Tootle said.

He said some courts have allowed religious groups exemptions to similar discrimination laws, but he thinks the case is similar to one in Cincinnati where a teacher challenged her firing by the archdiocese over her use of artificial insemination to become pregnant. A federal judge has allowed that lawsuit to continue.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The flight from Paris to Málaga was fine – I slept, my sisters spent the whole time taking pictures of us on my iPad with the front-facing camera, and when I woke up we it was warm! And there were many new embarrassing pictures.

When I was awake!

When I wasn’t

After Paris, my family and I arrived in Málaga. Our timeshare was a little outside of the city, but still very nice. There I was able to finally dig into the jar of peanut butter my parents brought me, which I was shocked/devestated to see that half was missing and that Skippy Natural changed it’s recipe! They snacked on it while in Paris. Luckily for them, they had brought me another, and the “supermercado” (supermarket) at the timeshare sold a British brand of PB. I bought 6 jars before we left. I still haven’t forgiven Skippy, though.

Anyway, the next day, which was my Mom’s birthday, we went to the indoor pool and ate brunch outside. The weather was amazing. We tried to find “town” and saw some uglier parts of Malaga, but eventually ended up in the right part, and saw processions – which are parades for Easter.

outside the timeshare in spring clothes!

brunch

One of the two terraces in our room

Hanging out in a plaza in Malaga

The Cathedral at night

My parents in front of the Alcazaba, an Arab defense wall from the 11th century

Look at the moon!

They are a huge deal in Andalucía (the southern region of Spain). Basically, each church has a “paso” or “trono” which looks like this:

Men dressed in KKK-like uniforms carry them through the streets, which other members of the church of all ages march along carrying candles, playing music and spreading incense. The hoods are called “capriotes” and actually have nothing to do with the KKK, and are a tradition from hundreds of years ago. The streets are filled with people watching and people marching. Children carry these weird looking balls, which I realized are wax balls that get bigger because people in the procession drip wax onto them. I cringed watching 10-year-olds in the parade doing this with two-foot long candles.

Here is a video I made of the three different processions we saw:

Then we walked around town and settled for dinner. We were all trying not to eat bread for Passover (it lasted until Thursday!)

The next day we went to a cute area with boats, drove around Marbella and saw beautiful houses, then went to an adorable town in a mountain called Mijas. There, we befriended a British/Irish couple that owned a delicious chocolate shop, saw amazing views, another procession, went in the bullfighting ring and ate dinner.

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The next morning we left early for Granada. Granada is already a difficult city for driving, but during Semana Santa it was a nightmare. Main streets were closed off, there were people everywhere. But, we made it to the apartment lobby where my family was staying and parked the car. They stayed in an apartment that was about a 20 minute walk from me, but was right in the center of town so it was perfect. The staff was also really nice because they dealt with my mom’s many requests.

Our first day, we walked around a lot, ate Moroccan food at a “Tetería,” They forgot my dad’s food, so he got shawarma later.

They have shawarma places all over here, its basically like a gyro shop but they have falafel too. I think I mentioned it in another post. It’s worth mentioning again since I love it so much, and my fam loved it too. We also got tapas that night, and ran into some processions.

The next day, Kisha and I met up with my family and walked to the Albaicin where we saw great views of the Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolás.

We took a break and had some desserts from what my director called the best bakery in Granada. Lots of fried bread, no surprise. Then we explored the Sacromonte which is a neighborhood high in the mountains and has caves where “gitanos” (gypsies live). Lots of walking! That night, my parents and Alexa went to a flamenco show in a cave, while Kisha, Julia and I went to a bar and a club. We had a lot of fun and stayed out late.

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The next morning, my family came to my apartment and met Ana and her daughter, they all liked each other!

my American family meets my Spanish family!

Unfortunately, it was raining, and we already had tickets to the Alhambra. It was still cool, but was kind of miserable. There were 5 Brody’s, 3 umbrellas, which, as you could imagine, was also problematic. We made the most of it and had fun together. Then we got shawarma again and said goodbye.

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My spring break was a great mix of hanging out with friends and family. I was so glad I got to show off my Spanish skills, including my rolled Rs, to my parents and sisters, and it was cute hearing Alexa try to practice Spanish. I’m so grateful they were able to come!

This weekend, I’m going to our timeshare in Malaga with 5 friends, and I’m very excited! Soon I’ll post more about my life in Granada after spring break.

My dad also wrote a long blog post analyzing business/culture in in Europe. Like father like daughter? His is more “professional,” as he put it, but is very interesting: http://ibreakfast.blogspot.com.es/

የሕማም ሰው

“መልክና ውበት የለውም፣ ባየነው ጊዜ እንወድደው ዘንድ ደም ግባት የለውም። የተናቀ ከሰውም የተጠላ፣ የሕማም ሰው ደዌንም የሚያውቅ ነው፤ ሰውም ፊቱን እንደሚሰውርበት የተናቀ ነው፤ እኛም አላከበርነውም” ኢሳ 53፡2-3

“የሚሠዋ በግ እርሱ ነው፤ የሚሠዋ ካህን እርሱ ነው። ከባሕርይ አባቱ ከአብ ከባሕርይ ሕይወቱ ከመንፈስ ቅዱስ ጋርም መሥዋዕት የሚቀበል እርሱ ነው። በፈቃዱ መከራን በሥጋው የተቀበለ መከራንም ሁሉ የታገሠ እርሱ ነው። እንደ በግ ሊሠዋ መጣ፤ በግ በሚሸልተው ፊት እንዳይናገር አልተናገረም፤ በአንደበቱ ሐሰት አልተገኘበትም።” የኑሲስ ኤጲስ ቆጶስ ቅዱስ ጎርጎርዮስ እንደተናገረው

ዜና ግብሩ ለዕለተ አርብ ጥንተ ስቅለቱ ለእግዚእነ ወመድኃኒነ ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ

    በሠማይ እሳታውያን መላእክት ጌታቸውን በፍርድ መንበር ላይ ሲቆም በመፍራትና በመንቀጥቀጥ ሲመለከቱት በምድር ግን በስላቅና በሳቅ ጌታና መድሐኒታቸውን ይከሱት ነበር። በሰማይ፣ኪሩቤል ጌታቸውን ሲያከብሩ በታች በምድር ግን ወንጀለኞች ይዘባበቱበታል። ከከፍታው ሱራፌል ቅዱስ ቅዱስ ሲሉ ከምድር በታች ግን ክፉዎች ይከሱታል። ለሰማይ ውበትን ያጎናጸፈ ጌታ በምድር የውርደትን ልብሰ ለበሰ። በሰማይ ዙሪያው በሚነዱ የእሳት ሰረገሎች የተከበበው ጌታ በምድር በሁለት ሌቦች መሐል በምስማር ተቸነከረ። ከአባቱ ጋር በሰማይ የሚመሰገንና የሚከብር ጌታ በምድር ከወንበዴዎች ጋር ለፍርድ ቆመ። የነገስታት ንጉስ የሆነ ጌታና የክብርን አክሊል በሰማይ የሚያጎናጽፍ እርሱ በምድር ላይ የእሾህ አክሊልን አጎናጸፉት። በሰማይ ከአባቱና ከመንፈስ ቅዱስ ጋር በንግስና ዙፋኑ ተቀምጦ የሚመሰገን ጌታ ከህግ በወጡ ወንጀለኞች በወቀሳና በሐሰት ተመሰከረበት። የህይወትን ዛፍ ይጠብቁ ዘንድ ኪሩቤልን ያዘዛቸው ጌታ በምድር ላይ ጎኑን በጦር ተወጋ። የሞትን መራራ ውኃ ወደ ጣፋጭነት የለወጠ ጌታ በምድር ላይ ሐሞትና ሆምጣጤ ይጠጣ ዘንድ ቀረበለት። ለአዳም የህይወትን እስትንፋስ እፍ ያለበት ጌታ ዛሬ ህይወቱን ይነጥቁትና በከምድር ሆድ ያሳርፉት ዘንድ ከሙታን ዘንድ ተቆጠረ።

