Holy Week is dedicated to the remembrance of the last days of the Savior’s earthly life, His suffering on the Cross, death and burial. Due to the greatness and importance of the events that took place, every day of this week is called holy and great. These sacred days are perceived by believers as a Divine holiday, illuminated by the joyful consciousness of salvation received through the suffering and death of the Savior. Therefore, on these holy days, neither the memory of saints, nor the remembrance of the dead, nor prayer singing are performed. As on all major holidays, the Church even on these days calls on believers to take spiritual part in the services performed and to become partakers of sacred memories.
Since apostolic times, the days of Holy Week have been deeply revered by Christians. Believers spent Holy Week in the strictest abstinence, fervent prayer, and deeds of virtue and mercy.
All services of Holy Week, distinguished by the depth of pious experiences, contemplations, special touchingness and duration, are arranged in such a way that they vividly and gradually reproduce the history of the Savior’s suffering and His last Divine instructions. Each day of the week is given a special remembrance, expressed in chants and Gospel readings of Matins and Liturgy.
Participating in the suffering of the Savior, “conformed to His death” (Phil. 3:10), the Holy Church this week takes on a sad image: sacred objects in churches (throne, altar, etc.) and the clergy themselves dress in dark clothes and worship takes on predominantly the character of sad-touching contrition, compassion for the Passion of Christ. In modern liturgical practice, Lenten services are usually performed in black vestments, replacing them with light ones on Holy Saturday. In some monasteries and churches on Pentecost, the service is performed, in accordance with more ancient practice, in purple vestments, and on Holy Week - in crimson - burgundy, the color of blood - in remembrance of the Blood of the Savior shed on the Cross for the salvation of the world.
In the first three days of Holy Week, the Church prepares believers for dignified contemplation and heartfelt participation in the Savior’s suffering on the Cross. Already at Vespers on the Week of Vai, she invites the faithful to flock from the highest and sacred Divine holiday of Vai to the Divine holiday of the honest, saving and mysterious remembrance of the Passion of Christ, to see the Lord, who accepts voluntary suffering and death for us. In the hymns of the Triodion for these days, the Church encourages believers to follow the Lord, to be crucified with Him and with Him to be worthy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In worship first three The days of Holy Week still retain a general penitential character.
IN Maundy Monday The Church in its hymns invites us to meet the beginning of the Passion of Christ. Monday's service remembers the Old Testament patriarch Joseph the Beautiful, who out of envy was sold by his brothers to Egypt, a prototype of the suffering of the Savior. In addition, on this day the Lord withers up the richly leafed but barren fig tree, which serves as an image of the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees. in whom, despite their outward piety, the Lord did not find the good fruits of faith and piety, but only a hypocritical shadow of the Law. Every soul is like a barren, withered fig tree that does not bear spiritual fruits - true repentance, faith, prayer and good deeds.
IN Maundy Tuesday I remember the Lord’s denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, His conversations and parables spoken by Him on this day in the temple of Jerusalem: about tribute to Caesar, about the resurrection of the dead, Last Judgment, about ten virgins and talents.
IN Great Wednesday I remember the sinful wife who washed with tears and anointed the feet of the Savior with precious ointment when He was at the supper in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, and thereby prepared Christ for burial. Here Judas, through imaginary concern for the poor, revealed his love of money, and in the evening he decided to betray Christ to the Jewish elders for 30 pieces of silver (an amount sufficient at the prices of that time to purchase a small plot of land even in the vicinity of Jerusalem).
On Great Wednesday at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, according to the prayer behind the pulpit, in last time The prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is said with three great bows.
IN Thursday of Holy Week The service recalls four most important gospel events that took place on this day: the Last Supper, at which the Lord established the New Testament sacrament of Holy Communion (Eucharist), the Lord washing the feet of His disciples as a sign of deep humility and love for them, the Savior’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and the betrayal of Judas .
In remembrance of the events of this day after the prayer behind the pulpit at the liturgy in cathedrals During the bishop's service, a touching rite of washing the feet is performed, which resurrects in our memory the immeasurable condescension of the Savior, who washed the feet of His disciples before the Last Supper. The ritual takes place in the middle of the temple. When the protodeacon reads the corresponding passage from the Gospel, the bishop, having taken off his vestments, washes the feet of the 12 priests sitting on both sides of the place prepared in front of the pulpit, representing the disciples of the Lord gathered for supper, and wipes them with a ribbon (long cloth).
