The service of the "Twelve Gospels" is a Lenten service performed on the evening of Holy Thursday

It contains the gospel of the sufferings and death of the Savior, chosen from all the evangelists and divided into twelve readings, according to the number of hours of the night, which indicates that believers must spend the whole night listening to the Gospels, like the apostles who accompanied the Lord to the garden of Gethsemane.

The twelve Gospels:

1) John 13: 31-18: 1 (Farewell conversation of the Savior with disciples and His prayer at the Last Supper).

2) John 18: 1-28 (Arrest of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane and His Suffering from the High Priest Annas).

3) Matthew 26: 57-75 (The Suffering of the Savior from the High Priest Caiaphas and the abdication of Peter).

4) John 18: 28-40, 19: 1-16 (The suffering of the Lord in Pilate's trial).

5) Matthew 27: 3-32 (Despair of Judah, the new sufferings of the Lord with Pilate and condemnation of the crucifixion).

6) Mark 15: 16-32 (The way of the Lord to Calvary and His suffering on the cross).

7) Matthew 27: 34-54 (On the Lord's Cross sufferings, miraculous signs that accompanied His death).

8. Luke 23: 23-49 (Prayer of the Savior for the enemies and repentance of the prudent thief).

9) John 19: 25-37 (The words of the Savior from the cross to the Theotokos and the Apostle John, death and perforation of the rib).

10) Mark 15: 43-47 (Removing the body of the Lord from the cross).

11) John 19: 38-42 (Nicodemus and Joseph bury Christ).

12) Matthew 27: 62-66 ( the Guards standing watch at the Savior's tomb).

Holy Thursday

 

On this day four events are celebrated: the washing of the disciples' feet, the institution of the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the agony in the garden of Gethsemane (but the liturgical texts do no dwell much on this), and the betrayal of Christ by Judas. In certain cathedrals and monasteries, there is a special ceremony of feet-washing at the conclusion of the Liturgy, with the bishop or abbot taking the part of Christ and twelve priests representing the apostles. At the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople, and at the centers of other Patriarchates and Autocephalous Churches, the Holy Chrism is blessed during the Liturgy on this day; but the rite does not take place in every year. The meaning of Holy Thursday is summed up in a text singular beauty, repeated many times at the Liturgy, which combines the themes of eucharistic Communion, Juda's treachery, and the confession of the Good Thief:

At Thy mystical Supper, Son of God,

Today receive me as a communicant:

For I will not speak of the mystery to Thine enemies;

I will not give Thee a kiss like Judas;

But as the thief I confess Thee:

Remember me, Lord, when Thou comest in Thy Kindom.

(Lenten Triodion)

Humiliry is...

 

Humility is:

“Deep knowledge of one’s own insignificance.

Hatred of human praise.

Leaving word justification.

Silence before those who offend.

Putting aside all your own speculations and accepting the mind of the Gospel.

Conscious obedience to the Church in everything.

Humility is the teaching of Christ, is the property of Christ, is the action of Christ."

Words of the Savior: "Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29).

St. Ignatius Brianchaninov

Holy Monday

 

On Holy Monday, the Blessed Joseph, the son of Jacob the Patriarch, is commemorated. Joseph is often seen as a Type of Christ. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit, and sold into slavery by them. In the same way, our Lord was rejected, betrayed by His own, and sold into the slavery of death. The Gospel reading for the day is about the barren fig tree, which Christ cursed and withered because it bore no fruit. The fig tree is a parable of those who have heard God's word, but who fail to bear the fruit of obedience. Originally the withering of the fig tree was a testimony against those Jews who rejected God's word and His Messiah. However, it is also a warning to all people, in all times, of the importance of not only hearing the God's word, but putting it into action.

The Bridgegroom Services of Holy Week

 

The first three days of Holy Week are referred to in the Church as "The End." Jesus was walking into the very midst of those who sought to take His life. He experienced deep anguish within Himself (John 12:27). Despite the triumph of the Palm weekend, which had confirmed the outcome of His Passion even before it had taken place, the Lord had already told His disciples that:

... he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. (Matt.16:21)

The moment of truth had arrived. No longer did Jesus speak to the people from boats or in the countryside. He spoke openly in Jerusalem itself. He confronted His enemies and publicly refuted them. He went directly to the Temple and cleansed it of the crooked moneychangers. He spoke to them sharply: "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you make it a den of robbers' (Matt. 21:13). He refuted all the questions which the leaders put to Him in order to "entangle him in his talk" (Matt. 22:15ff.) He condemned the fig tree which had not brought forth fruit. He spoke and acted with great urgency:

Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out. (John 12:31)

The moment of truth revealed that even in the supposedly most religious and righteous places, the world was under the sway of evil. The Messiah came to inaugurate a New Age.