***                   ***                   ***

    በመጀመሪያ መልኩ ያማረ፣ የፊቱ ገጽ የሚገዛ፣ ዓይኑ የተዋበ፣ ልብን የሚስብ፣ የሚያዩት ሁሉ ለእርሱ ያላቸው ጥበቃ የሚገንበት የተለየ ሰውነት ሊላበስ ይገባው ነበር፤ የጠበቁት እንዲህ እንዲሆን ነበርና። እኒያ እርሱን ያዩት ግን የተለየ እርሱን እንዲፈልጉት የሚያደርግ ውበትን ማየት አልቻሉም፤ ከሌላ ወዳጅ ይልቅ ውድ የሚያደርገው ምንም አላዩበትም። መኃ 5፡9 ፣ ሐዋ 7፡20፣ ዕብ 11፡23 ዳዊት በተቀባ ወቅት የተዋበና ያማረ ነበር 1ኛ ሳሙ 16፡12 ጌታ ኢየሱስ ግን ለእርሱ የተጠበቀው አልተገኘበትም ወይም ወደ ዓለም የመጣበትና የተገለጠበት መንገድ የጠበቁትን የማይገልጽ በመሆኑ ትምህርቱ በሰው ጥበብ ሳይሆን መንፈስንና ኃይልን በመግለጥ ነበር።

ስለዚህም የጠበቁት ንጉሥና ነጻ አውጪ፣ ጦረኛና ተዋጊ ባለማግኘታቸው እግዚአብሔር አስቀድሞ ከዘመናት በፊት ለክብራችን የወሰነውን፤ ተሰውሮም የነበረውን የእግዚአብሔር ጥበብ አላወቁትም። ስለዚህም የክብርን ጌታ ይሰቅሉት ዘንድ ወተወቱ።

ሐሙስ ምሽት

ከምሽቱ 03፡03፡03

ወደ ጌተሰማኔ አትክልት የሞላበት ስፍራ  ደቀመዝሙሩ በሆነው በአስቅሮይቱ ይሁዳ የሚመሩ  ሰይፍና ጎመድ፣ ጋሻና ጦር የታጠቁና  በችቦና ፋና የተከበቡ ክርስቶስን ሊይዙ የምኩራብ ጠባቂዎች  ከካህናት አለቆችና ከህዝብ ሽማግሎች ዘንድ መጡ። ከያዙትም በኋላ አስቀድመው ወደ ሐና ቤት አመጡት እርሱም በዚያች ዓመት ሊቀ ካህናት ለነበረው ቀያፋ አማቱ ነበርና። በሐና ቤትም ምላሽ ላላገኙበት ጥያቄ ካቆሙት በኋላ በሲንሃድሪን ሸንጎ (72 አባላት የሚገኙበት ከፍተኛ ምክርቤትና የአይሁድ የፍትህ ፍርድ ቤት ነው) በሸንጎው ወደተሰበሰበው ወደ ሊቀ ካህናቱ ቀያፋ ላኩት። ዮሐ (18፡1-24) ኢየሱስን የሚከሱ የሐሰት ማስረጃዎች በብዙ ምስክሮች ቀረቡበት እርሱ ግን አንዳች አልመለሰም። በመጨረሻም ሊቀ ካህናቱ ኢየሱስን በእውነት እንዲመልስለት እንደዚህ በማለት መሃላ አስገባው “አንተ የእግዚአብሔር ልጅ ክርስቶስ የሆንህ እንደሆነ እንድትነግረን በህያው በእግዚአብሔር ስም አምልሃለሁ” ኢየሱስም ምስክርነቱን አረጋገጠለት፣ “አንተ አልህ፤ ከእንግዲህ ወዲህ የሰው ልጅ በኃይል ቀኝ ሲቀመጥ በሰማይም ደመና ሲመጣ ታያላችሁ” አለው። ሊቀ ካህናቱም ተሳድቦአል ሲል ተናገረ የፍርድ ሸንጎዎቹ (ሲንሃድሪን) የሞት ፍርድ እንዲገባው ተስማሙ። (ማቴ 26፡57-66).

የሐዲስ ኪዳን አብያተ ክርስቲያናት የጌታን ህማማትና መከራ ለማስታወስ የጾማቸውን አንድ ሳምንት ሰሙነ ህማማት ወይም ቅዱስ ሳምንት ብለው ታስቦ እንዲውል ሥርዓት ሰርተውለታል። የኢትዮጵያ ቤተ ክርስቲያን የአብይ ጾም የመጨረሻ ሣምንት የሆሳዕና ማግስት ሰሙነ ሕማመት አድርጋ ትውላለች። የሳምንቱ ዕለታት ስያሜ በመስጠትም በየእለቱ የተደረጉትን እያሰበች ትዘክራለች።

አርብ ጠዋት

ከጠዋቱ 01፡01፡01

በበነጋውም የካህናት አለቆችና ሽማግሌዎችም ከገዢው ከጴንጤናዊው ጲላጦስ ዘንድ አመጡትና ይህ ህዝባችንን ሲያጣምም፣ ለቄሳር ግብር እንዳይከፈል ሲከለክልና ራሱን ንጉስ ነኝ ይላል በማለት ከሰሱት (ሉቃ 23፡1-2) ጲላጦስም ለአይሁድ ሽማግሎች እንደ ህጋቸው ይፈርዱበት ዘንድ ፈቀደላቸው እነሱ ግና  የሞት ፍርድ ለመፍረድ ሮማውያን እንዳልፈቀዱላቸው መለሱለት (ዮሐ 18፡31) ጲላጦስም ኢየሱስን ከጠየቀው በኋላ ለተሰበሰቡት ምንም በደል እንዳላገኘበት ነገራቸው። ኢየሱስ ከገሊላ መሆኑን ካወቀ በኋላ ጉዳዩን ወደ ገሊላው መሪ ንጉስ ሔሮድስ ለፋሲካ በዓል ኢየሩሳሌም ነበርና ወደ እርሱ ላከው። ሔሮድስም ኢየሱስን ብዙ ቢጠይቀውም ምላሽ ባለማግኘቱ መልሶ ወደ ጲላጦስ ላከው። ጲላጦስም ለተሰበሰበው ህዝብ እሱም ሆነ ሔሮድስ ምንም ወንጀል እንዳላገኙበት ነገራቸው። ስለዚህም ተገርፎ ይፈታ ዘንድ ወሰነ። (ሉቃ 23፡3-16)