In the Patriarchal Cathedral in Moscow, during the liturgy of Maundy Thursday, after the presentation of the Holy Gifts, the Holy Chrism is consecrated as needed by His Holiness the Patriarch. The consecration of the world is preceded by its preparation (the rite of the preparation of Chrism), which begins on Holy Monday and is accompanied by the reading of the Holy Gospel, the prescribed prayers and chants.
Day Great heel dedicated to the memory of condemnation to death. The suffering of the Cross and the death of the Savior. In the service of this day, the Church, as it were, places us at the foot of the Cross of Christ and before our reverent and trembling gaze depicts the saving suffering of the Lord. At Matins of Great Heel (usually served on Thursday evening), the 12 Gospels of the Testament of the Holy Passion are read.
At the end of Vespers good friday the rite of carrying out the Shroud of Christ is performed with a depiction of His position in the tomb, after which there is a reading of the canon about the crucifixion of the Lord and the lamentation of the Most Holy Theotokos, then the dismissal of the evening service follows and the application to the Shroud is performed (kissing the Shroud). The current Typikon says nothing about the removal of the Shroud on Good Friday. It is only said about wearing it on Holy Saturday after the great doxology. The Shroud is not mentioned in the Friday service and in the most ancient Greek, South Slavic and Old Russian charters. Presumably, the custom of wearing the Shroud at the Great Vespers of Good Friday began in our country in the 18th century, later than 1696, when under the Patriarchs of Moscow Joachim and Adrian the editing of the Typikon in our Church was completed.
IN Holy Saturday The Church remembers the burial of Jesus Christ, the presence of His body in the tomb, the descent of His soul into hell to proclaim there victory over death and the deliverance of souls who waited with faith for His coming, and the introduction of the prudent thief into heaven.
The Liturgy of Great Saturday is also a very long and solemn service, replete with Old Testament readings - proverbs. It is already Easter in mood: the proverbs repeat the motif of miraculous salvation (the exit of Israel from Egypt, the salvation of the prophet Daniel and his friends in fire), symbolizing the liberation of humanity from hell and death by the Sacrifice of the Cross and the Resurrection of the Savior, the Gospel of the Resurrection of Christ is read. The priests change from dark Lenten robes to white festive robes.
After the liturgy, the consecration of Easter dishes begins, usually in the courtyards of churches. It is customary not only to consecrate them for oneself, but also to leave a portion in the church - for the clergy, altar servers, singers - and donate to the poor.
On Holy Saturday, one is supposed to read the Acts of the Apostles in churches all day, or at least the last hours before the Easter service.
And the Easter service begins with the reading at the Midnight Office of the canon "Lamentation" Holy Mother of God", after which the Shroud is taken to the altar. Easter Matins begins - the first service of the Holy Resurrection of Christ./
PALM SUNDAY
Lord Jesus, King of kings, today I sing hosannas to You again and magnify You as the King of my heart. Come in and rule completely over me, over my body, heart, mind and soul. Today, when thousands and tens of thousands of people vow to be faithful to You until death, proclaiming that they have no other Savior, let me join this host of faithful, realizing the depth and severity of my sin, as well as the richness of the atonement that You have purchased.
I confess, merciful Savior, that I was not faithful to You as You were faithful to me. My thoughts were occupied with other things more than with You. Have mercy on me and forgive me my sins. Sprinkle me with Your blood and wash me from the filth of my sin. Strengthen my heart with the confidence that You have adopted me, and transform me into Your image through the daily renewal of Baptism. Keep me in faith until the end of my days, so that I can be with You in glory forever and ever. Hear my cry, King of my heart and Savior of my soul. Amen.
MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK
Dear Savior, Lamb of God, slain for sinners, mercifully forgive me all my sins and clothe me with Your love. I did not fear You, did not love You, and did not trust You above all else. I confess this to You, Lord. The love of life, the temptations of the present age, the brilliance of success and the favor of friends drew me away from You. They owned my heart. Lord, do not allow me to exchange my soul for the transitory treasures of this age. If I kissed You with a treacherous kiss, You, Lord, grant me the kiss of forgiveness and accept me into your arms again as Your child. Have mercy on me!
