Description of the Holy Week Service Rites

[sama smsma]

Description of the Holy Week Service Rites








Do you know why we do not pray the hours from the Agpeya during Holy Week?
It is because the Fathers selected the psalms that prophesied about the passions of Jesus and those are the psalms that are read prior to each gospel.
Do you know why three candles are lit during the Pascha services?
It represents the verse “Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light unto my path”. Since we read prophecies then a psalm and a gospel in each hour, the candles represent those three aspects of the readings.
Do you know why we pray in the nave of the church during Holy Week?
Because Christ was crucified in Calvary outside of Jerusalem and in the epistles we read: Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. (Heb. 13:13)

Do you know why there is no prostration during the evening supplications as it is in the morning?
Because the prostration is done during the hours of abstinence from food.

Do you know why the common burial prayer is prayed after Palm Sunday service?
Because there is no offering of incense on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, therefore the funerary service is prayed in advance for those who die during Holy Week.

Do you know why there are no Holy Liturgies during Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Pascha week?
Since the lamb of the Passover used to be purchased on the 10th day of the month then kept to the 14th day, it was slaughtered after that at sunset (Exodus 12:36).
Since the beginning of Passover was Saturday on the year our Lord was crucified, then the slaughtering of the lamb who have taken place on Friday the 14th day of the month of Nissan at sunset. Since our savior established the new covenant one day before the slaughter of the Passover lamb, therefore there are no sacrifices until the establishment of the Eucharist on Thursday.

Do you know why we pray Thok Tati Gom (Thine is the power..etc.)
It was mentioned in several places in the scriptures including the book of Revelation when the 24 priests cast their crown and say:
“The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power” (Revelation 4)
It was also mentioned in the tradition as one of the prayers made by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane as the angel appeared to Him to strengthen Him. (Luke 22)

Do you know why we start praying Pasotir en-aghathos (our good Savior) at the 11th hour of Tuesday of Pascha?
Since the conspiracy started on Wednesday, hence the process of salvation started at that point. The church decided to fast every Wednesday day throughout the year except during the Pentecost to remember the conspiracy of Judas Iscariot with the head priests to deliver his master.

Do you know hwy kissing is prohibited from the eve of Wednesday until the conclusion of Birght Saturday services?
So that we remember the deceptive kiss by which Judas delivered his master: “Is it with a kiss that you deliver the Son of Man?” (Luke 22:48)

Do you know why we do not recite “he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried…until yes we believe in the Holy Spirit” part of the Creed during Maundy Thursday services?
Even though salvation already took place approximately two thousand years ago, we live in the spirit of the day and since our savior had not been crucified yet on Maundy Thusday, we do not say “He was crucified for us”.

Do you know why the prayer of reconciliation is not prayed during the Liturgy of Maundy Thursday?
It is because the reconciliation did not occur except through he blood:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. (Romans 5:8)

Do you know why the commemoration of the saints and the departed is not done during Maundy Thursday service?
It is because the saints did not enter paradise until salvation was completed. The thief on the right was the first one to enter: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Do you know why the priest girds his waist during the Maundy Thursday lakkan service?
Too immolate our Glorious Christ who started this tradition:
“So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” (John 13:4&5)

Do you know why the icon of the crucifix is placed in the middle on Good Friday?
The church gathers all her thoughts and attention into the cross of our Savior through whom was the salvation of all mankind. It was it which the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness symbolized (John3:14).
“Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” (Galatians 3:1)


Do you know why roses and flowers are place?
Because our Lord was taken from the garden of Gethsemane. What better representation for the garden can the church give than roses and flowers?

Do you know what is the exposition of the Holy Pascha?
The church is careful that her children would understand what is read from the divine Scriptures, therefore a brief explanation is given after the reading of every gospel.

Do you know what is the essay about the “owned slave”?
History tells us about the slave trade and how a waster had the liberty to buy whoever he wanted and enslave that person until his death or release him if he wanted. Some of those slaves after being release used to go and sell themselves to another master. Such slaves belittled freedom and were to be enslaved all their lives. The church scholars wrote the essay of the “owned slave” as an analogy that we were God’s servants and free at the same time, yet we sold ourselves to Satan. Our master wanted to purchase us back to Himself to free us. He purchased us with His blood “For you were bought at a price” (1Cor. 6:20). This was a very heavy price (the incarnation and crucifixion) the meanings of that essay are very profound.

Do you know why we prostrate on Good Friday?
We face all directions since God is everywhere: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7)
We prostrate to God thanking Him for His love. All the suffering that He endured was due to our sins and for our salvation. By facing all directions we attest that the sacrifice of the cross was for the salvation of the whole world:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Do you know that the churches teaches that the four gospels should be read on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday?
It is because the sufferings were accounted for in the four gospels with great agreement. In order to grow in our spiritual life we need to read the scriptures: “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me”. (John 5:39)

Why do we call the night of Bright Saturday the Night of Apocalypses?
It is because we read the entire book of Revelation that night. Apocalypses is the Greek word which means revelation which was the name given to the services of that blessed night.