Pascha 2021

Services started at 10:30 PM for the Pascha Rush service. Ilene and I had come in about 45 minutes early to help get things set up for the next three-plus hours of celebration, worship, and then feasting.

In Orthodox tradition, we spend 40 days fasting, with a couple of exceptions, on everything from meat, fish, olive oil, wine, dairy, and eggs. The Lenten Fast is a celebration of Christ, a giving up of things of the world, to grow closer to the God-man, Jesus of Nazareth.

The fast isn’t just giving up something we like, it’s giving up letting ourselves be ruled by food, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” The fast also emphasizes more prayer in our goal to grow closer to God, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul…” The Fast also emphasizes, “You shall love your neighbor as your self,” in that we are to give more of our time, money, and treasure to others.

Prayer, fasting, and alms-giving are the three pillars of the Lenten journey that leads us to Jerusalem, betrayal, death, and resurrection.

In the Orthodox Church, we live a liturgical year that has taken place for two thousand years.

We began before the Fast by celebrating the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee which emphasizes the need for loving, heartfelt prayer to God. The following Sunday we are reminded of the Prodigal Son and how God wants all of us to return to His loving arms.

Great Lent

The Church, the Body of Christ, begins the Fast on the following Sunday, the Sunday of the Last Judgement which is also the last day we’ll eat meat until after Pascha and is called Meatfare Sunday. Cheesefare Sunday, the following week is our last day to savor Gouda, Brie, and Cheddar cheeses and is also called Forgiveness Sunday. In our local parish, it is the day we ask, face-to-face, everyone in the parish for forgiveness and vice versa. The actual Fast begins the next day and goes on for the next 40 days.

We march toward Pascha remembering the defeat of iconoclasts on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas who defended Hesychast spirituality of the Church.

Halfway to Pascha, we celebrate St. Helena finding the one true Cross of Christ. Then it’s time to remind ourselves that our struggle as Christians is a constant battle against the seen and unseen. St John Climacus, John of the Ladder, reminds us of the constant battle we face against the Evil One and ourselves.

The Sunday before Palm Sunday and Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem we celebrate and honor St. Mary of Egypt. St. Mary reminds us that no matter how sinful we may be, there is salvation in Christ. Hers is a touching and important lesson for all of us.

Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, but in the Orthodox Church, we celebrate His last miracle the day before when he raised His friend Lazarus from the tomb after being dead for four days.

Palm Sunday is the beginning of Great Week. I’ll talk more of Great Week in a future post as it deserves its own thought and meditation.

Lent and Pascha are both personal and communal journeys.

At this point, we have fasted for forty days and we’ve done such a good job, we’ll fast for another week, just to be sure we’re doing it properly! But it’s not about the food as I mentioned earlier. Each of us, in our own way, because our walk with Christ is personal, not a mass affair, has benefited from the journey so far.

Perhaps we’ve prayed more or more intensely and/or with more heart. Perhaps we’ve not been as reluctant to part with some of our time or money when a need arose during the past forty days. Perhaps we’ve learned that centering our life around food and other material things is nothing more than a distraction from a closer walk with our God.

The church during the past forty days has offered more services. We’ve celebrated the Annunciation of Mary and added additional weekly services to our calendar in order to bring us closer together as the Body of Christ.

Christ Rests in the Tomb

Sitting in the church it’s just me surrounded by the icons of saints and martyrs. I wait for our priest to hand me the candle lighter, I can hear his quiet prayers of preparation. Parishioners are coming in next door in the fellowship hall and I can hear the greetings and excitement in their voices. We’re about to descend into Hades.

I remember, at that point, Archbishop Michael of the OCA who was with us on our pilgrimage to the Holyland telling us how his favorite place in Jerusalem was at Golgatha, the place where Jesus was hung on the Cross. It is there that he can contemplate that the God of God, the King of Kings, humble Himself and died on that cross for us.

It isn’t hard to understand sitting here surrounded by two thousand years of saints and martyrs, angels, and parishioners. What love God has for us.

May I always be worthy of that love. Forgive me, a sinner.