Protect me from the cunning of Satan, from worldly temptations and the wickedness of my heart. You are my most reliable friend; hold me so that I do not stumble and fall. Guard my heart, so that the love of gold, the thirst for popularity and the desire to achieve success do not deprive me of the salvation that You have purchased at great cost Your blood. Most of all, merciful Savior, do not let me despair of Your mercy, but always believe that Your love is boundless, like the sky, and deep, like the ocean. O Friend of sinners, do not let me fall away from You. Hold me in Your grace until I forever enter Your presence to love You with a perfect love forever and ever. Amen.
TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK
Lord Jesus, compassionate Savior, intercede for me in my hour of trial. You know my weaknesses and shortcomings; I cannot hide my sins from You. Support me, merciful Redeemer, so that I do not deny You. O Lord, You know that I promised to be faithful to You, and yet I have sinned and offended You again and again with many crimes and broken promises. I'm ashamed of myself. And yet I come to You, for there is no other Savior from sin. I renounced You, if not in word, then in deeds and deeds. Lord, look upon me mercifully and forgive me all my sins. I have not always confessed You to the world and I have not always told others about the hope that lives within me. Gracious Savior, out of Your great love, forgive me. Don't let me stay in sin. Look into my heart and make me ashamed of myself and truly repent.
Lord, You know that I love You. I am Yours. Help me to be more faithful, more devoted and more zealous. During this Holy Week, help me to realize even more deeply the great sacrifice that was necessary for my redemption. Also, Lord, look mercifully on all Your lost, sinful, prodigal children, bring them back to You and restore them to Your grace. Draw us all to Yourself with Your bridling love and keep us in steadfastness, steadfastness and truth. Hear my requests and prayers. Amen.
WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK
Lord Jesus, merciful Savior, in this holy week I come to You to meditate on Your great and wondrous love - the love that brought You to the cross to blot out my sins and reconcile me with the Heavenly Father. O Christ, grant me strength and grace so that I can crucify my sinful desires and rededicate myself to You, who has loved me. eternal love and who brought me eternal salvation. I confess my sins to You. There are many of them, and all of them are known to You. For each of them You endured the torment of the cross and shed Your precious blood to cleanse Me and make Me acceptable in Your sight. Do not let me live this day in oblivion of Your great love. Let no sin of yesterday cling to me. I come in humility, seeking Your mercy. Help me each day to joyfully carry out the assignments and responsibilities to which You have called me, confessing You as my Lord and Savior and serving my neighbor.
May Your suffering and death, preached for the salvation of mankind, awaken through the power of the Holy Spirit a deeper love for You in many hearts. Lord, have mercy on me and all sinful humanity, create in me and in all those who seek You a pure heart, holy desires and undying love. Hear my prayer, merciful Redeemer. Amen.
MAUNDY THURSDAY
My eternal Savior, how can my heart express gratitude for Your love? How do I in the best possible way serve You, Who loved me and gave Your life for me? You sealed upon me the forgiveness of all sins and offered me reconciliation and peace in the Holy Sacrament, which You instituted on this day. You promised to give me Your body and blood in this bread and this cup for the remission of all my sins. O miracle of love! O wealth of divine wisdom! In awe and amazement I reflect on this merciful gift of Yours. May I remain forever grateful for this. Holy Sacrament, which You commanded me to begin as a remembrance of Your death and a reminder of Your redemptive love. May I approach this Holy Sacrament worthily every time I approach Your altar.
O Savior, do not cast me out from Your presence. May my sins not remain on me because of the impenitence of my heart or because of doubts in Your Word and Your promises. Bring me into unity with You and all Your saints as I approach this Holy Sacrament with them. Make me Yours, and give me the strength to change my sinful life and walk faithfully before You.
Preserve in Your Church the Holy Sacrament performed on this sacred day. May thousands and tens of thousands of people find in him confidence in forgiveness, peace and salvation. Help me and all Your people to be faithful to Your Word and Your Sacraments, so that Your name was glorified, Your will was done, and so that we would one day be established in Your eternal Kingdom forever. Amen.