On the first three "great and holy" days of this week, it is the Gospel read at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the "end" of each liturgical day - when "the light of Christ illumines all" - that the "theme" of the whole day is revealed. On Monday the theme is quite simply the End: "Heaven and earth shall pass away but My words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:3-35). On Tuesday we are minded of the vigilance and care required of all Christians as we hear Christ's parables of the ten virgins and of the talents, and we are filled with "holy fear" as we listen to Him prophesy the Last Judgment (Matt. 24:36-26:2). On Wednesday we hear about the harlot who anoints Christ's feet to prepare Him for His burial and of Judas who judges her, mercilessly condemning her act of mercy (Matt. 26:6-16). Indeed, "The Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). And this darkness brings judgment.

Judgment is the theme of the Gospel lessons read in darkness each evening at Matins. On Monday we hear of the barren fig tree which Christ curses and causes to be dried up (Matt. 21:18-43); on Tuesday, of the blind and hypocritical Pharisees (Matt. 22:15-23, 39); and on Wednesday, of the final rejection of Christ: "now is the judgment of the world" (John 12:17-50).

The two themes are darkness and judgment are combined in the troparion sung at Matins on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday:

'Behold! the Bridegroom comes at midnight,

and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching;

and again unworthy is the servant whom He shall find heedless.

Beware, therefore, O my soul,

do not be weighed down with sleep,

lest you be given up to death,

and lest you be shut out of the Kingdom.

But rouse yourself, crying:

"Holy! Holy! Holy! art Thou, O our God.

Through the Theotokos, have mercy on us!"

Midnight is the time for us to keep vigil, to watch and pray. The night time of "this world" is when we look for the coming of the Kingdom of God.

The first three days of Holy Week are commonly called "The Bridegroom Service." This service is customarily served in anticipation on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings. Throughout the services we are never allowed to forget that Christ the Bridegroom who comes is God, the God who created man in the beginning and who now comes to do all things for his salvation in His love for mankind. He constantly demands that we return this love, and that we show to others the same mercy that He shows to us. On Great and Holy Thursday the last of the Bridegroom Services is celebrated, and there we see this vital Christian requirement of love to put to the ultimate test. For the last time we sing the exaposteilarion which forms the only link between all of the services of the first four days of Holy Week.

'Thy Bridal Chamber I see adorned, O my Savior,

but I have no wedding garment that I may enter.

O Giver of Light, enlighten the vesture of my soul, and save me.'

This hymn sung near the end of the Service tells us, in effect, that in our present state we are not ready to meet the Lord. There is no room for pride, callousness, or the recounting of our good deeds. We must repent, i.e., have an inner change of mind and heart before we can enter the Kingdom.

The first three days of Holy Week are concluded by the betrayal of Christ by one of His own disciples - Judas. On this day, the beginning of Great and Holy Thursday, as we enter Christ's chamber together with the glorious apostles to partake of His table, we see the impious traitor Judas indeed sitting at the table with no wedding garment. The troparion says:

'When the glorious disciples were enlightened at the washing of their feet before the supper,

Then the impious Judas was darkened, ailing with avarice,

and to the lawless judges he betrays Thee, the righteous Judge.

Behold, O lover of money, this man who because of money hanged himself.

Flee from the greedy soul which dared such things against the Master.

O Lord who art good towards all men, glory to Thee!"

We realize that all of the things we have heard about and experienced this week, all the things we have been called to do and to be in order to partake worthily of the Master's table, are impossible without Christ's mercy and help. And now we stand in the lengthening shadow of Calvary. Judas has made his choice. He has hanged himself in remorse, and Christ is in the hands of lawless men.

The End becomes our "end" if we, too, join in rejecting the Light and Life of the world, or share in selling the Master of all in order to satisfy our own self-centered motivations.