አርብ ጠዋት

ከጠዋቱ  02፡22፡22

የተሰበሰበው ህዝብ በሙሉ በካህናት አለቆች ታውከው ነበርና ስለአመጽና ሰው መግደል ታስሮ የነበረው በርባንን ለፋሲካቸው ልማድ ይፈታላቸው ዘንድ ጠየቁት። ጲላጦስም ኢየሱስን ምን እንዲያደርገው እንዲወዱ ጠየቃቸው። እነሱም “እርሱን ስቀለው” ሲሉ እየጮኹ ግድ አሉት። (ማር 15፡6-14). የጲላጦስ ሚስት ከዚያ ቀን በፊት በህልሟ ኢየሱስን አይታው ነበርና ጲላጦስን “በዚህ ጻድቅ ሰው ላይ ምንም አታድርግ” ስትል አስጠነቀቀችው (ማቴ 27፡19). ጲላጦስም የተገረፈውን ኢየሱስን ሊፈታው ወደ ህዝቡ አወጣው። የካህናት አለቆችም ለሞት ተላልፎ እንዲሰጥ በመጠየቅ አዲስ ክስ ለጲላጦስ ነገሩት “ምክንያቱም ራሱን የእግዚአብሔር ልጅ አድርጓልና”። ስለዚህ ጲላጦስ ይሄን ነገር በሰማ ጊዜ ፈራ ኢየሱስንም ወደ ገዢው ግቢ መልሶ ካስገባው በኋላ ከወዴት እንደሆነ ይነግረው ዘንድ ጠየቀው።

የ ፴ ብር.. የደም ስፍር

የደም ጤዛ.. የደም ቤዛ

የደም ዋጋ.. የሰው ሰንጋ

የደም መሬት.. የሰው ህይወት

የሰው ሽያጭ.. የብር ልዋጭ

የደሃ ማረፊያ.. ጊዜያዊ ማቆያ

የደም ማማ

አኪልዳማ!

 ማቴ 27፡9-10፣ ሐዋ 1፡19፣ ዘካ 11፡12-13

አርብ ረፋድ

ከረፋዱ  03፡03፡03

ጲላጦስ ለመጨረሻ ጊዜ ወደተሰበሰቡት ህዝብ መጥቶ ኢየሱስ ንጹህ መሆኑን በማወጅ ከእርሱ ደም እንደሌለበት ለማሳየት እጁን ታጠበ። ዳሩግን ኢየሱስን ይሰቅሉት ዘንድ ለፍቃዳቸው አሳልፎ ሰጠው። (ማቴ 27፡24-26)። “የአይሁድ ንጉስ የናዝሪቱ ኢየሱስ” የሚል ጽፈትም ጽፎ በመስቀሉ ላይ አኖረ። መስቀሉን ተሸክሞም (በቀሬናዊ ስምኦን ታግዞ) የራስ ቅል ወይም በዕብራይስጥ “ጎልጎታ” በላቲን “ካልቫሪ” ወደ ተባለ የሚሰቅሉበት ስፍራ ሄደ።(ዮሐ 19፡17-22)

ይህ የመስቀል ጉዞ ነው። ከፍርዳቸውም ሲወጣ የራሱን መስቀል በትከሻው ተሸከመ። የዕብራውያን ሴቶች አንድነት ስለደረሰበት ፍትህ ያጣ ፍርድ ዋይ ዋይ እያሉና ሙሾ እያወረዱ ብዙዎች ተከተሉት ። እናቱም ርቃ ከወዳጆቿ ጋር ቆማ ነበር። እንደ እርግብ እየበረረችና እየጮኸች ሀዘንና ብሶቷን በመራር ሁኔታ ትገልጽ ነበር። ወዴት እየሄድህ ነው ልጄ፣ ውዴ ሆይ? ወዴት እየወሰዱህ ነው? ፍትህ በእጃቸው ለሌለ ሰዎች ራስህን ስለምን አሳልፈህ ሰጠህ? ህመምህ ለእኔ ይሁን ልጄ፤ ስቃይህ ለእኔ ይሁን ውዴ እያለች።

    በአርብ እለት አዳምን ፈጠረ እናም በአርብ ጌታችን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ በእኛ ቦታ ተሰቃየ እኛንም ተቤዠን። በአርብ እለት አዳምን ውብ አደረገው እናም በአርብ የኃጢአተኛውን የአዳምን ልጆች ምራቅ ተቀበለ። በእለተ አርብ የፈጠርካቸው እንሰሶች ወደ አዳም መጥተው አንገታቸውን ሰብረውና ተንበርክከው ስም ያወጣላቸው ዘንድ ይጠይቁት ነበር እናም በአርብ የሽማግሌዎች ስብስብ በክርስቶስ ላይ እየተሳለቁ  “የአይሁድ ንጉስ ሰላም ላንተ ይሁን” በማለት ዘበቱበት። የዳዊት ትንቢትም ፍጻሜውን አገኘ “ ብዙ ውሾች ከብበውኛል፣ የክፋተኞች ጉባኤም ያዘኝ” (መዝ 21፡16) የተባለው።

በአርብ የንግስናን አክሊል በአዳም ራስ ላይ ደፋለት እናም በአርብ በአዳም ጌታ ራስ ላይ የእሾህን አክሊል ደፉበት። በአርብ እለት ሄዋን የተከለከለውን ፍሬ ለአዳም ሰጠችው እርሱም በላው እናም በአርብ ክርስቶስን የሰቀሉት የአሁድ ሸንጎ ሐሞት የሞላውን መጠጥ በሰፍነግ ሞልተው ሰጡት እርሱም ጠጣው። በአርብ እለት ለሦስት ሰዓታት አዳም እራቁቱን በገነት ውስጥ ተቀመጠ እናም በአርብ የአዳም ጌታ ለሶስት ሰዓታት ራቁቶን በመስቀል ላይ ቆየ። የመስቀል ሕማማት ሁሉ ታገሠ።

አርብ ቀትር

ከቀኑ  06፡06፡06

የካህናት አለቆችና ጸሐፎች በእነሱም የተቃናው ሕዝብ የቅናታቸውና ቁጣቸው መጨረሻ ደረሰ። በተሸከመው መስቀል አስተኝተው በችንካር ቸነከሩት። ‘የናዝሪቱ ኢየሱስ የአይሁድ ንጉስ’ ከሚል ጽሑፍ ጋር ሰቀሉት። የወንጀለኞች አለቃ ይሉት ዘንድ ቀኝአዝማችና ግራዝማች ወንበዴዎች ከእርሱ ጋር ሰቀሉ። ለጥማቱ ሐሞትና ሆምጣጤ  በሰፍነግ ሞልተው በሁሶፕ አድርገው አዘጋጁ። ልብሱን ተከፋፈሉ እጀ ጠባቡንም ዕጣ አወጡበት- አንድ ወጥ ነበርና። ጠባቂዎቹና አላፊ አግዳሚውም ይዘብቱበት ዘንድ ተቻኮሉ። እራሳቸውን ይነቀንቁበትና ይሰድቡት ዘንድ ተሞሉ። የካህናት አለቆች ከጻፎችና ሽማግሌዎች ጋር ተዘባበቱበት። (ማቴ 27፡33-44) እርሱ ግን ስለሁሉ መልካምን ተመኘ። እኚህ የመስቀል ላይ ቃላት ተስፋ የሞላቸውና ፍቅር የገዛቸው ሠላምን የሚያድሉ ሆኑ።

