Holy Week = Anamnesis
 Do this in remembrance of me
 The redeeming acts of Christ are continuous and
boundless in time and location (birth, baptism, crucifixion,
resurrection, ascension)
 We have the opportunity to live all these redeeming actions
(actions of salvation) during the church liturgies, i.e., the
liturgy is the continuation of the redeeming actions of
Christ. “Every time you shall eat of this bread and drink of
this cup…”
 Therefore, each time you participate in the Holy Week
services,
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His death: We die with him, trample death. We are there at the feet of the
cross.
His resurrection: We are risen with him in his Glory
Holy Week = Anamnesis
 Proof: “Therefore as we commemorate his holy passions,
his resurrection from the dead, his ascension into the
heavens, and his sitting at your hand O Father,…….and his
second coming from the heavens, awesome and full of
glory”
 In the liturgy, we live the past NOW and we live the future
(eternal life) NOW
 We have to come to the liturgy with this mindset: I AM NOT
HERE AS A BYSTANDER OR A SPECTATOR, but AS AN
ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN THESE EVENTS:
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I was there during the last supper, being washed and participating in the
Eucharist
I was there during his resurrection, raising the stone and enjoying the glory
NEVER SAY I WAS NOT THERE!
 Is this virtual reality/imagination/frame of mind? … This is
REAL REALITY and the mystical nature of Holy week. We
know it by faith!
Historical Facts
 The most sacred week of the year
 Used to be celebrated once every 33
years
 Used to be celebrated separate from
the great lent until the 2nd century
 Pascha = Passover
Readings of the Holy Week
 Historical Background
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Early Church: Read the whole Bible.
Pope Ghobrial II (77) is the one who put
together the readings that we currently have
(circa 1250 A.D.)
In addition, we read the whole Four Gospels
and the book of Psalms during the Holy Week.
Readings are selected to match the events of
each hour.
Lazarus Saturday
 We start and finish the Holy Week
with resurrection; victory over:

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Death
Sin
Devil
 Christ did not resurrect Lazarus the
day before entering Jerusalem:
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Christ spent most of the Holy Week
(starting from this Saturday) in his
house
See above
PALM SUNDAY
 What Did Jesus Do?

He left Bethany and entered Jerusalem
riding on a colt on Nissan 10
• (similar to the Passover lamb)

The crowd were shouting “OSANNA”

Jesus spent the day in the temple.

Jesus returns back to Bethany
PALM SUNDAY
 What Does the Church Do?


All hymns are in joyful tunes
Morning procession in the raising of
incense
• We read a psalm and a gospel in front of
most icons and church doors.

Regular liturgy except we read FOUR
gospels
PALM SUNDAY
 What Does the Church Do?

Listen carefully to the Gospel according
to St. Luke 19:41-44
Now as he draw near, He saw the city, and wept over it,
Saying, If you had known, even you, at least in this day,
the things which belong unto your peace! but now they
are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon
you when your enemies will cast a trench around you,
surround you and close you in on every side, and level
you and your children within you to the ground; and
they will not leave in you one stone upon another;
because you did not know the time of your visitation.
PALM SUNDAY
 What Does the Church Do?

The General Funeral:
• WHY?
• Starts with a prophesy from Ezekiel 37:1-14
And he said to me, Son of man, can these
bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD,
You know
PASCHA: GENERAL OUTLINE
 We follow the Savior step by step
 We pray outside the alter in the
second chorus, WHY?

Hebrew 13:13
 All attention is to the passion of our
Savior:
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No liturgies except…..
No Agpya prayers
All prayers in a sad tune
PASCHA: GENERAL OUTLINE
DAILY PRAYERS
DAILY PRAYERS
(e.g. Wednesday)
DAY
NIGHT
(Wednesday morning)
(Tuesday evening)
1ST
3RD
6TH
9TH
11TH
1ST
3RD
6TH
9TH
Good Friday: 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, 11th, 12th
11TH
Readings of the Holy Week
 Difference between the morning and
evening readings.
 The Eleventh Hour of the morning and
evening prayers are focused on:
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Confrontations between Christ and the high
priests and the Jewish.
Christ prophesizing about his passions and
the cross.
PASCHA: GENERAL OUTLINE
Contents of Each Prayer
 Prophecies
 Homily (Sermon), if any
 Thine is the power, the glory, the
blessings, and the majesty: for ever
Amen O Emmanuel: Our God and
Our King...


