I have always found in interesting that the Passion of Lord
is read on Palm Sunday in the Latin Church with the Gospel describing Jesus’s
entry into Jerusalem coming at the beginning of Mass when the palms are
blessed. It some ways the gospel in forgotten, but in other ways it puts the
entry at the center of the Mass. Then on Sunday morning the family and I headed
off to Cary for Divine Liturgy. Here I gave the same homily that I had given
the night before. It’s not very often that the East and West lectionaries line
up, but when they do, it is nice indeed. Another thing that happens in the
Eastern Church on Palm Sunday is that the Liturgy of John Chrysostom is used
over Basil the Great, which had been used all of Lent. So, since John
Chrysostom is much shorter then Basil’s Eucharist Prayer, it makes the Liturgy
like a whirlwind and the deacon never seems to stop moving.
Holy Wednesday – I started this day by going to morning
Mass. I like to do this during the winter months, when the pool business is
slow, it helps to break up the long weeks and gives me a bit of spiritual
renewal from Sunday to Sunday. Later that night, the family and I all piled
into our big van and headed off to Presanctified Liturgy. We had the Gospel of
the woman anointing Jesus and the celebration of the Mystery of Anointing for
all the people. It should remind us again and again, that we must die to
ourselves if we are to share in new life with the Living God. Just as Jesus was
anointed before his death, so all of us must be also. Resurrection is not possible
without first passing through Calvary.
Holy Thursday – This day began with a half of day of work,
before heading off to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper here in Rocky Mount. For some
time, I have served at Mass here, instead of going to Divine Liturgy in Cary.
One reason is that one can only make so many, almost hour-long trips, in one
week. I also find the Roman celebration to be much more complete, (even without
the washing of the feet, which is not done here) then the celebration found in
the Eastern Churches. Now please take no offence here. Much of this has to do
with the reverent way the priest in Rocky Mount celebrates the Mass and the
procession that follows. Do not get me wrong, I deeply love the Divine Liturgy
and especial the Anaphora of Saint Basil the Great, which is used on this
night, but I also respect the way the priesthood and the institution of the Eucharist
rush together in the Latin Church’s Liturgy as well. We can also add into the
picture here, the fact of ending in the dark and the mood that this adds to the
procession, and the stripping of the altar, both absent in the East. I also have
many great childhood memories of these events. As I have told many people
before, both Rites are equally beautiful and fruitful, when celebrated
properly!
Holy and Good Friday – We started this day together as a
family, praying the 3rd Royal Hour. It was a good way to set the
tone and mode of this day. After this I went out to do my shopping for the
great feast at church on Sunday. When I returned home I began by making the
Russian Salad and Pascha Cheese. At 12:00 Joanne and Elizabeth went Stations of
the Cross, while I stayed home with the younger kid and tending them and the
kitchen. I thought this would be much more beneficial for Joanne, then for all
of us going and the many distractions that come along with two small kids. Before
leaving off for Cary, to our Good Friday Vespers, we also prayed the 9th
Royal Hour. This year’s vespers where especial nice because someone donated a
new burial shroud. The previous one was falling apart and in very bad shape. Every
year I am moved by this service. It is not very drawn out and long, but it
brings to one’s heart and mind, what our Lord’s Passion was all about. Good
Friday should be a day that brings most Christians to tears as we encounter
what Jesus went through for each and every one of us. I am always amazed by how
many active church going Christians treat it as any ordinary Friday, when after
all, it what one of the most extraordinary days of history. Never since or
before, do we find love overcoming evil and light overcoming darkness, in such
a powerful and profound way. As Evil and the powers that it represents did and
gave its worst, God did and gave his best.
Holy Saturday – This is always my big cooking day. This year
I made City Chicken, Baked Bourbon Glazed Ham, and Pascha Bread. I always serve
at the Easter Vigil here in Rocky Mount, which starts at 8pm, but because of
the Pascha Bread taking so long to make, I was concerned that I would be latter
then I liked. Then after all, everything was well, and the cooking turned out
great. The Vigil also went off without a hitch. Many people talk about Christ
resting on Holy Saturday, but I have always seen it as the time when Christ is
battling with the Evil One, giving death its last blow. As Evil deceived Adam
and Eve, so now God is about to deceive Death by raising his Son from the
grave. Evil thought that it had done its worst to Jesus, but it is about to
find out that it had just made him more powerful. A fractured Heaven and Earth
are coming back together again. The Son is not laying in the Tomb, put passing
from death to life, and bring God’s creation along for the ride and the
victory. The unimaginable love that our great God has for us sends shivers down
my spine at this very moment!
Pascha/Easter Sunday – What a glories day this was. The
church was full, and the singing was awesome. By the time Resurrection Matins
where done and the Liturgy had begun, I was losing my voice, but thankfully I
made it through. While singing the Canon during Matins I was struck by this
hymn, “Yesterday I was buried with you O Christ, today I rise with you as you
arise. Yesterday I was crucified with you; glorify me with you, Savior, in your
Kingdom.” (Ode 3) This should remind us of two very important things. First,
our own resurrection only comes through the cross and that this movement or
action begins in the present time. Our sharing in God’s glory, occurs as we
live our cross shaped, Jesus centered lives right now. When we do this, we show
forth the fruit of the future resurrection and the Kingdom right now. The
ground we stand and act upon becomes resurrected ground, ground of God’s new
creation. Where sin and death are powerless, and only love and hope reign. This
is why Saint Paul can write as he finishes his great passage about the Resurrection,
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in
the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1
Co 15:58) What we do now in the Lord is not wasted, but always makes the
kingdom manifest, and it is not in vain. Bringing to life the Lord’s Prayer, “thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. We are the ones called and sent
forth to live out this command in the world. Through tears and laughter, ups
and downs, this is the life of a follower of Jesus Christ.
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