Holy Week: Holy Friday

Categories: family, friends, hymns, parish-life, food, feast-days

Date: 06 April 2007 09:30:34

Holy Friday began last night, and continued today with Royal Hours this morning and Vespers for the Removal of Christ from the Cross at 3pm this afternoon. I did not attend the Royal Hours, being at home with my parents, niece, sister and brother-in-law (my sister, in her teenage years, managed to convince mum to give chocolates on Good Friday -- and we still do it: though I hold out until Sunday). My niece was as cute as ever, and seemed to enjoy the Chocolate Rabbit Puzzle, the jellybeans and the Peter Rabbit cup and egg I gave her: she wasn't overly keen on the gingerbread man -- though she liked the smarties. I thought I'd vary the chocolate routine.

Holy Friday Vespers is a beautiful service with much moving hymnography, and a tantalising hint of the wonder of the Resurrection to come:

The noble Joseph taking down from the Cross Your spotless Body, wrapped It in clean linen with aromas, and laid It for burial in a new tomb.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

The angel, standing by the Tomb, cried out to the Myrrh-bearing women, "The myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption."

I played a larger part than my usual standing in the pews part -- I helped take down Christ from the Cross and hand it to the priest for covering, and I also held and processed with a metal flabellum during the procession of the epitaphios through the church and its placement on a bier covered with flowers, symbolising Christ's tomb. The next service, which calls me away in a few minutes, the first for Holy Saturday, Matins with the Lamentations, contains a great number of mournful hymns, and the bier is carried in procession through and outside the church.

Tomorrow morning's Vesperal Liturgy will be my last Orthodox service this Pascha, excluding the Paschal Vespers of Love Sunday evening: I will miss our parish's Great and Holy Pascha Service. After tomorrow morning's service I will be flying down to Melbourne to attend the Paschal Vigil & Solemn Vigil Mass at St Aloysius' in Melbourne, at which shipmate IngoB will be baptised. The chance to meet him, as well as the chance to attend a Latin Mass Easter Vigil, was too much to pass by. Please remember Ingo and also Mark who will be received into the Catholic Church in your prayers. And indeed remember all who are to make a commitment to a church and to Christ this Easter.

My prayers for all of you, dear readers, for a blessed and holy Easter/Pascha. Talk to you all again Sunday.