Replaces the Agpeya psalms
It is not man made, Revelation 7:12-13
PASCHA: GENERAL OUTLINE
Contents of Each Prayer
 A psalm of David

Sad tune
 The Holy Gospel
 The exposition
 End of each night or day:
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Litanies
The conclusion (O King of Peace)
Monday of the Holy Pascha
 What Did Jesus Do?
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He left Bethany to the temple in Jerusalem
On the way, He saw a fig tree that had leaves but no
fruits. Christ cursed the tree saying: No man will
eat fruit of you for ever
Jesus entered the temple and kicked out those who
were selling and buying
The priests try to catch him with a mistake: By what
authority do you do these things?
Christ returns back to Bethany
Monday of the Holy Pascha
 What Does the Church Do?

Theme of the day:
“FRUITFUL LIFE NOT APPEARANCE”
“DON’T DECEIVE YOURSELF”

All prophesies, psalms, and gospels
focus on this objective. Examples
• First Hour: Isaiah 5:1-9: “What shall I do
any more to my vineyard, that I have not
done to it?”
• Sixth Hour: Exodus 32:7-15: “They Have
made for themselves a calf and worshiped
it!”
Tuesday of the Holy Pascha
 What Did Jesus Do?

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He left Bethany to the temple in
Jerusalem
On the way, They saw the fig tree and
remembered Christ’s words
Jesus spent the day in the temple
teaching
The Pharisees try to catch him with a
mistake: Should we pay taxes to
Caesar?
Tuesday of the Holy Pascha
 What Did Jesus Do?


Christ talks about the end of the world
and his second coming in detail. He
gives a lot of signs for the last day.
Christ emphasized the need to be
always prepared by several proverbs:
• The Ten Virgins
• The Talents
• The Wedding Ceremony

Christ returns back to Bethany
Tuesday of the Holy Pascha
 What Does the Church Do?

Theme of the day:
“BE WATCHFUL”
“MARAN-ATHA -- The Lord’s coming is near”

All prophesies, psalms, and gospels focus
on this objective. Examples
• Ninth Hour: Genesis 6-9: “The flood and Noah’s
Ark”
• Eleventh Hour: Isaiah 30-25: A prophesy about
the end of the world
Tuesday of the Holy Pascha
 What Does the Church Do?

Very Important: THE ELEVENTH HOUR
 CHRIST
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Talked in detail about
judgement and the last
day
Determined the time of
his crucifixion for the
first time
Left the temple and
NEVER came back to it;
a sign of the collapse of
the Jewish religion
 CHURCH

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Adds “My Good
Savior” to “Thine is
the power....”
Reads Psalm 44:9
“Thy Throne, O God,
is forever and ever”
with the Royal Tune
Wednesday of the Holy Pascha
 What Did Jesus Do?


Christ spent the whole day in Bethany
A day of contradictions:
• Judas contacts the chief priests to betray
Christ
• A woman breaks an alabaster box of
ointment of spikenard, very precious, and
pours it on Christ’s head.
Wednesday of the Holy Pascha
 What Does the Church Do?

Theme of the day:
“WHERE IS MY HEART”
“WHAT WOULD I OFFER TO CHRIST”
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All prophesies, psalms, and gospels focus on
this objective.
Very Important: Third Hour of Thursday’s Eve
• Psalm: 54:18: “His words are smoother than oil, yet
they are darts” (Royal tune)
• Gospel: Mark 14:3-11: The woman with ointment
and Judas betrayal!
The Great Thursday
 What Did Jesus Do?
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That was the 14th of Nissan, the
day of slaying the Passover lamb
Christ asks Peter and John to
prepare the Passover
They prepare for the Passover in
St. Mark’s house
The disciples fight: who is the greatest.
Before supper, Christ washed the disciples’ feet
Christ gives the disciples his body and blood
Christ prophesizes about his betrayal
Judas leaves to go to the chief priests
The Great Thursday
 What Does the Church
Do?