በዚህ ዓለም ጭካኔን በሞላው ሰዓት ሁሉ ባደመና በወገነ ወቅት ለእኛ ሁሉ በጎ ትምህርት ይነግረን ዘንድ የቀኙ ሽፍታ መሰቀሉ ለበጎ ሆነለት፤ ሆነልን። “ነብያተ ኢሐተተ ወሐዋርያተ ኢተሎከ አላ ፀሐይ ቀጸበተ ሶበ ርኢከ አመነ… የነብያትን መጽሐፍ አላነበበም፣ ሐዋርያትንም አልተከተለም እሱ ጸሐይ ጠቀሰው እንጂ፤ባየውም ጊዜ አመነው” ።  በመንግስቱ በመጣ ጊዜ እንዲያስበን፤ እንደሥራችን ሳይሆን እንደቸርነቱ ብዛት ይምረንም ዘንድ ልመናን አስተማረን።

አርብ ከሰዓት

ከቀኑ  09፡09፡09

ኢየሱስ ለስድስት ሰዓታት በመስቀል ላይ ተሰቃየ። ከቀትር እስከ 9ሰዓትም ጨለማ ምድርን በሙሉ ሞላት። ኢየሱስም  በታላቅ ጩኸት ነፍሱን ሰጠ። ተአምራት ተፈጸሙ። ተአምራቱም በተፈጸመ ጊዜ በመስቀሉ ስፍራ ጠባቂ የነበረውም የመቶ አለቃ (ሴንትሪየን) “ይህ በእውነት የእግዚአብሔር ልጅ ነበረ!” ብሎ መሰከረ። (ማቴ 27፡45-54)

በእኩለ ቀንም ምድርን ጨለዋ በዋጣት ጊዜ እርሱ አሰምቶ ጮኸ “አቤቱ አቤቱ ስለምን ተውኸኝ?” በማለት በዚህ ወቅት የቤተ መቅደስ መጋረጃ ከላይ ወደ ታች ከሁለት ተቀደደ። ምድር ተገለበጠች አለቶች ተሰነጠቁ መቃብራትም ተከፈቱ። አርፈው ከነበሩ የቅዱሳን ብዙ ሥጋዎች ተነሡ። ጌታቸው በመስቀል ላይ ተሰቅሎ በማየታቸው ኪሩቤል በፍርሃት ደነገጡ፤ ሱራፌል  ተንቀጠቀጡ፤ መላዕክትና ሊቃነ መላእክት ግራ ተጋቡ። ሐዋርያት ሮጡ ተከታዮቹም ተበታተኑ። ጌታ ሆይ! ትንቢት ስላንተ “ ኦ! የባራኪው ልጅ ተነሣ የበጎች እረኛ ተመታ በጎቹም ተበታተኑ” የተባለው ተፈጸመ። እናንተ መላእክትና ሊቃነ መላእክት ወዴት ናችሁ? ኦ! ሚካኤል ኃያሉ መላእክ ያንተ ቁጣ ወዴት አለ? የአስሪያን ሺዎች ያጠፋው ሰይፍ ወዴት አለ? ኦ! ገብርኤል የመላእክት አለቃ ንዴትህ ወዴት አለ?

አርብ ሰርክ

ከምሽቱ  10፡59፡59

የአርማትያሱ ዮሴፍ የአይሁድ ሸንጎ አባል የነበረ ግና በምክራቸውና በሥራቸው ያልተባበረ ጲላጦስን የክርስቶስን ሥጋ ይሰጠው ዘንድ ለመነው  (ሉቃ 23፡50-52)ሌላኛው ድብቅ የክርስቶስ ተከታይ የነበረው የአይሁድ ሸንጎ አባል ኒቆዲሞስ የከርቤና የእሬት ቅልቅል ይዞ መጣ (ዮሐ 19፡39-40). ጲላጦስም ኢየሱስ ሞቶ እንደሆነ የመቶ አለቃውን ጠየቀው (ማር 15፡44) ከጭፍሮቹ አንዱ ጎኑን በጦር ወጋው ወዲያውም ደምና ውኃ ወጣ (ዮሐ 19፡34) የመቶ አለቃውም ለጲላጦስ ኢየሱስ መሞቱን ነገረው (ማር 15፡45) ዮሴፍ ዘአርማትያም የኢየሱስን ሥጋ በንጹህ በፍታ ከፈነው፣ኒቆዲሞስም እንደ አይሁድ አገናነዝ ልማድ ከሽቱ ጋር በተልባ እግር ልብስ ከፈነው (ዮሐ 19፡40) ከተሰቀለበት የአትክልት ሥፍራ ቅርብ በነበረ ማንም ባልተቀበረበት ከዓለት በወቀረው በአዲሱ መቃብርም አኖረው፤ በመቃብሩም ደጃፍ ታላቅ ድንጋይ አንከባሎ ሄደ።(ማቴ 27፡59-60)

አሜን!

ብዙ ዘመን በርሃብ በችጋር ተውጠን ምንበላው ብናጣ

ከመሐከላችን ያ’ንዱን ሕይወት ሰዋን ሥጋውን ልንበላ ደሙንም ል’ጠጣ

ዛሬ..

እሰየው አበጀን! ያን ዘመን ተሻገርን

በሰዋነው ሕይወት ባገኘነው መብል

ይኸው አምሮብን ሕይወት እየበላን

ዛሬን ብቻ ሳይሆን ለነገም ተርፈናል።

ሚያዝያ 1 ቀን 2005 ዓ.ም አዲስ አበባ

ዋቢ መጻሕፍት

1. መጽሐፍ ቅዱስ የብሉይና ሐዲስ ኪዳን መጻሕፍት፤ 1954፤ የኢትዮጵያ መጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ማኅበር፤ ብርሃንና ሰላም ማተሚያ ቤት
2. “HOLY LITURGY OF PASSION WEEK FROM HOSANNA TO KYMTHO (EASTER)”, 2011, THE MALANKARA ORTHODOX SYRIAN CHRISTIAN’S, compiled by St. Gregorios Indian Orthodox Church Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
3. Isaiah 53:1-3 commentary, Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole bible, e-sword bible software V.10.1
4. “ስምዐ ጽድቅ ልዩ ዕትም መጋቢት 20-24” ፤ 2002 ፤  ማኅበረ ቅዱሳን ፤ ሜጋ ማተሚያ ቤት (ከጲላጦስ አደባባይ እስከ ቀራንዮ ጉዞውን የሚያሳይ ሥዕል)
5. www. St-takla.org (especially for the holy pictures)

I enjoy attending and chanting at all the services of the week which are held daily and sometimes twice a day. (More about chanting in my other blog).

In addition to my church obligations there are the family obligations from shopping for clothes to dying eggs and taking the kids to egg hunts, and more.