GOOD FRIDAY
O Christ, Lamb of God, slain for the sin of the whole world, with a repentant heart I come to Your cross, praying for mercy and forgiveness. My many sins have increased the burden of Your suffering and nailed You to the accursed tree. For my sake You tasted the torment of pitch darkness, so that I would not perish, but have eternal life. Have mercy on me.
O Christ, Lamb of God, clothe me with Your love and forgive me all my sins. Your death gives healing to my soul, peace to my mind, purity to my heart. If You remembered iniquities, I could not come to You, for my hands are unclean, my lips are stained, and my heart is darkened with sin. But looking at You, bleeding, despised, abandoned, dying, pierced, I find cleansing and forgiveness.
O Christ, Lamb of God, help me to hate sin and vice more and more, looking at Your terrible torment. Today, my grateful heart finds hope in Your words, comfort in Your promises, and salvation in Your perfect work on the cross, through which You defeated sin, Satan, and death.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, hear my prayer. Amen.
SILENT SATURDAY
Heavenly Father, in silence I bow before the tomb of Your Son, who knew no sin, but became sin for us. You allowed Him to die and exchange His innocence for our guilt. He came to us with love, but was rejected out of hatred. He taught us obedience, but people rebelled against Him.
I confess that at this tomb of sin and death I stand before a great mystery. He was buried, and my sin and my death sealed the doors of His tomb. I also know by faith that the One who died is also the One who revealed great secret Your love. His coffin is my coffin. He took my sin and my death with him to the grave to destroy their power over me.
Believing in the Lord’s promise that He will rise on the third day, I do not mourn Him, but I confess my sin, which He will leave in the tomb after His resurrection. Have mercy on me, God! Have mercy on me. Amen.
RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
Lent precedes the Easter holiday - in 2019, Christians celebrate the Holy Resurrection of Christ on April 28.
The meaning of fasting is not just a refusal of meat and dairy foods, it is self-restraint, that is, a voluntary refusal of everything that makes up a noticeable part of our earthly life. But first of all, in deep self-knowledge, repentance and the fight against passions.
Fasting gives you the opportunity to think about a lot and rethink a lot spiritually. This is the time when we can force ourselves to stop, interrupt the endless daily run, look into our own hearts and understand how far we are from God, from the ideal to which He calls us.
But fasting without prayer is not fasting, but simply a diet. During Lent, first of all, you need to take care of cleansing your soul and thoughts, and for this you need to pray daily at home and, if possible, attend church services throughout the seven weeks of Lent.
Prayer for Lent
You should devote more time to prayer during Lent than usual. You can read the usual morning and evening prayers or something else, for example, the Psalter, but during fasting you need to add one more to these prayers - the short and succinct prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian.
The prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is one of the most often said during Lent.
© Sputnik / STRINGER
“Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the Spirit of idleness, despondency, covetousness and idle talk. Grant me the Spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love, Thy servant. Yes, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins and not to condemn my brother, for blessed art thou forever and ever.”
The short lines of St. Ephraim's prayer capture the message of the path of spiritual improvement of man, in which people ask God for help in the fight against their vices - despondency, laziness, idle talk, condemnation of others. And they ask to crown them with the crown of all virtues - humility, patience and love.
Morning prayers
The publican's prayer: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." (Bow). According to the Gospel of Luke, this is the prayer of repentance that the publican said in the parable of the publican and the Pharisee. In this parable, Christ cited the publican’s prayer as an example of repentance and asking for God’s mercy.
Initial prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Your Most Pure Mother and all the Saints, have mercy on us. Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.”
Trisagion: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Read three times, with sign of the cross And bow from the waist). Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen".
Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity: “Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name’s sake. Lord, have mercy. (Three times) Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit , now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen."
The Lord's Prayer: “Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.” This prayer can be read at any time, including before meals and in the evening.
Evening prayers
Prayer to God the Father: “Eternal God and King of every creature, who has made me worthy even at this hour to shine, forgive me the sins I have committed this day in deed, word and thought, and cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit And grant me, Lord, to pass through this sleep in peace, so that, rising from my humble bed, I may please Your most holy name all the days of my life, and trample down the enemies of the flesh and the incorporeal that fight me, and deliver me, Lord, from thoughts. vain things that defile me, and the lusts of the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages Amen.”
