Easter is around the corner!!! What do you do special for this time of the year?!!

[Ortho_Cat]

In our parish, the time slots are for an hour, and it starts immediately after the Lamentations service on Friday evenings and lasts until the beginning of the Paschal service (excluding the times when services are actually going on). Before the liturgy on Holy Saturday morning, the Psalms are chanted. After the liturgy on Holy Saturday, the book of Acts is chanted. That way, people are always with Christ's tomb. We do have people that take more than one slot to make sure that someone is always with it. To be in the nave chanting Psalms and being there with the tomb is very special. It is one of my favorite times of Holy Week. The same day that I was received into the Church, I took the slot from 4am to 5am, and then went back home to get ready for the Holy Saturday liturgy, and my reception into the Church (and finally being able to receive the Eucharist). That made the day really special. It is something I will never forget.

thx for the info, katherine!

 

[Philothei]

Also I know that usually the youth do an all night vigil on Thursday night by the cross...My daughter stayed last year until 1:00 AM in the Church...Anyone else have a similar practice?

 

[Ih8s8n]

sunlover1: Thanks for the recipe. My work schedule has been relentless of late, so I just saw your post. I'll share the recipe with my wife when I have some free time. Thanks again.

 

[Mr Dave]

Hot Cross Buns!

And in between stuffing my face with them, I can find time for a Tenebrae Service and then Celebrating with my church family on Easter Sunday.

 

[Dorothea]

I think it it takes away from the real celebration of Passover, that our Lord became.

I wish we all could get back to that, instead of celebrating fertility rituals, ignorantly.

Easter - yeah with the bunny (which I never understood) and all that stuff revolving around that I don't see the connection, yep.

But what is wonderful and beautiful about Pascha is Holy Week, which is all about Christ's going to His Passion - to His Crucifixion, being there with Him at that time. reactualizing it all. It's very moving. And of course, the joy of His resurrection at the Saturday midnight vigil with the one candle coming out of the Altar representing the Light of the World, and eventually going around, lighting all the candles in the Church and singing "Christ is Risen!"

And, of course, the actual Agape service Pascha day, celebrating His resurrection, and I love hearing the many parishioners reading the Gospel talking about his resurrection read in so many different languages. Last year, we had Greek, Arabic, Albanian, French, German, Latin, Spanish, and Russian. It was beautiful.

 

[Dorothea]

We refrain from mundane work during Holy Week and on Sundays yeah you cannot like put laundry or sew or etc. only the necessary. Now here in the US the EOs do not observe these as unfortunately the secular life and its demands take over

I try not to do too much housework on Holy Week only the essential things. And yeah I remember mom cleaning our all the house the week ahead
We do not eat food with oil in it during Holy Week. that is a time for strict fast for us. Salads and soups have to be totally plain with water no meats no fish no dairy just plain legumes are ok. Lots of dried fruit and nuts are what we use. Hope that helps

[/SIZE]

I'm reading the last few chapters of Fr. Alexander Schmemann's book on Great Lent. Felt like dirt after reading the past few nights. Anyhow, you're right about the secularization in this country, but also in other countries. It's seeped into everything. Fr. Alexander talks about this. That even though we go to Church and such, we are still living a secular life more than a life as a Christians, as we should be. Everything we do should be in the light of God first.

Anyhow, I'm going to try to make an effort to skip radio, computer and tv for Holy Week and Pascha. God, give me strength to do this!

 

[sunlover1]

sunlover1: Thanks for the recipe. My work schedule has been relentless of late, so I just saw your post. I'll share the recipe with my wife when I have some free time. Thanks again.

You're welcome!
Praise God that you have a lot of work.

 

[Dorothea]

This is going to be our last Pascha with our current priest, as he is retiring on July 1st, so we're all going to be bummed about that. One of the special things that you remember about the Paschal service is how Fr's face just glows that night. As tired as he (and all priests are) after having served so many services in the last few days (starting with the Friday before Lazarus Saturday and 7 services in just the last 4 days, it is amazing how much energy he has for the 3 hour Paschal service (and as I said, his face just glows and he has such a spring in his step).

I'm always amazed by my priest during Holy Week, too. I can see why he takes Bright week off.

 

[cobweb]

I'm always amazed by my priest during Holy Week, too. I can see why he takes Bright week off.

I counted last night. Between Lazarus Saturday and Pascha afternoon we have 18 seperate services this year.

Poor guy deserves a week off.

 

[Dorothea]

I counted last night. Between Lazarus Saturday and Pascha afternoon we have 18 seperate services this year.

Poor guy deserves a week off.

I just counted ours....from Lazarus Saturday to Pascha afternoon, there are 19 services.....20 if you count Nocturnes - the prayer service before the Paschal Resurrection Vigil.

Yes, no wonder our priests are totally exhausted after Holy Week. I'm tired even making services every day, and I don't even make every service that takes place in one day!!

 

[cobweb]

I just counted ours....from Lazarus Saturday to Pascha afternoon, there are 19 services.....20 if you count Nocturnes - the prayer service before the Paschal Resurrection Vigil.