Holy Monday

 

On Holy Monday, the Blessed Joseph, the son of Jacob the Patriarch, is commemorated. Joseph is often seen as a Type of Christ. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit, and sold into slavery by them. In the same way, our Lord was rejected, betrayed by His own, and sold into the slavery of death. The Gospel reading for the day is about the barren fig tree, which Christ cursed and withered because it bore no fruit. The fig tree is a parable of those who have heard God's word, but who fail to bear the fruit of obedience. Originally the withering of the fig tree was a testimony against those Jews who rejected God's word and His Messiah. However, it is also a warning to all people, in all times, of the importance of not only hearing the God's word, but putting it into action.

Temptations are stronger during Holy Week. Help us O Lord to overcome all temptations of the Holy Week!

 

Miracle of the Holy Fire

The miracle of the Holy Fire is an annual event in which the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church in Jerusalem enters the Holy Sepulcher with thirty-three unlit candles he has bound together and emerges with them lit. Both the Sepulcher and the Patriarch are thoroughly searched by civil authorites before the event to exclude the possiblity of any technical igniting. The first written record of this event, which occurs on Saturday of Passion Week dates back 870 A.D.

Holy Thursday Icon

 

Good Friday

Good Friday is the saddest day of the year. Well, we don't dance when there is a funeral in the house, well, we don't go to draw up documents for an apartment, well, we don't go to clarify matters at work. We say to everyone: "I have sorrow." Here on Good Friday we have sorrow. We crucified Him, each of us with his own sins, all mankind, we crucified Him. Let's cry for what we have done, what we have done.

Archpriest Vladimir Astakhov

Holy Thursday

On Holy Thursday instead of the Cherubic Hymn we sing:

“Of Thy Mystical Supper, O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant. For I will not speak of Thy Mysteries to Thine enemies, neither like Judas will I give Thee a kiss. But like the thief will I confess Thee: remember me O Lord, in Thy Kingdom.

Holy Thursday

 

On this day four events are celebrated: the washing of the disciples' feet, the institution of the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the agony in the garden of Gethsemane (but the liturgical texts do not dwell much on this), and the betrayal of Christ by Judas. In certain cathedrals and monasteries, there is a special ceremony of feet-washing at the conclusion of the Liturgy, with the bishop or abbot taking the part of Christ and twelve priests representing the apostles. At the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople, and at the centers of other Patriarchates and Autocephalous Churches, the Holy Chrism is blessed during the Liturgy on this day; but the rite does not take place in every year. The meaning of Holy Thursday is summed up in a text singular beauty, repeated many times at the Liturgy, which combines the themes of eucharistic Communion, Juda's treachery, and the confession of the Good Thief:

At Thy mystical Supper, Son of God,

Today receive me as a communicant:

For I will not speak of the mystery to Thine enemies;

I will not give Thee a kiss like Judas;

But as the thief I confess Thee:

Remember me, Lord, when Thou comest in Thy Kindom.

(Lenten Triodion)

Maundy Thursday

 

Maundy Thursday - Thursday of Holy Week, which commemorates the Last Supper, at which Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist (Holy Communion)

Holy Tuesday

April 14 Old Style / April 27 New Style
Holy Tuesday - Parable of the Ten Virgins

The Tuesday of Holy Week is one of the most important and deeply spiritual days of the liturgical year. On this day, Christ directly speaks to the disciples about the coming sufferings, preaches for the last time in the Jerusalem temple, and the Pharisees try to tempt the Savior.

The Tuesday of Holy Week is one of the most important and deeply spiritual days of the liturgical year. On this day, as many as four chapters from the Gospel are read in the church, the content of which is comprehended, first of all, in relation to the life of every person, humanity and the Church as a whole, in canons and hymns, masterpieces of ancient Christian poetry. Only by being present at the service, one can understand the entire innermost meaning and depth of the events of this day, the words and parables spoken by the Savior to the disciples and the people on this day.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins is read on Holy Tuesday. It tells the story of the five virgins who filled their lamps in preparation for receiving the bridegroom while the other five allowed their lamps to go out, and hence were shut out of the marriage feast. This parable is a warning that we must always be prepared to receive our Lord when He comes again. The theme of the day is reinforced by the expostelarion hymn we sing: "I see Thy Bridal Chamber adorned, O my Savior, but have no wedding garment that I may enter. O Giver of Light, enlighten the vesture of my soul, and save me."