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We pray in the first
chorus
We start with the Matin
raising of incense
The book of acts:
Selecting a new apostle
instead of Judas. It is
scary!!!!!!
Procession to
reprimand Judas
(OURSELVES) in the
opposite direction
The Great Thursday
 What Does the Church Do?


Pascha prayers (1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th) about
preparations for the Passover
The prophesies of the ninth hour are very
significant
• Genesis 22:1-19 The sacrifice of Isaac
• Genesis 14:17-20 Melckizedek
• Isaiah 61:1-6 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon
me…”
The Great Thursday
 What Does the Church Do?

The Liturgy of the Blessing of
Water (second chorus)
• Objectives:
– HUMBLENESS & SALVATION THOUGH
WATER (BAPTISM)
• We pray with annual tune in front of a
basin filled with water
• Several prophesies about salvation
through water (e.g., crossing the Red
Sea and Jordan River)
The Great Thursday
 What Does the Church Do?

The Liturgy of the Blessing of Water (second
chorus)
• Gospel: John 13:1-7 -- Christ washes the feet of
the disciples
• At the end, the priest washes the feet of the
congregation
The Great Thursday
 What Does the Church Do?

The Liturgy of the Eucharist
•
•
•
•
Objective: The sacrifice of Christ
Annual tune
No Agpeya, no Catholic Epistle, no Book of Acts
The lamb is examined without the 41 Kerie Layson
because Christ was examined while being silent
The Great Thursday
 What Does the Church Do?
• Gospel: Matthew 26:20-29 -- Christ gives his body
and blood to the disciples
• No prayer of Reconciliation, no commemoration of
the saints
• Fraction of the Sacrifice of Isaac
The Great Thursday
 What Does the Church Do?

During communion, we pray the 11th hour of the
Pascha in the second chorus
• Prophesy from Isaiah 52
– And we saw him but he had no form nor beauty…He was a
man of suffering and acquainted with the bearing of
sickness…He was dishonored and not esteemed. He bears
our sins and is pained for us…He was wounded on account
of our sins, and was bruised because of our iniquities…He
was led as a sheep to the slaughter and as a lamb before the
shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth….
• Gospel from John:13
– And when He had dipped the sop, He gave it to Judas
Iscariot, And after the sop, Satan entered into him
The Eve of the Great Friday
FROM NOW ON:
 We add “The Lord is my strength, my
praise and has become my salvation”
 We read four gospels each hour from
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

Except the first hour where the four
gospels are from John 13-17 (The
Paraclete)
The Eve of the Great Friday
 First Hour


Christ’s last talk with the disciples and
his promise to send the Holy Spirit
His prayer to the Father in John 17
 Third Hour


Christ leaves with the disciples on their
way to Gethemane
Before the cock crow, you shall deny me
three times
The Eve of the Great Friday
 Sixth Hour


Christ prays in Gethemane
while the disciples are asleep
Watch ye and pray, lest you
enter into temptation
 Ninth Hour

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Judas arrives with the soldiers
to arrest Jesus
Peter cut the right ear of the
servant of the high priest
The Eve of the Great Friday
 Eleventh Hour


Psalm: “Why did the heathen rage, and the
nations imagine vain things? The kings of
the earth stood up, and the rulers gathered
themselves together against the Lord, and
against his Christ”
Gospels: First trial in front of the chief
priests and all the council. Peter denies
for three times
The Great Friday
The Great Friday
The Great Friday
 First Hour


Christ is being sent to Pontius
Pilate
Pilate sends Him to Herod
 Psalm

For unjust witnesses have risen up
against me, and injustice has lied
within itself
The Great Friday
 Third Hour

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Christ goes back to Pilate
Pilate sentences him to death
 Prophesies:

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Genesis 48: Jacob blesses
Manasse and Ephraim
Isaiah 63: “Who is this that is
coming from Edom with red
garments from Bosor?”
The Sixth Hour of the Great Friday
 Prophesies

