Palm Sunday 2010

Palm Sunday, 2010
John 12:1-18

Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazaros was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazaros was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazaros, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazaros also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it; as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"

His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazaros out of the tomb and raised him from the dead bore witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

Additional Readings for Today:
Matthew 21:1-11; 15-17
St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians 4:4-9

Surely He Hath Borne Our Grief, And Carried Our Sorrows

Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13

Were You There?

In the Paschal journey we take in the shadow of The Lamb, on Holy Thursday and Friday I always think of Simon the Cyrenian, an African man, asked to carry the Cross of Our Saviour when He could no longer do so. Walkin' in His footsteps, we go to Calvary. Simon is one of my favorite saints. He helped.

Holy Thursday 2009

I am currently listening to the 2009 Holy Thursday services live from the Vatican via EWTN live streaming online radio (click "multimedia" on the menu, then the media you want ~ I'd be watching, but I can't focus on blogging while I watch cuz I'm a lousy multi-tasker). There is an online devotion, The Stations of the Cross, available here for those who are tied to their computers, although I strongly recommend getting the old corpus out of the chair and into a church for the real thing.



Pope Benedict XVI on Palm Sunday said a successful life without sacrifice does not exist. During his sermon in St. Peters square, the Pope spoke about what is involved in saying yes to God.

Holy Wednesday

Troparion in Tone 8
When the glorious disciples were enlightenedAt the washing of their feet before the supper,Then the impious Judas was darkened, ailing with avariceAnd to the lawless judges he betrays You, the righteous Judge.Behold, O lover of money, this man who because of money hanged himself.Flee from the greedy soul which dared such things against the Master.O Lord, who is good towards all men, glory to You!
Kontakion in Tone 2
With his hands the betrayer receives the Bread.With his hands he secretly receives the silver,The price of Him who fashioned man with His hands;So the servant and deceiver Judas remains depraved.

On Great and Holy Wednesday, the hymns of the Bridegroom Service remind us of the sinful woman who poured precious ointment on Christ's head at Simon the leper's house (Mt. 26:7). The disciples complained about the wasteful extravagance, for the myrrh could have been sold and the money given to the poor. On this same day Judas agreed to betray the Lord for thirty pieces of silver. Because the betrayal took place on Wednesday, Orthodox Christians fast on most Wednesdays during the year.

On the other hand, the Savior declared that the woman's actions would be remembered wherever the Gospel is preached (Mt. 26:13), for she had anointed Him in preparation for His burial (Mt. 26:12).
~~~

Holy Tuesday

On Holy Tuesday the Church calls to remembrance two parables, which are related to the Second Coming. The one is the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-3); the other the parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). These parables point to the inevitability of the Parousia and deal with such subjects as spiritual vigilance, stewardship, accountability and judgment.

From these parables we learn at least two basic things. First, Judgment Day will be like the situation in which the bridesmaids (or virgins) of the parable found themselves: some ready for it, some not ready. The time one decides for God is now and not at some undefined point in the future. If "time and tide waits for no man," certainly the Parousia is no exception. The tragedy of the closed door is that individuals close it, not God. The exclusion from the marriage feast, the kingdom, is of our own making. Second, we are reminded that watchfulness and readiness do not mean a wearisome, spiritless performance of formal and empty obligations. Most certainly it does not mean inactivity and slothfulness. Watchfulness signifies inner stability, soberness, tranquility and joy. It means spiritual alertness, attentiveness and vigilance. Watchfulness is the deep personal resolve to find and do the will of God, embrace every commandment and every virtue, and guard the intellect and heart from evil thoughts and actions. Watchfulness is the intense love of God.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  (Redirected from Hymn of Kassiani)

This article concerns the Byzantine hymnographer. For the plant Cinnamomum aromaticum, see Cassia. For other uses, see Cassia (disambiguation)..

Saint Kassia
Born	805-810 AD
Died	867 AD
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Church
Feast	September 7

Kassia (also Kassiane, Kassiani, Casia, Ikasia, Cassia, Kassiana, or Eikasia; between 805 and 810 - bef. 867) was a Byzantine abbess, poet, composer, andhymnographer. She is one of the first medieval composers whose scores are both extant and able to be interpreted by modern scholars and musicians. Approximately fifty of her hymns are extant and twenty-three are included in Orthodox Church liturgical books. The exact number is difficult to assess, as many hymns are ascribed to different authors in different manuscripts and are often identified as anonymous.

The Hymn of Kassiani is chanted only once a year during Holy Week, at the Matins of the Great and Holy Wednesday, traditionally served in Tuesday evening:

Sensing Thy divinity, O Lord, a woman of many sins

takes it upon herself to become a myrrh-bearer,

And in deep mourning brings before Thee fragrant oil

in anticipation of Thy burial; crying:

"Woe to me!" For night is to me, oestrus of lechery,

a dark and moonless eros of sin.

Receive the wellsprings of my tears,

O Thou who gatherest the waters of the oceans into clouds.

Bend to me, to the sorrows of my heart,

O Thou who bendedst down the heavens in Thy ineffable self-emptying.

I will kiss Thine immaculate feet

and dry them with the locks of my hair;

Those very feet whose sound Eve heard at dusk in Paradise

and hid herself in fear.

Who shall reckon the multitude of my sins,

or the abysses of Thy judgment, O Saviour of my soul?

Do not ignore Thy handmaiden,

O Thou whose mercy is endless.

