Palm Sunday

On this day, palm Sunday, we celebrate the resplendent and glorious feast of the entry of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ into Jerusalem.

In Your ineffable compassion, O Christ our God, make us victors over the irrational passions, and make worthy to see Your manifest victory over death and Your joyous, life-giving Resurrection, and have mercy on us. Amen.

Holy and Great Monday

On great and holy Monday we commemorate blessed Joseph the handsome; and also the fig tree that was cursed by the Lord and then withered.

Verses

Self-controlled Joseph proved himself as a righteous

ruler and distributor. What a stack of virtues!

Likening the synagogue of the Jews to the fig tree

barren of spiritual fruit, with a curse

Christ makes it wither. Let us flee such a fate.

At the intercession of the handsome Joseph, O Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Holy and Great Tuesday

On great and holy Tuesday, we commemorate the parable of the ten virgins from the Holy Gospel.

Verses

The greatest of Tuesdays brings with it the ten virgins,

who bring the victory of the impartial Master.

O Bridegroom Christ, number us with the  wise virgins, and include us in Your chosen flock, and have mercy on us. Amen.

Holy and Great Wednesday

On great and holy Wednesday, as the most divine fathers ordained, we commemorate the harlot who anointed the Lord’s feet with fragrant ointment, since this occurred shortly before the saving Passion.

Verses

The woman anointed the body of Christ

with ointment, anticipating the aloes of Nikodemos.

O Christ God, who were anointed with the spiritual ointment, free us from the  influent passions and have mercy on us, for only You are holy and love mankind. Amen.

Holy and Great Thursday

On holy and great Thursday the godly Fathers, who have arranged all things well, received from the divine Apostles and the sacred Gospels and in turn handed down to us,

that today we should celebrate four things: the sacred Washing of Feet, the Mystical Supper (that is, the tradition of what we know as the awsome Mysteries of Holy Communion), the High Priestly Prayer, and finally the Betrayal itself.

Verses for the sacred Washing

At evening God washed the Disciples’ feet,

Whose foot once walked in Eden before dusk.

For the Mystical Supper

Double the Supper that Law’s Pascha brings

And Pascha new: the Master’s Body, Blood.

For the transcendent Prayer

Prayer; and great terror, drops of blood,

O Christ, drop from your face, as pleading to

Escape from death, by this you cheat the foe.

For the Betrayal

What need of swords, of staves, O erring folk,

‘Gainst one who longs to die for world’s release?

By Your ineffable compassion, O Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Holy and Great Friday

On this day, Holy and Great Friday, we celebrate the awesome, holy, and saving Passion of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ: the spitting, the blows, the buffeting, the mockery, the reviling, the purple robe, the reed, the sponge, the vinegar, the nails, the spear, and above all, the Cross and Death which He  condescended to endure willingly for our sakes. Also the saving confession on the cross of the grateful Robber who was crucified with Him.

By Your enormous and all-infinite compassion for us, O Christ God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Holy and Great Saturday

On great and holy Saturday, we celebrate the burial of the divine Body and the descent into Hades of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, through which He recalled our human race from corruption and passed it over into life eternal.

Verses

In vain you guard the tomb, O guards.

No grave can hold Him who is life itself.

By Your ineffable condescension, O Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Holy and Glorious Sunday of Pascha

On the holy and great Sunday of Pascha we celebrate the very life-bearing Resurrection of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Couplet

Christ went down alone to battle Hades,

He came up having taken many spoils of victory.

To Him be the glory and the dominion to the ages of ages. Amen.