Palm
Sunday Morning
"Blessed
is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord..."
(Palm
Sunday service is held in the morning and consists of
Matins [Morning Prayers] and the Divine Liturgy.)
|
|
Palm
Sunday celebrates the glorious and brilliant feast of the Entrance of
Jesus into Jerusalem. Zechariah had prophesied the entrance of the
Messiah into Jerusalem, saying: "Rejoice
greatly...O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, the King comes unto
Thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an
ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." (Zech. 9:9)
The contemporary Jews associated this prophecy with the expected
Messiah. This action of Christ testifies to His nature as Savior, but
with the definite declaration that His Kingdom was not of this world.
The news that Christ was in Bethany provoked a general enthusiasm of
acceptance, but also of indignation among the High Priests, who had
decided to kill Christ. The main road leading to Jerusalem was covered
with palm trees. The multitudes, with palm branches in their hands,
spread their cloaks on the road as a show of respect, crying
out, "Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is He that
comes in the name of the Lord.' All the actions and words of the
people and of Christ had a Messianic meaning readily recognized by the
Jews of that time. As usual, Christ went immediately to the Temple,
where He prayed and taught. That evening He departed for Bethany.
A custom of distributing
branches of palms to the people in the Church prevails to this day,
commemorating the victory of Christ against the evil powers.
The Epistle reading is
Phil. 4:4-9, and the Gospel reading is John 12:1-18.
Palm
Sunday Evening – Bridegroom Service - Nymphios
"Behold the
Bridegroom Cometh in The Midst of The Night..."
|
|
This
evening's service calls to mind the beginning of Jesus' suffering. The
gospel describes the plotting of the priests and elders to trap Jesus
into convicting Himself as a religious heretic. Through parables, Jesus
tells us of His coming betrayal, trial, conviction and execution by crucifixion.
The hymns of this service commemorate two things; the first, the
prophetic figure of Joseph, who, while virtuous, nonetheless suffered
unjustly at the hands of his brothers before being greatly rewarded,
and the second, the parable of the fig tree, which in failing to bear
fruit, became a symbol of fallen creation, and of our own lives, in
which we also have failed to bear spiritual fruit.
1 / 8
2 / 8
3 / 8
4 / 8
5 / 8
6 / 8
7 / 8
8 / 8
|