I will try to reflect some parts of the Holy Week activities from Ramallah, Palestine through pictures in the next few blog posts. I hope you enjoy them!

Matins Service, Palm Sunday morning

Palm Sunday Mass

Palm Sunday Mass

Palm Sunday Parade

Palm Sunday Parade

Palm Sunday Parade

Palm Sunday Parade

Palm Sunday Parade

Palm Sunday Parade

Palm Sunday Parade

Palm Sunday Parade

Palm Sunday Parade

Palm Sunday Parade

Blessing, Palm Sunday Mass

Bridegroom Service Sunday evening

Bridegroom Service Sunday evening

Bridegroom Service Sunday evening

Bridegroom Service Sunday evening

– Jack Rabah

Most often the word religion accompanies the word spirituality so that is how I’ll frame this portion initially.  I am a born and raised Lutheran Christian and for most of my life have gone to church every Sunday as well as Advent and Lenten mid-week services.

Over the past decade, I have found myself in an increasing struggle to go to church and worship without being overcome by sadness, melancholy, guilt, and grief.  It seemed to begin with Holy Week years ago, in particular the Good Friday Tenebrae service.  In the church newsletter that I received last week the Tenebrae is advertised as “Dramatic and Powerful.”   I reached the point that I could not go and make it through the service without being overcome with guilt and sadness.  This may be exactly the experience that is intended but I can’t do dramatic and powerful anymore!

I feel like so much time is spent in our services reminding us that Jesus died, was killed because of us and for us.  Additionally, my experience has evolved into feeling like I am being reminded of death all the time—not just Jesus but family and friends as well.  Instead of feeling that yes, death is inevitable, but there is life in the resurrected Christ, I am experiencing the exact opposite.  I am hearing yes, Jesus rose from the dead but don’t you dare forget He did die, there is suffering, and remember you came from dust and to dust you shall return.  I don’t leave the sanctuary calm and reassured.  I leave each week as though I have just attended a funeral.  I am wrung out and emotionally exhausted.  I am having the opposite experience of what I think I am supposed to have and that is why I am increasingly absent on Sunday mornings.

At some point I want to quit being force fed the inevitability and pervasiveness of death and focus more on how to live out His teachings, how to experience a close relationship with God, and how to live with a sense of lightness in the Light instead of with a heavy heart in the dark.  I do not feel I have been taught these things in my religious upbringing.  I have been taught how to worship and have been exposed to and taught the scriptures but I haven’t been taught how to connect on a deeper level with God, how to really commune with God, and how to experience more than a one sided relationship with God.  Which is a nice segue into spirituality.

I want to experience the “peace that passes understanding” and don’t feel like it is attainable by continuing to “do church” as I have always done it.  I think it requires more than going to church on Sundays and being the “talker” in my prayers.  I am beginning to believe it requires sitting quietly, listening to the voice of God within me instead of keeping up a constant chatter of prayer requests and fears and repentance; being a more active but quiet participant in my relationship with God.  Recently I had a friend tell me he thinks I just might have a “smidgen of Quakerism” in me.  Something to look into?

Christ the Bridegroom Icon
No copyright, via Wikimedia Commons

Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight:
and blessed is he whom He shall find watching;
but unworthy is he whom He shall find heedless.
Beware, therefore, O my soul,
not to be weighed down with sleep,
lest you be given up to death
and shut out from the kingdom.
But rouse yourself, crying:
“Holy, holy, holy, are You, our God,
through the prayers of the Theotokos have mercy on us.”

I see your bridal chamber adorned, O my Saviour,
and I have no wedding garment that I may enter therein;
O giver of Light, make radiant the vesture of my soul,
and save me.

Two well-known, and well-loved, hymns from the services known as the Bridegroom Services from the first three days of Holy Week. The Bridegroom Icon shown is also known as the Icon of Extreme Humility.

The image of the Bridegroom is taken from Isaiah 54 and also from the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, and shows Christ’s love for His Bride, the Church, and instructs us to be watchful for we know not the day or the hour when he will return. The imagery of not having a wedding garment is taken from the Parable of the Wedding Feast.

The hymns of the services for the first day of Holy Week focus on the patriarch Joseph (whose icon with Egyptian headdress I am guessing must be unique!) and the cursing of the figtree, while those for the second day focus on the Parables of the Wise and Foolish Virgins and of the Talents. The third day focuses on the contrast between the sinful woman who anointed Jesus and Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus.

Fr Thomas Hopko has six excellent podcasts on the meaning and hymns of first three days of Holy Week in his podcast series Speaking the Truth in Love which are highly recommended; they helped me greatly enter into the spirit of these three days and gave me a much better understanding of their purpose. Here are a few of the hymns that have spoken to me this year from days 1 and 2:

Brethren, let us love the Bridegroom and prepare our lamps with care,
shining in virtues and true faith;
that, like the prudent virgins of the Lord,
we may be ready to enter with Him into the wedding feast;
for the Bridegroom, as God, bestows a gift to all,
the incorruptible crown.

Jacob lamented the loss of Joseph,
but his noble son was seated in a chariot and honoured as a king;
for when he refused to be enslaved by the fascinations of the Egyptian woman,
he was in turn glorified by Him, Who beholds the hearts of men,
and bestows an incorruptible crown.

I have come to minister to the impoverished Adam,
whose form I fashioned, and now willingly assumed the same.
I, the passionless Godhead, lay down My life for his ransom.

The serpent finding the Egyptian woman as a second Eve,
hastened through words of flattery to cause the downfall of Joseph;
but he, leaving his garment, fled from sin;
and being naked, felt unashamed, even as the first created before the disobedience.
By his intercessions, O Christ, have mercy on us.

Come, you faithful, let us work eagerly for the Master,
for He distributes His wealth to His servants;
accordingly then, let us increase the talent of grace.
Let one be graced with wisdom through good works;
let another celebrate a service of splendour;
let another faithful to the word communicate this to the uninstructed;
and yet another distribute wealth to the poor.
For thus we shall increase what is entrusted to us,
and as faithful stewards of His Grace, we may be worthy of the Master’s joy.
Of this deem us worthy, O loving Christ, our God.

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” – John 11: 16

Start of the Dodson Trail Big Bend National Park, Texas

Just when my spiritual journey seems stale, just when it seems that the path has faded and vanished, Holy Week arrives. It reminds me of my trek across the Dodson Trail in Big Bend last fall. Whenever a trail like Dodson is so little used, the trail tends to disappear from time to time. The grass grows, a flash flood will wash it out. Then while you are on it, miles from any help, you will be hiking along and you will turn around after walking for several minutes and realize you are no longer on the trail. Worse, you then realize you have no idea where you lost it or how long you have been going in the wrong direction. In such a lonely and desolate place fear is the first reaction. To go forward or right or left in search of the trail would be a mistake. There is only one solution. First you must stop. Then, you must go back. That is Holy Week. It is a time to go back until we find the trail again.

