Holy Week Has Me Over A Barrel :(

[Matrona]

Every time I turn around this week, it seems like there's something else I have to do. I've had to read and chant for several services over the past week, and my voice is about ready to give up on me, and my body is about to do the same. There was a long service this morning (DL plus other stuff) and it really almost killed me. I seriously think someone is going to get a music stand upside the head before this is all over. I also have a huge school thing I have to finish in the next few days and I just don't know how I'm going to be able to make it through it all.

If anybody can pray for me that I can be strong enough to endure without doing something that will get me arrested for assault, I would appreciate it so much. I'm just at the end of my rope and I can't take anymore.

 

[Thekla]

(Christos anesti )

 

[Matrona]

(Christos anesti )

Thekla, your prayers work and they work fast. Thank you.

 

[ClementofRome]

Indeed He has risen......it is problematic for us in academia that Pascha is this late in the term. I too am a tad wiggy.

Uncle Clem

 

[Kolya]

Thekla, your prayers work and they work fast. Thank you.

Matrona,
You have my prayers too.
In lighter vein, at the end of our Pascha Liturgy Fr said there is no DL later this mornnig as now he's had Enough! I think that just about sums it up. Hope the school project goes well too.

 

[rusmeister]

Christ is risen!
Same here, Matrona. I am still shell-shocked from this past week. I had a fairly brutal work week and couldn't make the Thursday night services, and although I made the Friday night service with the Plashanitsa (the icon of the slain Christ - what's it called in English?), I was wiped yesterday. And today. But I had a bowl of cereal with milk already!! Woo-hoo!!
Христос воскресе!!

 

[Matrona]

Christ is risen!
Same here, Matrona. I am still shell-shocked from this past week. I had a fairly brutal work week and couldn't make the Thursday night services, and although I made the Friday night service with the Plashanitsa (the icon of the slain Christ - what's it called in English?), I was wiped yesterday. And today. But I had a bowl of cereal with milk already!! Woo-hoo!!
Христос воскресе!!

We call it the Epitaphion (the Greek name).

I have a priest with a full-time job, so in order to go to morning services, I went to different parishes. This year I went to Holy Saturday at a different parish than usual and was really worn out by its length (about 4 1/2 hours), so badly that I was worried how I was going to be able to get through Pascha with my voice growing weaker and weaker. And then I was unexpectedly recruited to read Acts at the tomb for an hour. I had tried to politely decline, but I wound up being signed up for a full shift.

I just about lost it when I made it home after liturgy, because I was already exhausted and because of having to do the reading, wouldn't be able to take any nap at all before Pascha. I've kept shifts of casket-side vigils for departed parishioners before, reading psalms, so I knew how the reading would tire me out. I was also worried because I figured I would need to take a drink of water in the middle of the reading and someone would say, "OH MY GAWD YOU'RE BREAKING THE FAAAAST!" (when I'm sure my SF would have been fine with it) and just the thought of that made me want to punch a hole in a wall. So I was hysterical when I posted this because I felt like I was about to explode and just didn't know how I was going to do all of this, try to make a confession, AND stay up until 5 AM for Pascha.

Luckily, when I actually started the reading, it turned out to be helpful. Instead of being worn out by it, I actually felt energized and I managed to finish my turn without causing scandal. I may be the only person who can testify to this, but I can only attribute this to God's intervention. I survived Pascha (with my voice almost dead by the end but it did survive too!) and managed not to fall asleep during the meal. All in all it wasn't such a bad day after all. Thanks to everybody who said a prayer for me... it still hurts to move, but I'm going to crawl out of bed for Vespers.

 

[gzt]

The fast for Pascha is a bit relaxed, you know. I mean, the rubrics call for the Vesperal Liturgy of Holy Saturday to end at 8pm and for bread, 6 dates or figs, and a glass of wine to be given to you while you sit in church waiting for the 11:30 service.