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Numbers 21: The brass serpent
Isaiah 53
Amos 8: The sun shall go down at noon, and
the light shall be darkened on the earth by day
The Sixth Hour of the Great Friday
 HYMNS


TAI SHOREE
VAI ETAV ENF
• This is He who presented upon the
cross, an acceptable sacrifice for the
salvation of our race

Pauline Epistle:
• But God forbid that I shall glory, save in
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ
The Sixth Hour of the Great Friday
 Part from the Agpeya
 O MONO GENEES

O Only Begotten, eternal, and
Immortal Word of God….Holy
Mighty, who by weakness showed
forth what is greater than power.
 AGIOS (sad tune)
 Psalm and Gospel

Lights are off
The Sixth Hour of the Great Friday
 Prayer with the right thief

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Remember me O Lord when
you come into your kingdom
…. O Master ….
…. O Holy-One ...
 End of the Sixth Hour and
lights are back
The Ninth Hour of the Great Friday
 Prophesies

Jeremiah 12, 13: “I as an innocent lamb,
did not know … Come, let us utterly
destroy him from off the land of the living”
 HYMNS



TEE SHOREE
VAI ETAV ENF
Pauline Epistle:
• And being found in fashion as a man,
He humbled Himself, and became
obedient unto death, the death of the
cross
The Ninth Hour of the Great Friday


Part from the Agpeya
Agious
 Thine is the power ….
 Psalm

Save me, O God,for the waters
have come into my soul. I am
stuck fast in deep mire.
 Gospels
The Eleventh Hour of the Great Friday
 Prophesies

Exodus and Leviticus: Passover
 Regular Pascha hour
 Psalm

I spread forth my hands …Into
Your hands, I will commit my
spirit, You have redeemed me, O
Lord God of truth
 Gospels and conclusion
The Twelfth Hour of the Great Friday
 Prophesies


Lamentations of Jeremiah
Jonah
 Psalm 44: The Royal
Tune

Your Throne, O God, is
forever and ever
 Gospels
The Twelfth Hour of the Great Friday
 Exposition and
Litanies
 METANIAS in all
directions
 Procession
 The Burial and
GOLGOTHA
 The Book of Psalms
APOCALYPSE
 Objectives:



Heaven is open, therefore we read the
book of Revelations
Transition between sadness and joy
Let us think about what Christ has done
for us and praise him for that
 We do these in reverse order
APOCALYPSE
 We start with this psalm

I am the youngest among my brethren
and a youth in my father’s house…..My
brothers are handsome and greater than
me and the Lord delighted not in them….
I went out to meet the Palestinian, so he
cursed me by his idols. But I withdrew
his sword that was in his hand and
beheaded him and removed the
reproach from the Israelites: Alleluia
APOCALYPSE
 We pray several parts from midnight
prayer (TASBEHA)
 We read several praises from the Old
and New Testament

Moses, Hannah (mother of Samuel),
Jonah, Isaiah, Daniel, the Three Young
Men in the fire, St Mary, etc.
 We read the story of Susanna (very
Important)
APOCALYPSE
 We pray the first, third, and sixth hour
of Saturday similar to regular pascha


first half with sad tune, second with
annual
Readings: preparations for resurrection
APOCALYPSE
 We read the book of revelation
 Ninth hour
 Holy liturgy
Holy Week is a life-changing experience
 Our attitude has to match that of the church
 Serious, focused. You can sense the level of intensity in the
church prayers.
 Dedication and consecration – business, internet, TV, other
distractions
 Fasting – late hours (evening) – come empty
 Consistency in participating (not attending) – Streaming
 Follow readings – in light of a certain topic
 Follow all hymns – for meditation
(digest)
 Spiritual warfare – stay away from judging
 Silence and solitude
 Repentance and confession
(food)
CONCLUSION
I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH
CHRIST; IT IS NO LONGER I WHO
LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME
GALATIANS 2:20
CONCLUSION
HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE IF
WE NEGLECT SO GREAT
SALVATION?
HEBREW 2:3