Prayer to the Holy Guardian Angel: “O Angel of Christ, my holy guardian and protector of my soul and body, forgive me all that I have sinned this day, and deliver me from every wickedness of the enemy against me, so that I may not anger my God in any sin; but pray for me, a sinner and unworthy servant, that you may show me the goodness of the mercy of the All-Holy Trinity and the Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ and all the saints, Amen.”
And right before going to bed you should say: “In Your hands, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, I commend my spirit: You bless me, You have mercy on me and grant me eternal life. Amen.”
About repentance
One of the greatest Saints, the Venerable Macarius of Egypt, said, if you look deeper into yourself, then everyone with all your heart will have to say the words of prayer: “God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have never (that is, never) done anything good before you.”
You can say prayers not only during services or at home - in the morning and in the evening. Lay people can pray at any time - when negative and sinful thoughts arise. Short prayer will allow you to spiritually cleanse yourself and tune into a positive mood.
© Sputnik / Alexander Imedashvili
God, my God! Give my heart ignorance of passions and lift my eye above the madness of the world, from now on make my life not to please them and grant me pity for those who persecute me. For Your joy in sorrows is known, my God, and a straight soul will receive it, but its fate comes from Your face and there is no diminishment of its bliss. Lord Jesus Christ, my God, make my ways straight on earth.
Priests advise reading all four Gospels on your own during Lent, since it is difficult to be a Christian without knowing the Holy Scriptures. It is recommended that you read Scripture every day, in a quiet environment where you can concentrate, and after reading reflect on what you read and consider how to relate the Scripture to your life.
The time of Lent is given specifically by the Church so that we can gather, concentrate and prepare for the Easter holidays.
The material was prepared based on open sources
Holy Week before Easter in 2017 lasts from April 10 to 16. During this period special attention It’s worth paying attention to your spiritual state and devoting time to prayer.
True faith will help everyone’s soul to free itself from negativity and let the Lord into the heart.
Holy Monday Prayer
“Lord Jesus! Every sinner on this Earth is always with You in soul and heart. Let us pray to You, remembering Your sacrifice for the entire human race. By Your grace, may we find peace of mind and get rid of the demons that seduce us from the right path. Our sinful life, but controlled by You, will get rid of darkness and lack of enlightenment. Amen".
Holy Tuesday Prayer
“Source of our lives, Lord! Hear my prayers addressed to You. Cleanse me from sins, save me from unclean thoughts. I found the source of my life in prayers to You, Lord. I repentantly and humbly ask you to forgive me for my ungodly actions, I appeal to the Holy Trinity for protection and patronage over me. Amen".Prayer on Great Wednesday
“I realize my laziness, I rejoice in every day I live in the cross. Great is my repentance. Grant, Lord, who accepted suffering for us, save us. May Your mercy spread over everyone’s brow, enter into souls, and subdue confusion and the cry of the devil. He will illuminate the path in the darkness with heavenly light, and lead us along a sinless path. Amen".Prayer on Maundy Thursday
“Glory to You, Lord! Remember me, a sinner, in Your Kingdom. Do not allow the machinations of the unclean to reveal Your mysteries and secrets, lock my bold lips. Let us enjoy the light coming from Heaven, penetrate the wisdom of the centuries, and teach our sons and daughters to live in righteousness and sinlessness. Amen".Good Friday Prayer
“I pray to You with righteous prayer and Christian humility, Lord. Bless me for sinless deeds, give me strength to fight negative manifestations, not to blame my offenders and to subject their punishment to Your Will. Righteous prayers I resurrect You daily, I pray for the entire human race, grant us forgiveness. Amen".Prayer on Holy Saturday
“Glory to our Lord for the Cross, for the death of Christ, for the Holy Resurrection. There are no more barriers to the righteous soul, for death is only sleep and rest. Let us pray for our souls, for peace on the sinful Earth, against the wiles of the devil. May the Lord not leave us in our wanderings, may He show us with His hand the path through the darkness and to the light of God. Bless us, Lord. Amen".
Holy Week ends with Easter, the feast of the Resurrection of Christ. On this day, Orthodox Christians rejoice at this event, glorify the Lord and greet each other with the words: “Jesus is Risen! Truly He is Risen!”
