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Holy Week is set apart in the orthodox Ecclesiastical Year so that we might slow down our pace and mediate upon and relive the glory and the agony of that week in our Lord's life which opened once again to all the doors of Paradise. The events of that week are presented to us by the Church as a drama, which unveiling its mysteries to us, helps us identify with them and elevates us in the all-embracing movement toward our Lord's Triumph over sin and death.

The scenes take place in Jerusalem. The players are real. The events are historical. Because all humans are ultimately involved in this drama, there can be no passive audience. It demands participation. Commemorative worship, through faith, takes us back to these events and causes us to relive them.

To fully benefit from his annual Holy Week drama, to experience a transformation in our lives and spiritual growth, we must participate in the services celebrated daily. Here is a brief explanation of each service to help you in your participation.

SATURDAY OF LAZARUS. This day is the beginning of the end. By raising Lazarus from the dead, Christ proves once again that he is God, the Lord of Life. This caused many to believe in Him as the long-awaited Messiah. The negative result, however, is found in the Hebrew religious leaders who feared a loss of power and, therefore, plotted to find a way to do away with Jesus.

PALM SUNDAY:  The pious Hebrew people in recognition of Christ's divinity raise palms and proclaim Him King of the Jews. As the believers honor Him, the unbelievers seek more intensely to conspire against him.

HOLY SUNDAY, MONDAY AND TUESDAY: During Holy Week the Orthros (Matins) Service for the forthcoming day is celebrated the evening before. On Palm Sunday evening we celebrate the Orthros of Monday morning and thus relive the events of Monday.  The evenings of Palm Sunday, Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday share a common theme. The unbelievers discuss schemes to find fault in Jesus and a legal way to do away with Him. The scriptural lessons and hymns emphasize the approaching end of Christ's life on earth. Repentance from even is encouraged, while evil continues to motivate the enemies of God against Him.

HOLY WEDNESDAY MORNING: The last Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served. This Liturgy leads us to repentance. The Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim is recited for the last time, for by now we should have repented for our sins. Our preparation begins for the unfolding of the Mystery of Mysteries, the Holy Eucharist, which will be revealed and instituted on Holy Thursday.

HOLY WEDNESDAY EVENING: The Sacrament of Holy Oil is celebrated. It grants spiritual and physical strength through prayer and the blessing of the Holy Oil. Before receiving Holy Communion on Thursday, the day of its institution we are anointed with holy oil so that we might more worthily partake of our Lord's Body and Blood.

HOLY THURSDAY MORNING: The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil is celebrated in commemoration of the Last Supper, so that all the faithful might be joined to the Mystical Body of Christ. On this day the Reserved Holy Communion is prepared and placed in the Tabernacle on the Altar. This is used for the sick throughout the year.

HOLY THURSDAY EVENING: We return to Jerusalem to relive the events of our Lord's betrayal and seizure, the trials before the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate, the agony of the road to Golgotha, and the crucifixion. The twelve gospel lessons narrate these events. The cross is carried around the church, commemorating the Way of the Cross, and it is placed on the solea to remind us of His crucifixion. We behold Christ on the cross and contemplate upon the power that evil has in this life. We pray that we might not re-crucify Him by choosing evil over righteousness in our own lives.

HOLY FRIDAY MORNING: No Divine Liturgy is served, for the liturgy presupposes Christ's presence in the world. On this day, Christ is not present but lies dead in the tomb. The services of the hours are chanted commemorating again the events of Holy Thursday evening.

HOLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON: The unnailing Service of "Apokathifosis" of our Lord is reenacted. The Body of Christ is removed from the cross on the solea, wrapped in a burial shroud and placed in the sanctuary. The Epitaphios, the cloth on which the body of our Lord is embroidered, is carried in a solemn funeral procession around the church and placed in the Sepulcher (Kouvouklion).

HOLY FRIDAY EVENING: The burial lamentations are sung before the sepulcher of our Lord which is decorated with flowers. The atmosphere begins to become theologically more joyous, for hymns with a resurrection theme are heard, culminating in the Great Doxology, which is sung only on joyous occasions. The procession of the sepulcher around the church, with the Epitaphios, takes place. This does not represent a funeral procession, but Christ's descent into Hades, where He preached to those held captive and resurrected them. Flowers are distributed as a token of our participation and taken home as a reminder of this event.

HOLY SATURDAY EVENING. The faithful gather in the church to participate in the feast of feasts, Easter, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The church is dark, reflecting the darkness of the world without Christ. The priest offers the Easter light of Christ to the world, the light of life. The designated gospel is read and the resurrection is proclaimed. The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom is celebrated and our fifty-day preparation period concludes in joyful triumph as we proclaim repeatedly, "Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!"

I remain in my Lord's service, your pastor, Father Michael S. Petrides