In English

Creation suffers the Passion of its Creator. The sun hides its rays. The earth quakes and the veil of the temple is rent in two ‘from top to bottom’ (Matth.. 27, 51). The Savior is put to death and Joseph from Arimathea, a secret disciple of Christ, presents himself to Pilate to request the dead body of his teacher: ‘Give me this stranger’, he cried, ‘who, from infancy has sojourned as a stranger. Give me this stranger whom his own race hated and put to death as a stranger’. Christ’s secret disciple reveals the secret name of his teacher, the name that accompanied him throughout his life, from infancy to his death on the cross: ‘Stranger’. When he was born in Bethlehem, his ...

In the magnificent service on Great Friday, we sang the compelling and wonderful doxastiko from the ninth hour ‘Today he who hung the earth on the waters hangs upon the cross’, which ends ‘we venerate your Passion, Christ. Show us your glorious Resurrection’. Thereafter, in the doxastiko of Vespers on Great Saturday, the day ‘on which the only-begotten Son of God rested from all his labors, through the dispensation of death’, we saw that the Lord rested in the body, because this is the blessed Sabbath, the great day of the Lord’s rest. And today, the maker of heaven and earth ‘returns to where he had been…’ and shows us his glorious Resurrection. So the holy day of Easter has arrived this ...

We people aren’t only bodies. We also have a soul. Even when the body ceases to exist, the soul continues to live. But without the body, it’s as if it’s naked. When it’s separated from the body, it feels stripped. And, until the second coming, it’ll feel poorer, which is why, until the second coming, every soul ‘awaits the resurrection of the dead and life in the age to come’. The all-praised apostle, Paul, says that our body is the home of the soul here on earth. When we leave this life, God will give our soul another home in heaven, a home which won’t be built by human hand. This is what we expect. This will be our great reward. ...

Christ has risen! What message could be stronger or more telling than that? What’s worse for human existence than death? And if ‘Jesus the Nazarene’ doesn’t redeem us from death, what are we supposed to do with his teaching, however attractive it might be? Two thousand years ago, in Jerusalem, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ turned human history upside down, changed the lives of millions of people and gave us hope for life, both here and in the future. And yet it can’t be proved. It transcends reason, it makes nonsense of computations, it confound feelings. It’s an event that’s believed in, not proved. This isn’t of course, to say that those who believe in it do so because they’re gullible or just because others ...

Today the Lord has descended into the vaults of Hades. Saint Peter says that he did so to preach to the spirits in prison . He descended into the cheerless, somber realms of death, where there is never a smile, in order to seek out the whole of humanity, from Adam and Eve to those who had died at that hour. He descended into Hell and illumined it; through his presence, hell became paradise and the sleeping spirits of the righteous, weary of waiting in expectation and longing for him, desiring redemption, life and light and joy, leapt and exulted. As much as the devil and his kingdom were embittered by the presence among them of the Victor of Life, so much ...

a) …Today, beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ was handed over. On the coming evening, the Jews took him and led him away. But don’t be dejected on hearing that Jesus was handed over; or rather, do be dejected and weep bitterly, but not over Jesus who was betrayed, but over the traitor, Judas. For the former, who was handed over, saved the whole world; whereas the latter, the traitor, lost his own soul. He who was betrayed sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven; he who betrayed him is now in hades, awaiting condign punishment. So do weep and moan for his sake; mourn for his sake, since even our Master shed tears for him. Seeing him, ...

In their works, the hymnographers of the Orthodox Church express their approach and perception of events, as presented by Orthodox tradition, in a particular way. With the Gospel and hymnographical texts as our guide, we shall approach the role of the disciples in the preparation of the Last Supper, insofar as this is possible. The hymnological texts as a source for the interpretation of the events of the Passion All the Evangelists mention the preparation of the Last Supper before the Jewish Passover. It was a formal and important process, as we shall see below, and one which was probably performed every year by Christ and his disciples. This Passover would be different, however, because our salvation would be accomplished. This is ...

If we have missed the opportunity to live Great Lent in an acceptable manner and there is only one week left, how can we enter into the joy of the Resurrection? The Lord says to the holy Apostles, ‘Ye are they which have continued patiently with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom’ (Luke 22:28-30). As we celebrate the Passion of our Lord with gratitude and love, with bitter tears, we try to accompany Him during this week every day in His suffering. Then the Lord is well-pleased to render to us the eternal joy of salvation ...