I See Thy Bridal Chamber - Holy Tuesday

Stories of Holy Week

During Holy Week they walked quieter, talked quieter and ate almost nothing. Instead of tea, they drank sbiten (hot water with molasses) and ate it with black bread. In the evening we went to the monastery church, where the services were more statutory and stricter. From this church the mother brought the other day the words she had heard from the nun: - For prayer, fasting is the same as wings for a bird ...

V. Nikiforov-Volgin,

"Stories of Holy Week"

Painting: Artist Mikhail Bryadov "Venev-Monastery"

Holy Monday - In the service of Monday the Old Testament patriarch Joseph is remembered, sold out of envy by his brothers to Egypt, who represented the sufferings of the Savior.

April 13 Old Style / April 26 New Style 

Holy Monday - In the service of Monday the Old Testament patriarch Joseph is remembered, sold out of envy by his brothers to Egypt, who represented the sufferings of the Savior.

On this day the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ begins; and first of all, Joseph the All-Comely is interpreted as a type of Christ. Joseph was the eleventh son of the Patriarch Jacob, born to him of Rachel. Envied by his brothers on account of certain dreams that he had, he was first cast into a pit. Jacob was deceived by his other sons into believing, on the basis of a bloodstained robe, that Joseph had been devoured by a wild beast. Joseph was then sold to some Ishmaelite travelers for thirty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites in turn sold him to Potiphar, the chief eunuch of Pharaoh, the King of Egypt. When Potiphar’s wife conceived a mad desire for the young man’s chaste comeliness, he, not wishing to commit the iniquitous act that she proposed, left his clothing behind and fled. She slandered Joseph to her husband, who had him fettered and imprisoned. Joseph was later set free after explaining certain of Pharaoh’s dreams. On being presented to the king, he was appointed Lord of all Egypt. While providing his brothers with corn during a great famine, he once again made himself known to them. After living the whole of his life in virtue, he reposed in Egypt, being highly esteemed for his chastity, in addition to his other virtues. Joseph the All-Comely is an icon of Christ, since Christ, too, was envied by the Jews, His own people, was sold by one of His Disciples for thirty pieces of silver, and was enclosed in the dark and gloomy pit of the tomb. Breaking forth thence by His sovereign will, He reigns over Egypt—that is, He is victorious over all sin by His Divine power—and rules over the entire world. In His love for mankind, He redeems us through the mystical provision of corn, in that He offers Himself as a sacrifice for our sake, nourishing us with the heavenly Bread of His life-giving Flesh. Such is the proper interpretation of Joseph the All-Comely. 

On Holy Monday is remembered the withering by the Lord a barren fig tree serving as image hypocritical scribes and Pharisees.

April 13 Old Style / April 26 New Style
Holy Monday remembering the withering by the Lord a barrent fig tree serving as image hypocritical scribes and pharisees
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATHEW (21: 18-43)

At that time, Jesus returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him. Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

Bridegroom Troparion (Behold the Bridegroom Cometh)

Holy Week

Holy Week prepares us for Pascha and shows that there is no other way to resurrection than through the cross and suffering. Therefore, the common people said: "The Lord endured and ordered us."

The services of Holy Week call on a person to empathize and sympathize with the Savior.

The first three days we are supposed to re-read all four Evangelists as a reminder of what the Lord created, and how we crucify Him with our sins. And although this is addressed, as it were, to the Jews of that time, it applies to every person who crucifies Christ with his sins.

On Holy Week, if there is such an opportunity, it is advisable to attend church services more often, especially on Maundy Thursday, and on the eve of Wednesday evening. In the morning, believers attend the Last Supper and receive communion, and in the evening the Gospels of the Passion of the Lord are read. Next comes Great Friday - the crucifixion of the Savior, burial and the already beginning joy of Bright Saturday.

The angels were the first to know about the Resurrection of Christ, as well as about His birth, therefore the Church sings: “Thy Resurrection, Christ our Savior, the angels sing in heaven. And honor us on earth with a pure heart to praise Thee. " Why is it said "with a pure heart"? Because it is believed that a person by fasting as much as possible cleansed his heart for this bright day.

Archpriest Valerian Krechetov