Yes, no wonder our priests are totally exhausted after Holy Week. I'm tired even making services every day, and I don't even make every service that takes place in one day!!

Yeah. My 18 doesn't include Orthros/Matins before Liturgies or Nocturnes.

Last year the poor priest was pouring sweat.

Us folks in the choir were practically dead too.

 

[Dorothea]

Yeah. My 18 doesn't include Orthros/Matins before Liturgies or Nocturnes.

Last year the poor priest was pouring sweat.

Us folks in the choir were practically dead too.

Way back when I was "new" to the Church a couple decades ago, when I decided to start going to church (I mean, I am technically a cradle EO, but didn't grow up in Church or learning the faith because of non practicing parents of diff. Christian faiths), I was going to an Antiochian EO with my parents and sister. She was in the choir, and so I joined to a certain extent to help out because it was very small and a mission church at the time. I remember singing lamentations Holy Friday evening one year, and I thought I was going to pass out. I can't imagine how the choir does those whole Holy Week, and with some of those services, such as Holy Thurs., Fri., and Saturday midnight vigil, without passing out. :o

 

[MKJ]

Easter - yeah with the bunny (which I never understood) and all that stuff revolving around that I don't see the connection, yep.

Most of the secular Easter stuff makes sense contextually. What in the pagan world was a symbol for fertility is transformed in Christianity to be about Resurrection and the New Life in Christ. So these old symbols which are taken from creation are themselves remade as creation is. That's where the eggs, rabbits, chicks etc come from.

Candy and chocolate are not, I think, symbolic - just celebratory.

I must confess I am always perplexed when people say they don't see the connection. I don't have any problem with them as part of family celebrations - I think that as well as our community celebrations as Christians, we can have these little family rituals.

 

[Sojourner1]

Our church has a good friday service at noon (very solemn and quiet), and an Easter Sunday service which is a joyful and worshipful celebration (a lot of praise and worship songs).

 

[Philothei]

Most of the secular Easter stuff makes sense contextually. What in the pagan world was a symbol for fertility is transformed in Christianity to be about Resurrection and the New Life in Christ. So these old symbols which are taken from creation are themselves remade as creation is. That's where the eggs, rabbits, chicks etc come from.

Candy and chocolate are not, I think, symbolic - just celebratory.

I must confess I am always perplexed when people say they don't see the connection. I don't have any problem with them as part of family celebrations - I think that as well as our community celebrations as Christians, we can have these little family rituals.

Yep!! I do too see why not the eggs being secular cannot be also symbols of Christ's ressurection instead . When we crack eggs we are supposed to say "Christ is Risen" and the other to reply"Truly He is Risen" that is a statement of faith and reafirms the fact that Christ is our Risen Lord. As a youngster that is what I remember telling to my friends before I cracked my egg...(to see who whill be the one with the strongest egg ). My mom made sure I said it before we did always. The spring is a symbol of re-creation of the earthly things and the ressurection of our Lord trasforms the creation not into mere "creation" but a tranformed one through his Holy Ressurection and that is what is important. Again Creation participates as it is God who created all

Celebration is part of any religious worship, the Jews did!! They danced and they did had fun for the passover etc. I think that we should all be celebratory for our savation since it comes from Christ and His Holy ressurection.

*yeah eating chocolate is also theologically correct....we EO give symbolism to everything hehe...the sweetness points to the sweetness of Christ doesit? *

oh...we have the Eucarist for that as we use sweet wine and we sing:

"Taste and see the Lord is good...."

 

[Philothei]

Our church has a good friday service at noon (very solemn and quiet), and an Easter Sunday service which is a joyful and worshipful celebration (a lot of praise and worship songs).

That is great we have the friday service as solemm too it is a day of sorrow and the bell tolls all day in a sorrowful mod... to remind everyone of the taking down of the Cross of Christ.
What hymns you guys listen to on Sunday? Are they on you tube?

 

[MKJ]

*yeah eating chocolate is also theologically correct....we EO give symbolism to everything hehe...the sweetness points to the sweetness of Christ doesit? *

I will have to remember this - I am always on the look-out for reasons to invest in chocolate.

 

[Philothei]

Hot Cross Buns!

And in between stuffing my face with them, I can find time for a Tenebrae Service and then Celebrating with my church family on Easter Sunday.

Ah... I saw these in my local market ....pretty tempting God bless Mr Dave and a blessed Ressurection to you too It is all about celebrating our Lord indeed

 

[cobweb]

Plus most of the chocolate isn't Lenten so it seems only appropriate to break the fast with it.... and massive amounts of cheese and meat.

 

[Sojourner1]

That is great we have the friday service as solemm too it is a day of sorrow and the bell tolls all day in a sorrowful mod... to remind everyone of the taking down of the Cross of Christ.
What hymns you guys listen to on Sunday? Are they on you tube?

We don't sing this one at church, but it's my favorite Easter song.

YouTube - Keith Green - Easter Song