~~~

Great and Holy Monday

On Holy Monday we commemorate Joseph the Patriarch, the beloved son of Jacob. A major figure of the Old Testament, Joseph's story is told in the final section of the Book of Genesis (chs. 37-50). Because of his exceptional qualities and remarkable life, our patristic and liturgical tradition portrays Joseph as tipos Christou, i.e., as a prototype, prefigurement or image of Christ. The story of Joseph illustrates the mystery of God's providence, promise and redemption. Innocent, chaste and righteous, his life bears witness to the power of God's love and promise. The lesson to be learned from Joseph's life, as it bears upon the ultimate redemption wrought by the death and resurrection of Christ, is summed up in the words he addressed to his brothers who had previously betrayed him, “’Fear not ... As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus he reassured them and comforted them” (Genesis 50:19-21). The commemoration of the noble, blessed and saintly Joseph reminds us that in the great events of the Old Testament, the Church recognizes the realities of the New Testament.

Also, on Great and Holy Monday the Church commemorates the event of the cursing of the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-20). In the Gospel narrative this event is said to have occurred on the morrow of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:18 and Mark 11:12). For this reason it found its way into the liturgy of Great Monday. The episode is also quite relevant to Great Week. Together with the event of the cleansing of the Temple this episode is another manifestation of Jesus' divine power and authority and a revelation as well of God's judgment upon the faithlessness of the Jewish religious classes. The fig tree is symbolic of Israel become barren by her failure to recognize and receive Christ and His teachings. The cursing of the fig tree is a parable in action, a symbolic gesture. Its meaning should not be lost on any one in any generation. Christ's judgment on the faithless, unbelieving, unrepentant and unloving will be certain and decisive on the Last Day. This episode makes it clear that nominal Christianity is not only inadequate, it is also despicable and unworthy of God's kingdom. Genuine Christian faith is dynamic and fruitful. It permeates one's whole being and causes a change. Living, true and unadulterated faith makes the Christian conscious of the fact that he is already a citizen of heaven. Therefore, his way of thinking, feeling, acting and being must reflect this reality. Those who belong to Christ ought to live and walk in the Spirit; and the Spirit will bear fruit in them: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-25).

~~~

Matins of Great and Holy Monday

Matthew 21:18-43 (pp. 32-35)

The Parable of the Fig Tree

In those days, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, He was hungry and seeing a

fig tree by the wayside He went to it, and found nothing on it but leaves only. And

He said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered

at once. When the disciples saw it they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree

wither at once?" And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith

and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but

even if you say to this mountain, `Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will be

done. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

The Authority of Jesus

And when He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people

came up to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing

these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus answered them, "I also will

ask you a question; and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what

authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or

from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, `From heaven,' He will

say to us, `Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say `From men,' we are

afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John was a prophet." So they answered

Jesus, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what

authority I do these things.

The Man with Two Sons

"What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, `Son,

go and work in the vineyard today.' And he answered, `I will not'; but afterward he

repented and went. And he went to the second and said the same; and he

answered, `I go, sir,' and did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?"

They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors

and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in

the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and

the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent

and believe him.

The Wicked Tenants

"Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and

set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out

to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he

sent his servant to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants

and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants,

more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterward he sent his son to

them, saying, `They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they

said to themselves, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his

inheritance.' And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those

tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and

let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."

~~~