That is the place I found myself this evening. The first Bridegroom Service on Palm Sunday evening is always a time of retracing my steps and reframing my journey. Tonight I found my first tenuous steps backwards in the Praises of the Bridegroom service:

When the Lord was coming to His voluntary Passion He said to His apostles on the way: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be delivered up, as it is written concerning Him. Come therefore, let us also accompany Him, with minds purified, and let us be crucified with Him and die for Him to the pleasures of this life, that we may also live with Him, and that we may hear Him crying: No longer do I go to the earthly Jerusalem to suffer, but I ascend unto My Father and your Father, and unto My God and your God: and I will raise you up together unto the Jerusalem on high in the Kingdom of the Heavens.

There they are, the Hymn directs me toward my first steps back to the start. I imagine St. Thomas saying those words, “Let us also go, so that we may die with him.” Only, those words are not just for Thomas, or the 12. They are for all of us. Christ calls us this week to go with him, not to the earthly Jerusalem to die a physical death, but to crucify our old man, to die for Him to the pleasures of this life. That is the calling, that is the path that I now go to find again.

Behold the Bridegroom comes, in the middle of the night, and blessed is that servant who He shall find watching. Then unworthy is he whom He shall find heedless.

May I be found to be a worthy servant.

Peace be with y’all

By the grace of God, we have passed through the fast of Great Lent and have now arrived at the beginning of the Great and Holy Week of our Lord’s Passion and Resurrection. This season of the Church year is very special to me as it was at this time six years ago that I made my decision to join the Holy Orthodox Church. Because of this, among other things about the services of Great and Holy Week, there are some pieces of hymnography that are particularly special to me.

One of these is this hymn, Rejoice, O Bethany which, in the practice of the Antiochian Patriarchate at least, serves as the koinonikon on Lazarus Satuarday and is chanted during the procession with the Palms on Palm Sunday. The hymn reflects on the lamentation of Mary and Martha at the death of Lazarus which is turned into jubilant joy as Christ comes and raises him from the dead. The hearers are then called upon to rejoice with Mary and Martha realizing that we too are dead in our sins, having passed not just four days but so many years in the procrastination and indolence, but are called forth to new life by Christ.

Enjoy this brief video clip of some chanters at Balamand Monastery in Lebanon singing this beautiful piece in Arabic and English. Also, enjoy Philip Saba’s dynamic cheironomia which is even more pronounced in his direction of the chanters singing Arise O God on Great and Holy Saturday (I will try to post that one later this week).

Shaa’nineh ‘embarakey

Last Wednesday, April 24, the people of Beit Jala (Bethlehem) – and the few people in the rest of the world who are paying attention – heard the decision of an Israeli Appeal’s Committee that “the Wall” can be built right through another section of Palestinian land: their Cremisan Valley.

Today, April 28, is Palm Sunday in Beit Jala. They begin Holy Week, and will celebrate Easter with the Orthodox Christians on May 5. 

This coming week Pope Francis will meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres, who was invited by the Holy Father for a visit to the Vatican, among the first of the world leaders who will meet with the new Pope.

This all comes together in these photos, taken today in Beit Jala. The people of Annunciation Catholic parish gathered today, on Palm Sunday, outside their church after Sunday Mass to sign letters to Pope Francis, pleading with him to keep Cremisan high on his agenda when he meets with the Israeli president.

You might find this April 24 article  in the Washington Post, “Palestinian Christians hope new pope will help in battle against Israel’s barrier route,” helpful for understanding the present state of the situation.

During Lent, Bolanon Catholics do their Visita Iglesia in a huge way. On the eve of Good Friday Tagbilaran denizens walk a 24km walk from Tagbilaran City to the town of Loboc. Once in Loboc the trek culminates in a 45 minute hike up the hill of Krus Daku literally big cross. That day I was privileged to join the Daganista de Bohol in what could have easily been a half marathon run for them.

The 24km route from Tagbilaran City to Loay

The whole trek provided wonderful views of Spanish era churches like the majestic Baclayon church which is a well known tourist spot.  Its eye candy to the avid photographer and a highly spiritual experience for the Catholic pilgrim. Four churches, several bridges and six and a half hours later we make it to Loboc church and at the foot of Krus Daku’s hill. The cross is so big that in the dark of midnight it would be clearly seen from the town of Loay 5.4 Kms away.

Uphill you are met with rocky trail though concrete in some areas. In certain areas the incline could be a steep 45 degrees, in other places steeper. That night the moon was full and exceptionally bright. Towards the summit the path, the grass and other foliage conspired with the light of the moon and stars to give the trail a fantasy feel to it. I felt like I was on the way to Rivendell with Frodo and the other hobbits.

Then the purpose of the climb soon becomes evident and an aura of piety descended on my companions as we reached the Arko or arch which marked the beginning of the Krus Daku trail which is marked by 14 Stations of the Cross scattered across the hillside.

Arko of Krus Daku (Cruz Daku)

Traversing the stations proved physically challenging with areas of slippery grass and rocks and steep trails, amazingly this didn’t deter senior citizens and little children. All around were weary accomplished pilgrims in their tents and sleeping bags getting much needed rest.

The most challenging traverse had to be the one between stations 13 and 14 which had what was easily a hundred steps at the end of which was the cross and at its feet the 14th station.

Krus Daku

There was nothing to do but rest after such a long trek. The enforced relaxation was worth it. Within another hour or so I was greeted with a beautiful sunrise and a magnificent view of fog covered tree lines and a view of the Bohol sea. The view was just amazing.

I think I’m gonna do that again next year. Care to join me?

In the apostolic age of the Church, there was not a clear time when new members of the faith would be baptized.  During this period there was often a sense of urgency in the Church as persecution was always a threat and secrecy was often desired.  As the Church grew in membership and organization, it became important for catechumens to receive instruction in the faith before their initiation, through baptism, into the Body of Christ.  It probably made sense that the accepted date for baptizing catechumens became Pascha as our immersion in water increasingly became understood as a participation in the death and resurrection of Christ.  After Constantine’s conversion, Pascha was the established time when catechumens entered the Church, after a couple years of religious education, and it was in this way an Empire became Christian.

It was not long before all who were left to baptize were infants.  Quickly the Christian world became comfortable and complacent in their routine which is why this period corresponds with the explosion of monasticism.  By the Ninth century, the baptismal nature of Lent and Holy Week was mostly absent.  This is when two brother monks, Theodore and Joseph the Studites, began work on the Lenten Triodion—the collection of hymns and prayers we use today in our preparation for Pascha.  Since Lent had by this time lost its correlation to Baptism, these monks themed the Triodion on repentance.  Beginning with the desire of Zacchaeus and moving to the spiritual purity of Mary of Egypt, the Triodion guides us through the repentant and transformative nature of Great Lent.  When Holy Week begins with the Triumphal Entrance into Jerusalem, we are ready to immerse ourselves in the worship of the Church.

While the Triodion moved away from the Paschal theme of Baptism as initiation into the Church, it kept the theme of continuous renewal, through repentance, by living out our Baptismal life.  During Holy Week we are immersed in the worship of the Church, sacrificing our “normal” lives for the sake of Christ’s Body.  To the unrepentant, this immersion is painful and unjust, but to the spiritually prepared, “dying” to the outside world finds meaning and life within the walls of God’s Holy Temple.  During this time we are re-educated about our place within the Divine Plan and so we are ready to meet Christ at the Cross on Good and Holy Friday, wait with Him in the tomb on Holy Saturday, and rise again during the Paschal Feast.  Our total immersion in the worship of the Church re-presents our immersion in the waters of Baptism.  In this sense, the Baptismal theme was never lost; it has found renewed meaning for the established Church.

