April 07 Kandili Article
“We Worship Your Passion, O Christ… Show Us Also Your Glorious Resurrection”
What a blessed experience it is this year to be able to participate in Great Lent, Holy Week and look forward to celebrating Pascha together with Christians from throughout the world, both East and West.
With the beautiful and significant services of Holy Week in our Orthodox Tradition, we have the opportunity, of course to remember and relive the week of Passion of our Lord and Savior. Amongst the most moving of the services is the Orthros Service of Holy Friday, now sung on Holy Thursday evening, with the Twelve Passion Gospel readings. Following the fifth Passion Gospel, the clergy and acolytes process around the interior of the church with the Crucified Christ upon His Cross, singing the following hymn:
“Today is hung upon the tree, He Who suspended the Earth in the midst of the waters. A crown of thorns crowns Him, Who is the King of the Angels. He Who wrapped the heavens with clouds, is clothed with the purple of mockery. He who freed Adam in the Jordan, received buffetings. He was transfixed with nails, Who is the Bridegroom of the Church. He was pierced with a lance, Who is the Son of the Virgin. We worship Your Passion, O Christ… Show us also Your glorious Resurrection.”
The annual experience of carrying the Lord upon His Cross in this procession and singing this deeply profound hymn, is one of the most moving experiences of my life, as I am certain it likewise is in the lives of my brother clergymen. In the midst of the procession, with the physical weight of the cross—-minute in comparison to the weight of the real Cross that our Lord carried—-we are annually reminded of the greatest of weights that our Lord carried and carries—-the weight of the world’s sins, and yours and mine—-upon His shoulders. He carries the weight of His undeserved suffering and death, both offered out of His great care, love, mercy and compassion for the entire human race—-for all of His creation.
This IS who our God is. This IS how our Creator loves us. This IS the essence of our Christian faith. How can we not love our Lord when we think about the greatest of sacrifices that He offered for us—-His very Life? We INDEED worship Your Passion O Christ… Show us also Your glorious Resurrection!
“It is the Day of Resurrection! Let us shine forth in splendor for the Festival, and embrace one another. Brothers and sisters, even to those who do not love us, let us forgive all things in the Resurrection, and thus let us cry aloud: ‘Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and to those in the tombs bestowing life.’”
As we, this year celebrate our Lord’s Resurrection, let us “shine forth in splendor…and embrace one another. Brothers and sisters, even to those who do not love us, let us forgive all things…” Allow this embrace, love for those who do not love us and forgiveness to conquer isolation, hatred and jealousy, and judgment so that we may live anew and renewed together in the Risen Lord.
Have a blessed Holy Week and a Glorious celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ!
Kali Anastasi,
Fr. Lou