Praying and turning to Heaven every day gives us great strength to resist the negativity that surrounds us. With their help, we ask for forgiveness and blessings, protect ourselves from illness and timidity, and help our children.
Holy Week is dedicated to the remembrance of the last days of the Savior’s earthly life, His suffering on the Cross, death and burial. Due to the greatness and importance of the events that took place, every day of this week is called holy and great. These sacred days are perceived by believers as a Divine holiday, illuminated by the joyful consciousness of salvation received through the suffering and death of the Savior. Therefore, on these holy days, neither the memory of saints, nor the remembrance of the dead, nor prayer singing are performed. As on all major holidays, the Church even on these days calls on believers to take spiritual part in the services performed and to become partakers of sacred memories.
Since apostolic times, the days of Holy Week have been deeply revered by Christians. Believers spent Holy Week in the strictest abstinence, fervent prayer, and deeds of virtue and mercy.
All services of Holy Week, distinguished by the depth of pious experiences, contemplations, special touchingness and duration, are arranged in such a way that they vividly and gradually reproduce the history of the Savior’s suffering and His last Divine instructions. Each day of the week is given a special remembrance, expressed in chants and Gospel readings of Matins and Liturgy.
Participating in the sufferings of the Savior, “conformed to His death” (Phil. 3:10), the Holy Church this week takes on a sad image: sacred objects in churches (throne, altar, etc.) and the clergy themselves are clothed in dark clothes and the service takes on predominantly the character of sad-touching contrition, compassion for the Passion of Christ. In modern liturgical practice, Lenten services are usually performed in black vestments, changing them to light ones on Holy Saturday. In some monasteries and churches on Pentecost, the service is performed, in accordance with more ancient practice, in purple vestments, and on Holy Week - in crimson - burgundy, the color of blood - in remembrance of the Blood of the Savior shed on the Cross for the salvation of the world.
In the first three days of Holy Week, the Church prepares believers for dignified contemplation and heartfelt participation in the Savior’s suffering on the Cross. Already at Vespers on the Week of Vai, she invites the faithful to flock from the highest and sacred Divine holiday of Vai to the Divine holiday of the honest, saving and mysterious remembrance of the Passion of Christ, to see the Lord who accepts voluntary suffering and death for us. In the hymns of the Triodion for these days, the Church encourages believers to follow the Lord, to be crucified with Him and with Him to be worthy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In the services of the first three days of Holy Week, a general penitential character is still maintained.
On Holy Monday, the Church in its hymns invites you to celebrate the beginning of the Passion of Christ. Monday's service remembers the Old Testament patriarch Joseph the Beautiful, who out of envy was sold by his brothers to Egypt, a prototype of the suffering of the Savior. In addition, on this day we remember the withering by the Lord of a fig tree covered with rich foliage, but barren, serving as an image of the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, among whom, despite their outward piety, the Lord did not find the good fruits of faith and piety, but only a hypocritical shadow of the Law. Every soul is like a barren, withered fig tree that does not bear spiritual fruits - true repentance, faith, prayer and good deeds.
On Great Tuesday, we remember the Lord’s denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, His conversations and parables spoken by Him on this day in the Temple of Jerusalem: about tribute to Caesar, about resurrection of the dead, The Last Judgment, about the ten virgins and the talents.
On Great Wednesday, a sinful wife is remembered who washed with tears and anointed the Savior’s feet with precious ointment when He was at the supper in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, and thereby prepared Christ for burial. Here Judas, through imaginary concern for the poor, revealed his love of money, and in the evening he decided to betray Christ to the Jewish elders for 30 pieces of silver (an amount sufficient at the prices of that time to purchase a small plot of land even in the vicinity of Jerusalem).
On Great Wednesday, at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, after the prayer behind the pulpit, the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is said for the last time with three great bows.
On Thursday of Holy Week, four most important gospel events that took place on this day are remembered in the divine service: the Last Supper, at which the Lord established the New Testament sacrament of Holy Communion (Eucharist), the Lord washing the feet of His disciples as a sign of deepest humility and love for them, the Savior’s prayer in the garden Gethsemane and the betrayal of Judas.