In our modern world, where comfort and luxury are readily available, it is easy to settle into a mundane routine.  Church council meetings, new construction, education programs, and financial planning become our Christian experience.  These are all good and necessary things, but they are meaningless without the truth of our Paschal worship.  Fr. Alexander Schmemann laments the separation of Church life from her Worship saying it is “this secularization of the Church itself that causes so many people, especially among the youth, simply to leave the Church in which no one reveals to them what is her real essence and life, what it means to be her member.”  Thanks be to God for Holy Week and Pascha—the continued renewal of our Baptismal life and our reminder of who rightfully sits upon the throne which occupies the hearts of Orthodox Christians.

______________________________

After serving Palm Sunday liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias reiterated that the Church continues to reject categorically any involvement in politics. He emphasised the Church’s pastoral role.

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Orthodox Christians around the world celebrated one of the 12 Great Feasts of the Church Year, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, commonly called Palm Sunday. Russian liturgical books call it Flowery Sunday, but the people call it Palm Sunday. The holiday ends the forty days of the Easter Lent and starts Holy Week, which culminates in Easter Sunday. This year, Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on 5 May. On this day, believers come to church with pussy-willow branches in memory of how the people of Jerusalem met Jesus Christ. Then, Holy Week follows the theme of the Passion of the Saviour, retelling the story of suffering and death on the cross of Jesus Christ.

Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev, the First Hierarch of the Church of Moscow and all the Russias, served liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. In the centre of the temple, exposed for the veneration of the believers, were a particle of the Lord’s Robe and a Nail from the Holy Cross. During the coming week, they’ll be in the centre of the cathedral, afterwards, they’ll return to their usual place in the right choir.

Until recently, these holy objects were in the Moscow Kremlin. They came to Russia in the 17th century, exposed for veneration at the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin once a year. Empress St Elena discovered the Life-giving Cross of the Lord in the 4th century, the mother of Emperor St Constantine the Great, Equal-to-the-Apostles (Greek: ἰσαπoστολος: isapostolos Latin: aequalis apostolis Russian: равноапостольный: ravnoapostolny). In addition, four nails from the Saviour’s crucifixion were found with the Cross. According to the Gospel narrative, the soldiers cast lots for the Robe of the Lord, rather than dividing it. Before the 17th century, this piece of the robe was in the cathedral of Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia. After Shahanshah ‘Abbās the Great of the Safavid Empire captured Georgia in 1617, he took this relic. In 1624, he offered it to Tsar Mikhail Romanov, who brought it to Moscow and placed it in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin.

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The Orthodox Church celebrates the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem on the last Sunday before Easter. This is one of the 12 Great Feasts. People call it Palm Sunday because churches bless pussy-willow branches and palms on this day after liturgy. Yet, even though this day is called Вайи (Vay, branches of the date palm, which the people of Jerusalem used to welcome Jesus), Holy Week is also known as Flowery (Цветоносия, Цветной) Week. In 2013, Orthodox celebrated the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem on 28 April.

It’s a single-day holidays and, unlike other feasts, it doesn’t have a week of feasting; it’s surrounded by strict fast days. On the one side, we have the Easter Lent proper; on the other, we have Holy Week (a week devoted to the Passion and death on the cross of Jesus Christ). Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday serve as a transition from Lent to Holy Week itself. The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem was one of the main events of the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, described by all four Evangelists, which they considered as a symbol of the future reign of God. On that, Jesus rode on a young donkey as He entered Jerusalem, and the whole city came out to meet him. As the Gospel tells us, the people took off their cloaks and threw them on the road on which Jesus rode. They littered His path with palm branches, and greeted Him with shouts of “Hosanna!” That was usually only reserved for acclamations to the king. The reason for such jubilation was His miracle on the day before, where Jesus raised Lazarus, thus, proving his status as the Son of God.

Christians celebrated this festival from the 3rd century onwards; in Russia, it came with the Baptism of Rus in the 10th century. In the 16th and 17th centuries, in Moscow, the celebration of this feat was especially solemn. Before the Liturgy at the Assumption Cathedral, a procession wended its way through the streets, passing through the Spassky Gate of the Moscow Kremlin. Firstly, everyone went to the Church of the Intercession on the Moat (better known today as St Basil Cathedral) for prayers on Calvary. In the procession, along with the banners and icons, believers carried pussy-willow branches and flowers. In the midst of it all, the Patriarch of Moscow and all the Russias rode on a donkey, which the tsar himself led by the bridle. Upon returning to the Assumption Cathedral, the blessed pussy-willow branches were passed out as gifts to the believers. At the end of the 17th century, this custom disappeared.

Palm Sunday services begin on Saturday evening. The all-Night Vigil on the evening before the feast is particularly solemn, after which the blessing of pussy-willow branches takes place (the pussy-willow symbolises the victory of life over death… the Resurrection of the Lord). After the reading of the Gospel, the clergy incense the pussy-willows, recite prayers, and sprinkle holy water on the branches. Usually, the clergy repeat the sprinkling of the branches on the very day of the holiday, after the liturgy. Sanctified branches are given to the believers during the anointing with oil during the service. The believers stand with branches and candles during the reading of the festal canon, thereby symbolising the people of ancient Judea that came out to meet Jesus Christ at His Entrance into Jerusalem. After this, the believers keep the candles as a symbol of the greatness and grace of the triumph of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, as their flickering light represents the resurrection to eternal life.

When they return home, believers take the pussy-willows blessed on this day and place them behind the corner of one of their icons, where they stay until next year’s Palm Sunday, when they replace it with a fresh branch. The Liturgy of St John Chrysostom is used on this day, and the liturgical texts meditate on the meaning of the events of the resurrection of Lazarus (Lazarus Saturday), and the solemn entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the eve of His suffering on the Cross. The clergy wear green vestments on the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem, as green is a symbol of the rebirth of life, and it brings to mind the green palm fronds that the people of Jerusalem welcomed Christ with.

On this day, even according to the strictest reading of the rules, believers can eat fish and drink wine. Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, or Great Week, the week preceding Easter, dedicated to retelling the Passion of Jesus Christ. On Sunday night, the service commemorates the Last Supper, His Trial, His Passion, the Crucifixion, and the Burial of Jesus Christ.