On the evening of Great Tuesday, the tropario of Kassiani is sung in Orthodox churches. This is a poetic rendition of an event described in the Gospels and has to do with a sinful woman who showed her repentance by washing the feet of Jesus with expensive ointment and drying them with her hair. The woman’s action is of particular significance for two main reasons: 1. It prepared Christ for burial, since the Jews were in the habit of anointing the bodies of the dead with a mixture of resin and aromatic herbs. 2. The intensity of the scene indicates the magnitude of her repentance. The singularity of her actions has led to speculations unrelated to reality, with the result that a variety of ...

If you go wrong in something little or something important, it’s the same, because in both instances, the law of God is being set aside. Saint Tarasios Patriarch of Constantinople

‘The present day shines brightly on the beginning of the Lord’s Passion. Come then, lovers of feasts, and let us welcome it with songs…’ (sessional hymn, Mattins, Great Monday). We have arrived, my beloved friends, at the saving Passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This week is called ‘Great’, because in 168 hours, from today until the night of the Resurrection, we honor great events, of unique importance for the history of the world. They shook the heavens, the earth and the underworld. This is why this week is called ‘Great’ and why it shouldn’t be allowed to pass like any other. I ask the question: what are the responsibilities of a Christian during Great Week? I’m not addressing unbelievers, atheists or ...

Today’s Gospel reading describes what is known as Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. From the whole of the narrative it’s clear that the entry into the holy city by Jesus is a triumph for the Church. It’s only through the faith and guidance of the Holy Spirit that this entry of a prophet persecuted by the leaders of Israel became a triumphant transition of the Messiah into his glory. The excerpt gives the impression of a diary of the movements of Jesus and those around him. The ‘next day’ is 10 Nisan, i.e. a Monday. The news of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem aroused the spirits of the provincial, – particularly Galilean- visitors who retained a more fervent hope in the Messiah, ...

Trust God, who is good, powerful, living and he will bring you to rest. After trials there follows spiritual joy. The Lord watches over all those who for his love endure trials and sorrows. So don’t cower and don’t be fainthearted. Saint Nektarios of Pentapolis

Acquire Christ’s humility in your soul. Without it we’re poor, we can never be at peace in the spirit. Without it, all the fine talents of any of us are a pile of droppings. Saint Serafim Romantsiov, the Monastery of Glinsk

The representation takes us outside the city to a place with rocks. In one of these, as was the custom of the Jews, the tomb of Lazarus had been hewn. The figure of Christ dominates the scene. We see his sorrow, but also sense his divinity. This is revealed, in the first place by his majestic attitude and, secondly, by the fact that the Jews, who can be seen on the right hand of the group of people, are looking at Christ, not at Lazarus. At Christ’s command, Lazarus is raised. A young man removes the cloths, while another lifts the tombstone. Lazarus’ sisters also make an impression. They bow down before the Lord, their inexpressible sorrow etched on their ...

Great Lent has been completed and ends with two splendid festal days. These are Lazarus Saturday, on which we commemorate the raising of Christ’s bosom friend, Lazarus; the other is Palm Sunday, when we celebrate Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem six days before he was betrayed and suffered death on the Cross. Today we see the raising of Lazarus, a miracle performed by the Lord before he entered the city of Jerusalem. Lazarus lived in Bethany with his sisters, Martha and Mary. He was a friend of the Lord’s. At some point he fell very ill. His sisters sent a message to the Lord, telling him his beloved friend was sick. When Jesus learned of this, he said: ‘This illness hasn’t ...

What shall we say about those who have had in their heart a sense of the grace of the Holy Spirit? And who, though even if they haven’t achieved perfect grace here, should, because they encountered it, be considered to be saved. Saint Isaac the Syrian

‘Having completed the forty days that bring profit to our soul, we beseech you in your love for humankind: grant us also to behold the Holy Week of your Passion, so that in it we may glorify your mighty works and your ineffable providence for us, singing with one mind: Lord, glory to you’ (Doxastiko, Mattins). As we all know, Lazarus Saturday marks the end of Great Lent. The blessed period which began with Clean Monday has now come to an end- the above hymn is also sung at Vespers on the feast of Lazarus. What does the holy hymnographer tell us? First that this season of Lent ‘brings profit to our soul’. Secondly that, although it’s the ‘end’ as regards ...

So, all those who wish to cleanse themselves of the sins of the whole year should first guard against treating food lightly. Because the fathers say that inattention to food begets all kinds of evil for us. Equally, we must guard against breaking the fast without due cause, against seeking out particularly tasty food and against eating and drinking to satiety. There are two kinds of gluttony. One is not about eating too much, but being very particular about the food being tasty. People like this eat what pleases them and are defeated by the pleasure involved in doing so. They keep the food in their mouth and savor it for pleasure, rather than swallow it. This is called being a connoisseur. Others ...