In remembrance of the events of this day, after the prayer behind the pulpit at the liturgy in the cathedrals, during the bishop's service, the touching rite of washing the feet is performed, which resurrects in our memory the immense condescension of the Savior, who washed the feet of His disciples before the Last Supper. The ritual takes place in the middle of the temple. When the protodeacon reads the corresponding passage from the Gospel, the bishop, having taken off his vestments, washes the feet of the 12 priests sitting on both sides of the place prepared in front of the pulpit, representing the disciples of the Lord gathered for supper, and wipes them with a ribbon (long cloth).
In the Patriarchal Cathedral in Moscow, during the liturgy of Maundy Thursday, after the presentation of the Holy Gifts, the Holy Chrism is consecrated as needed by His Holiness the Patriarch. The sanctification of the world is preceded by its preparation (the rite of Chrismation), which begins on Holy Monday and is accompanied by the reading of the Holy Gospel, the prescribed prayers and chants.
Great Heel Day is dedicated to the remembrance of the condemnation to death, the suffering of the Cross and the death of the Savior. In the service of this day, the Church, as it were, places us at the foot of the Cross of Christ and before our reverent and trembling gaze depicts the saving suffering of the Lord. At Matins of Great Heel (usually served on Thursday evening), the 12 Gospels of the Testament of the Holy Passion are read.
At the end of Vespers on Good Friday, the rite of carrying out the Shroud of Christ is performed with a depiction of His position in the tomb, after which there is a reading of the canon about the crucifixion of the Lord and the lamentation of the Most Holy Theotokos, then the dismissal of the evening service follows and the application to the Shroud is performed (kissing the Shroud). The current Typikon says nothing about the removal of the Shroud on Good Friday. It is only said about wearing it on Holy Saturday after the great doxology. The Shroud is not mentioned in the Friday service and in the most ancient Greek, South Slavic and Old Russian charters. Presumably, the custom of wearing the Shroud at the Great Vespers of Good Friday began in our country in the 18th century, later than 1696, when under the Patriarchs of Moscow Joachim and Adrian the editing of the Typikon in our Church was completed.
On Holy Saturday, the Church remembers the burial of Jesus Christ, the presence of His body in the tomb, the descent of His soul into hell to proclaim there victory over death and the deliverance of souls who waited with faith for His coming, and the introduction of the prudent thief into heaven.
The services on this unparalleled and unforgettable Saturday in all centuries of human life begin in the early morning and continue until the end of the day, so that the last Saturday songs of the so-called Easter Midnight Office merge with the beginning of the solemn Easter hymns - at Easter Matins.
On Holy Saturday the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is celebrated, beginning with Vespers. After the small entrance with the Gospel (near the Shroud), 15 parimias are read before the Shroud, which contain the main prophecies and prototypes relating to Jesus Christ, as having redeemed us from sin and death by His death on the Cross and His Resurrection. After the 6th parimia (about the miraculous passage of the Jews through the Red Sea) it is sung: “Gloriously you have become famous.” The reading of the parimia concludes with the song of the three youths: “Sing to the Lord and exalt to all ages.” Instead of the Trisagion, “Those who were baptized into Christ” are sung and the Apostle is read about the mysterious power of Baptism. These singing and reading serve as a remembrance of the custom ancient Church baptize the catechumens on Holy Saturday. After the reading of the Apostle, instead of “Alleluia,” seven verses selected from the psalms containing prophecies about the Resurrection of the Lord are sung: “Arise, O God, judge the earth.”
While singing these verses, the clergy dress in light clothes, and then the Gospel of Matthew is read. 115. Instead of the Cherubic Song, the song “Let all human flesh be silent” is sung. The Great Entrance takes place near the Shroud. Instead of “He rejoices in you” - irmos of the 9th song of the canon Holy Saturday“Don’t cry Mené, Mati.” Participated - “The Lord has risen, as if sleeping, and is risen, save us.” The Ambon Prayer is read behind the Shroud. Everything else happens according to the order of the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. After the dismissal of the liturgy, the blessing of the bread and wine is performed directly. This ritual recalls the ancient pious custom of Christians to await the onset of Easter in church, listening to the reading of the Acts of the Apostles. In view of the strict fast, which was observed for the whole day until the onset of Easter, and the upcoming vigil, the Church strengthened the strength of the faithful with blessed bread and wine.