 

[Michael G]

What about the whole sacrificial manner of Holy Week and uniting your sufferings to Christ? Does that have no meaning?

 

[Matrona]

The fast for Pascha is a bit relaxed, you know. I mean, the rubrics call for the Vesperal Liturgy of Holy Saturday to end at 8pm and for bread, 6 dates or figs, and a glass of wine to be given to you while you sit in church waiting for the 11:30 service.

Thank you - that's good to know for next year! I keep forgetting that that Vesperal DL "belongs" in the afternoon.

I'm really glad I did end up reading at the tomb. I had been worried that I would not be able to survive Pascha without it, but now I think I would not have survived Pascha if I hadn't done it.

 

[rusmeister]

What about the whole sacrificial manner of Holy Week and uniting your sufferings to Christ? Does that have no meaning?

Well for me that's what it was about. This is my 5th Orthodox Pascha and I have never had it so hard. Maybe it will get worse year by year as I learn to handle more?

 

[Michael G]

Well for me that's what it was about. This is my 5th Orthodox Pascha and I have never had it so hard. Maybe it will get worse year by year as I learn to handle more?

I had to give alot up this Holy Week. I worked 3-11 this week and then I had surgery on Friday and missed teh services Friday which are my absolute favorite and missed my hour of tomb watch saturday morning. And yet, I still feel overly blessed by God!!!

 

[Matrona]

This is my 5th Orthodox Pascha and I have never had it so hard. Maybe it will get worse year by year as I learn to handle more?

I don't know about "worse," but I'm starting to think that a week's been added to Great Lent every year since I became Orthodox. In the back of my head at Pascha all I could think is, "Lord, am I glad you're 'anesti'!"

 

[Chocolatesa]

 

[Matrona]

Thanks

Now my nose is back to the grindstone.

 

[Thekla]

just an observation; Lent seems to get a bit harder every year ...

I've begun to respond to spring difficulties with, "well, it is the fast ..."

and here we come, 'out the other side' (as in going under the Epitaphion) God is good !

 

[Michael G]

just an observation; Lent seems to get a bit harder every year ...

I've begun to respond to spring difficulties with, "well, it is the fast ..."

and here we come, 'out the other side' (as in going under the Epitaphion) God is good !

My priest told me to rejoice at the beginning of Great Lent when I had a few very rough weeks leading up to Great Lent!

 

[Matrona]

just an observation; Lent seems to get a bit harder every year ...

I've begun to respond to spring difficulties with, "well, it is the fast ..."

Ditto. I try to remember that when I feel irritated and stressed out to the point of wanting to explode like I did in the OP, but sometimes the despair is so overwhelming I can't see a way out. It's easy to wish you'd be like the myrrhbearing women rather than the silly scaredy-cat apostles, who were booooys... But it's much harder when you actually have to do it.

 

[Peter]

No rest for the weary! As senior reader and choir director, I share your frustration. For those who have never held a leadership position in any church, you cannot even begin to understand the level of frustration comes from...

People who think they know how to do things better, but can't seem to remember that services begin at x,y or z hour, are perfectly fit, but only do a half ***ed semi-prostration, etc.

People who dont bother to pick up a bulletin or service booklet, then sing at the wrong time or try to make up the words as if God was somehow going to make them clarvoyant then get annoyed at you because you're going too fast!

People who don't bother to look at the announcements, then run around to everyone else asking when services are, those folks not knowing or giving wrong times, then blaming the miscommunication on you!

People who dont come to choir rehearsal, then make up their own harmonies that DONT MATCH ANYTHING WERE DOING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I could go on, but you get my drift. This is why we want to hit people with a music stand!

:-0

 

[Mary of Bethany]

Thank you - that's good to know for next year! I keep forgetting that that Vesperal DL "belongs" in the afternoon.

I'm really glad I did end up reading at the tomb. I had been worried that I would not be able to survive Pascha without it, but now I think I would not have survived Pascha if I hadn't done it.

Glory to God!

Mary