 28 April 2013

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_04_28/Russian-Church-outside-politics-Patriarch/

http://rus.ruvr.ru/2013_04_28/Pravoslavnie-prazdnujut-verbnoe-voskresene/

http://rus.ruvr.ru/2013_04_28/Vhod-Gospoden-v-Ierusalim-Verbnoe-voskresene-Spravka/

Editor’s Note:

His Holiness makes it clear… the Church is above partisan politics. Therefore, the American Orthodox who’re trying to ally the Church with the Republican Party and the Pro-Life Movement (these are mixed together so incestuously that it’s impossible to separate them) are going against the Received Truth taught by the Church of Christ. Christ has nothing in common with greed, favouritism to the rich, regressive taxation on ordinary folks, warmongering in foreign parts, drone attacks on civilians, hurting the most-vulnerable amongst us, the promiscuous use of the death penalty (as one sees in Hard Right strongholds such as Texas), and “gun rights“… indeed, quite the opposite. However, don’t argue with such people… they’re invincibly-incorrigible. Oppose them… for that’s what the Lord Christ commands. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God, not Blessed are the warmongers, for they fatten the boodle bags of the oligarchs…

Remember, the Church says, the love of money is the root of all evil… the Republican Party says, Greed is Good… I think that one of these things is not like the other…

BMD

To my brethren, the Shepherds of the Holy Church of Antioch, And my children throughout the Holy and Apostolic See

I address you today, at the end of Great Lent and the beginning of Holy Week, and at a time when we are being surrounded by much pain and suffering. Throughout our Antiochian lands, dangers threaten our homes, and political conflicts storm our countries. As a result, man’s livelihood, dwelling, and even life are at risk. We are tried every day by death or abduction, and our latest plight is the recent kidnapping of our beloved brothers, Bishop Paul Yazigi, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo, Iskenderun and dependencies, and Bishop John Ibrahim, Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo, and the killing of the Deacon who was accompanying them.

I share the pain felt by a large number of believers in our Church as a result of these difficult circumstances. I strive with my brothers, the members of the Holy Synod, to lessen the impact of these conditions on our faithful and all citizens. This is an essential part of our Christian witness. We, however, refuse to accept what man is undergoing today. We are working in that our rejection of this situation reflects the tenets of our beliefs. We reject this situation and condemn it. Since we are the children of the Resurrection, we are not afraid of whoever takes violence as a way to achieve his purpose. To be killed, or kidnapped, or to have our institutions destroyed, will not change our resolve to uphold our civil life and our co-existence; to cling to our homeland and to seek the reign of justice and rights in our homelands. Therefore, each and every one of us, whether in the Antiochian motherlands or abroad, is invited to express his concern and personal rejection of the recent course of events, aside from any political realignment. Humanity is the object of Christianity, for our Lord was incarnated for our salvation.

I take this opportunity to extend, on your behalf, in the motherlands and abroad, an appeal to the international community, urging it to do everything it can toward the release of hostages whose absence affects us deeply. The speedy closure of this issue is extremely important in order to avert the risk of terrible consequences that would follow. Our appeal also includes an urgent call for action in order to find a quick solution to the situation in our beloved Syria; for the salvation of the people who are the descendants of an outstanding human civilization of thousands of years, and in order to prevent the risky consequences that could affect the entire region.

My beloved children,

As we are entering the time of the Holy Passion and Resurrection of our Lord, I invite you to reveal the unity of our Church who fervently gathers Her flock in all that is right and just. In this time, let us exceptionally intensify our prayers and supplications. Just as our Lord was not afraid to walk on the path of Calvary; in the same way we are invited to walk with Him along this path, being fully aware that by the Cross we shall conquer, because the Lord is risen from the dead and He will raise us with Him. Let us intensify our petitions as a living testimony, asking God to remove all injustice, praying for the quick return of our abducted hierarchs to their beloved ones, for the comfort of the bereaved, and for the deterrence of those people with cruel hearts, so that they may be inspired to refrain from harming their fellow human beings.

Therefore, I call on everyone, faithful and clergy, to approach Palm Sunday with a new spirit, remembering the passion of our Lord and connecting it with what we are living in today. Let the Resurrection occur in every human heart, as the Lord has raised Lazarus from the dead. Let us work to have Christ triumphantly enter into the world’s heart through our service and ministry, as He entered victoriously to Jerusalem. Let our processions be this year with candles tied with black ribbons, chanting the hymn: “To Thee O Champion Leader…,” instead of the hymn “Rejoice O Bethany…,” asking the Virgin Mary to keep our Church as a fortified city.

I urge you to pray throughout this Holy Week with a broken spirit, being aware that in our trials, we have God as our refuge. God will not overlook His little flock. May love, service, and courage be the gateway to the joy of the Resurrection, a joy that cannot be taken away.

JOHN X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East

Holy Week Pastoral Letter of His Beatitude Patriarch John X | Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese

Thanks very much for such a lovely ceremony today – everything was perfect. Thank you for organizing such great weather – we will keep the fondest memories in our hearts of today’s events and thanks to you for that!This is the best company!

Billy and Sam August 2012

We cannot begin to thank you for such a wonderful ceremony. We thought it was perfect and we received many compliments.

Julie and Mike May 2012

Thank you so much for making our special day a hassle free day and one that we will never forget.
Our day was as perfect as we could have imagined.
We were so happy with the service you provided. We didn’t have a worry in the world. You were very easy going and professional. We would recommend you to anyone.
Good luck with future weddings and keep up the fantastic work.

Aug 6 2012

The wedding was a huge success and I cannot stress how fantastic it was to have you taking care of the venue decoration on the day for us.
The peace of mind that you gave me, on a very busy, important day, was priceless as it meant that the night before, I could relax and start to enjoy the run-up to the most important day of my life!
The venue looked beautiful – you were so accommodating and helpful in the run-up to the big day, attending meetings with us at the venue and listening to our ideas. Your help and advice was invaluable, a very flexible, professional service that I would highly recommend

Marta and Charlie 2012 August

Thank you so much for a wonderful ceremony. We want you to know that you made it a perfect day for us.
We both think you are very professional and it was a pleasure for us that you organized our wedding.
We are hoping to come out again in the not to distant future and would like very much for you both with your respective partners to come out for a meal and evening out.
Catch up with you soon

June 2012

I see the stress that my friends experience in planning their wedding. I can’t relate at all. Planning my wedding was such an exciting process. My wedding was so easy and fun! I can’t imagine why anyone would do anything but call Castellon Celebrant before planning a wedding!

Jessica and Perry

My apologies for not saying goodbye. Thank you so much for another beautiful naming ceremony, all the work & effort  you put in shows and everyone commented on how lovely the ceremony was.

Louise and Danny April 2013

I had a fab day i really enjoyed my self you made it as special for me & kenneth..  thank you for everything il email you some pics soon as iv edited them and please add me on facebook

Thank you for our blessing kens happy to have a wife & im happy to be married.

Nathalie and Kenneth April 2013

It is a time when you can visit Spain and enjoy the festival and have a ceremony or wedding whilst your are here. It can be arranged within your budget and written especially for you, you can have as much or as little input as you want into the day.

We have contact who can provide florists, cars, photography etc.

Our photographer Ken Taylor will ensure that your day is captured as well as the processions if that is what you want. Semana Santa is a truly wonderful time in Spain.

Contact us now for details

We look forward to making your day very special

https://castelloncelebrant.webs.com

https://www.facebook.com/CastellonCelebrant?ref=hl

https://pinterest.com/castelloncelebr/

https://twitter.com/CastellonCeleb

https://kentaylorphotographer.com

We accept payments via Paypal, Western Union, Bank Transfer or Cash , Receipts will be issued to you which ever method of payment you use, when the funds have cleared the banking systems.

No charges are made to you if the chosen method is Paypal, You would get charged to transfer funds via the bank or Western Union.