Слово в день Пасхи

The services of Holy Week are apparently different from all other services in the whole year. This difference begins from the first day, or more precisely, on its eve and continues until the last day of the week. since these features of the Easter service were established by godly men, express the spirit of the holiday, and contain comforting truths for us; then considering them can serve for us instead of teaching. Let's do this very thing on this day. I said that the difference in real worship begins on the eve of Easter, and begins, one might say, in the most unexpected and therefore striking way. During the liturgy on Holy Saturday, which, like the Lenten liturgy, is combined with Vespers, the clergy appear in sadness, all in gloomy robes. The service continues as usual until the Gospel. But here it seems to be interrupted for a while, or stops. Instead of the expected reading of the Gospel, the verse is sung: “Rise up, God, judge the earth, as You have inherited among all nations.” At this time, the employees change their clothes; putting aside the dark ones, they appear in the bright and festive ones. This is the first dawn of the holiday. Such a change of vestment in the middle of the service itself involuntarily stops the attention of everyone watching. What does she create? In the past, it resembles the white vestments in which the Angel appeared at the tomb of the Savior with the news of the resurrection; in the present, it inspires the purity of spirit and heart that the holiness of the holiday requires; in the future, it foretells those white vestments in which the worthy of us will be clothed upon their resurrection, as seen by St. John in his wondrous Apocalypse. Blessed is he who gets to lay down the dark vestments of the flesh in the midst of serving the Lord! After the liturgy of Holy Saturday, again an unexpected feature and again for the sake of the upcoming Easter day. Five loaves appear and a blessing is performed on them, which, as is known, happens before other great holidays only at all-night vigils. This is so that immediately after the liturgy, they served instead of a meal, to support bodily weakness, reminding at the same time with a little food that “man will not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Midnight comes, and at the same time the solemn sound of the bell heralds the onset of the holiday. At midnight he proclaims, for the resurrection of the Lord took place in the depths of the morning, when everything was asleep. In contrast, the believers now do not sleep, as if as a visible proof that they are ready to meet the Bridegroom, who has no time to come at midnight. But what's in the church? There, in addition to the usual festive decorations and lighting, incense is burned in all the main places of the church, especially in front of the royal doors. This is a sign of the abundance of grace that has broken through from the tomb of Christ into the whole world, this is a sign that the thoughts and feelings of everyone must now, like incense, be carried by the mountain to the throne of the Risen One and with them all who have been resurrected. But it’s time for the service to begin. It will begin now, but not in the church, as usually happens, but outside it, in front of the gates and, moreover, prisoners. The clergy with a cross and icons will walk around the church, stand in front of the gates, and, having proclaimed the glory of the Risen One several times, will enter the church in triumph. In this walk, “deep in the morning” outside the church, it is not difficult to recognize the walk of the holy myrrh-bearing women and the apostles to Joseph’s Heirloom. – The service began outside the church, because the Lord suffered and was buried outside the city; began before the locked gates, because His tomb was sealed, and He Himself, having already risen, appeared to the apostles, “by the closed door.” But let's hurry after the clergyman to the church. What is this? Everyone sings and sings, and they won’t read anything! Where did the readings go? Where is the Six Psalms, the Psalter? None of this will happen for seven days. One singing. Why? Because this is a triumph of triumphs, “if anyone is happy, let him sing,” says the apostle. since in the resurrection the source of grace is inexhaustible, the singing is continuous, uninterrupted and most solemn. If ever the earthly Church approaches the Heavenly Triumphant, then in these days. At the end of Matins, the only mutual kiss in the whole year, or the so-called Christening, takes place. The ritual is touching in its very appearance; but how much more touching it would be if we performed it in the very spirit in which it was introduced into the Church. “We will forgive everything through the resurrection,” is sung during this ritual; why, if ever, then at this time it is necessary to approach not to friends and acquaintances, but to the enemy and ill-wisher, if there is one, tell him: “Christ is risen,” kiss him from the heart and stop the enmity forever. Such Christification will only be from Christ and for Christ. People, Angels, and the risen Lord Himself will rejoice in Him. Among the liturgy, the main feature is the reading of the Gospel. It is read not by just one deacon, but by all the clergy, and thus repeated several times. For what? Because what is repeated contains great secrets. It is as if several evangelists are explaining the same thing, as a sign of mutual agreement. In addition, where possible, this Gospel is read not in one, but in different languages, in memory of the fact that the apostles, inspired by the Resurrection of the Lord, having received the gift of tongues, proclaimed the Divinity of the Risen One to the whole world, and as a foreshadowing that the Gospel of the Kingdom should be preached to the whole world. After the liturgy, bread with the image of the resurrection, called artos, appears before the royal gates. It is consecrated, kept in the Church for a whole week, and then distributed on Saturday after the liturgy. This bread also serves in remembrance of the Old Testament Easter, which was celebrated in memory of the exodus from Egypt and constituted a meal at which sacred bread was offered, and in remembrance of the Christian Easter, or the Resurrection of the Lord, for the Lord, having appeared after the Resurrection in Emmaus, was known in the breaking of bread, and before the apostles ate fish liver and honeycombs from bees, in order to assure them of the reality of its appearance. Easter Vespers also has the difference that the Gospel is read at it, which does not happen at ordinary Vespers. The Gospel is about the appearance of the Lord to the apostles, when Thomas was not present, which served as a reason for the latter to disbelief. It is read at this Vespers because the very appearance of the Lord took place on this evening. In addition to these differences, the royal doors remain open all week, both during the service and outside it, so that those present in the church can see everything that is happening in the altar and on the throne. This expresses that by the death of the Lord the veil was torn, hiding the Holy of Holies, into which a single bishop entered once a summer; that by the Cross of the Lord the entrance to paradise and heaven was opened, and that by the Resurrection of the Lord the secrets of the future century were revealed. Finally, bowing to the ground is prohibited throughout the week. At other times the Church commands them, especially during Lent, but now it prohibits them. This is in order to depict the joy and triumph of the Resurrection, and to pre-depict our future state in heaven, where all signs of sadness and contrition will disappear forever. There are so many features of this holiday! Let us thank the godly founders and be more attentive to what was established; It is enough to understand it once, so that later, looking at what is happening, you can receive edification from it. Amen. You might be interested in: