April 2014 Pastoral Message
Христос посеред нас! Christ is amongst us!
In a few short weeks we will be drawing near to the end of our Lenten journey as we celebrate Holy week. Holy week leads us to the Resurrection of Christ and teaches us a different aspect of Christ’s passion. The very first thing we celebrate in Holy Week is Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday celebrates Christ’s coming into Jerusalem, and is considered one of the twelve major feasts. The special feature on this day is that after the matins service the consecration of palm branches occurs. In the Ukrainian Orthodox tradition the consecration usually occurs after the Divine Liturgy and Pussy Willows are consecrated because there were no palm branches in Ukraine. Palm Sunday is not just about the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem, it also refers to us as Christians having to be prepared to receive Christ into our lives, and accept His will is supreme over us.Holy Monday
The next thing we encounter in Holy Week is Holy Monday. This day is about the announcing of the second coming of the Son of man that he will come again to judge us all accordingly. On Palm Sunday we saw the entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem and our acceptance to receive Him. Now on Holy Monday we receive him into our souls, which reveal humility and tenderness. The church contemplates on Holy Monday the second coming of Christ and how it will be more “like a sudden and violent catastrophe.”
Holy Tuesday
On Holy Tuesday we are no longer contemplating the second coming, but we are dealing with the judgment that He will exercise over man. The theme to Holy Monday was the sudden and terrifying nature of the second coming, whereas on Tuesday the readings and theme emphasizes that for us to have good judgments before Christ, we must be ready and prepared for the second coming.
Holy Wednesday
The readings and themes of Holy Wednesday create a contrast between the two types of followers of Christ we can be and choose to be. When Christ and the Disciples were in Bethany, a woman came to Christ and placed precious ointments on Jesus to cool him down and soothe him. Judas chastised the woman and Christ saying that the ointment could have brought in a great deal of money for the poor. Christ however knew that Judas was not speaking out of true care for the poor but out of jealousy. Christ emphasizes that there will always be the poor and suffering in the world, but He is here for a short time, and that while He is here we should learn as much as possible from Him, and care for Him. Holy Wednesday emphasizes that we can either be the kind of follower like Judas, or like the woman with the ointment.
Holy Thursday
Throughout the week we have contemplated the reception of Christ, the second coming, our judgment, and the way we should follow Christ. Liturgically speaking, Holy Thursday takes us from the last supper, to Gethsemane, all the way to Christ’s death on the Cross, by the readings of the twelve gospels. On this day we contemplate the betrayal of Judas as we look at the fact that he had been leading up to betrayal even before seeing the Pharisees. The twelve gospels emphasize the different aspects of the betrayal of Christ, by Judas. The greater aspect that we face on this day is the mystery of the upper room. This is where the last supper occurred and Christ offered to all of us His Body and Blood as a sacrifice.
Holy Friday
After following Christ to the upper room on Holy Thursday, we now on Holy Friday follow Him up to Golgotha. As a humble monk of our church states “we follow Him, not as Peter followed Him, from ‘afar off… to see the end, but as His mother, as John and the holy women, who did not abandon Him.” The Fast of Great and Holy Friday is the strictest fast day of the year: even those who have not kept a strict Lenten fast are strongly urged not to eat on this day. Holy Friday hits us hard with the fact that Christ went through the passions willingly; he was nailed to the cross, humiliated, beaten, and died willingly. We are also confronted that he did this not for His own personal gain, but for us and our salvation.
Holy Saturday
The last day of Holy Week is Holy Saturday, and on this we remember the Myrrh-Bearing women who come to the tomb to anoint Christ’s body and find an angel sitting on the rolled over stone. The angel tells them that Christ has risen, and to go and tell the apostles. Liturgically speaking this day is one of the most complex days of the year. It participates in both the sorrow of the passions which we see throughout Holy Week, and the joy and praise of the Resurrection. This is why by the end of Holy Saturday we are preparing the procession to around the church to the doors to symbolize the walk that the Myrrh-bearing women took before they discovered Christ resurrected.
As we draw near to the Resurrection of our Lord and God and Savior Christ, may the days of Holy Week serve as a reminder of how much love, grace, and mercy God has for all of us. On behalf of Dobrodiyka Erin, Noah, Finn and myself, I embrace and greet all of you during the time of glorious celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord. Our fervent prayer is that all of your shadows will be transformed in the light of Christ’s Resurrection and that the peace of God the Father will help you safely are tribulations and trials.
Yours In Christ,
Fr. Peter Haugen
In a few short weeks we will be drawing near to the end of our Lenten journey as we celebrate Holy week. Holy week leads us to the Resurrection of Christ and teaches us a different aspect of Christ’s passion. The very first thing we celebrate in Holy Week is Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday celebrates Christ’s coming into Jerusalem, and is considered one of the twelve major feasts. The special feature on this day is that after the matins service the consecration of palm branches occurs. In the Ukrainian Orthodox tradition the consecration usually occurs after the Divine Liturgy and Pussy Willows are consecrated because there were no palm branches in Ukraine. Palm Sunday is not just about the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem, it also refers to us as Christians having to be prepared to receive Christ into our lives, and accept His will is supreme over us.Holy Monday
The next thing we encounter in Holy Week is Holy Monday. This day is about the announcing of the second coming of the Son of man that he will come again to judge us all accordingly. On Palm Sunday we saw the entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem and our acceptance to receive Him. Now on Holy Monday we receive him into our souls, which reveal humility and tenderness. The church contemplates on Holy Monday the second coming of Christ and how it will be more “like a sudden and violent catastrophe.”
Holy Tuesday
On Holy Tuesday we are no longer contemplating the second coming, but we are dealing with the judgment that He will exercise over man. The theme to Holy Monday was the sudden and terrifying nature of the second coming, whereas on Tuesday the readings and theme emphasizes that for us to have good judgments before Christ, we must be ready and prepared for the second coming.
Holy Wednesday
The readings and themes of Holy Wednesday create a contrast between the two types of followers of Christ we can be and choose to be. When Christ and the Disciples were in Bethany, a woman came to Christ and placed precious ointments on Jesus to cool him down and soothe him. Judas chastised the woman and Christ saying that the ointment could have brought in a great deal of money for the poor. Christ however knew that Judas was not speaking out of true care for the poor but out of jealousy. Christ emphasizes that there will always be the poor and suffering in the world, but He is here for a short time, and that while He is here we should learn as much as possible from Him, and care for Him. Holy Wednesday emphasizes that we can either be the kind of follower like Judas, or like the woman with the ointment.
Holy Thursday
Throughout the week we have contemplated the reception of Christ, the second coming, our judgment, and the way we should follow Christ. Liturgically speaking, Holy Thursday takes us from the last supper, to Gethsemane, all the way to Christ’s death on the Cross, by the readings of the twelve gospels. On this day we contemplate the betrayal of Judas as we look at the fact that he had been leading up to betrayal even before seeing the Pharisees. The twelve gospels emphasize the different aspects of the betrayal of Christ, by Judas. The greater aspect that we face on this day is the mystery of the upper room. This is where the last supper occurred and Christ offered to all of us His Body and Blood as a sacrifice.
Holy Friday
After following Christ to the upper room on Holy Thursday, we now on Holy Friday follow Him up to Golgotha. As a humble monk of our church states “we follow Him, not as Peter followed Him, from ‘afar off… to see the end, but as His mother, as John and the holy women, who did not abandon Him.” The Fast of Great and Holy Friday is the strictest fast day of the year: even those who have not kept a strict Lenten fast are strongly urged not to eat on this day. Holy Friday hits us hard with the fact that Christ went through the passions willingly; he was nailed to the cross, humiliated, beaten, and died willingly. We are also confronted that he did this not for His own personal gain, but for us and our salvation.
Holy Saturday
The last day of Holy Week is Holy Saturday, and on this we remember the Myrrh-Bearing women who come to the tomb to anoint Christ’s body and find an angel sitting on the rolled over stone. The angel tells them that Christ has risen, and to go and tell the apostles. Liturgically speaking this day is one of the most complex days of the year. It participates in both the sorrow of the passions which we see throughout Holy Week, and the joy and praise of the Resurrection. This is why by the end of Holy Saturday we are preparing the procession to around the church to the doors to symbolize the walk that the Myrrh-bearing women took before they discovered Christ resurrected.
As we draw near to the Resurrection of our Lord and God and Savior Christ, may the days of Holy Week serve as a reminder of how much love, grace, and mercy God has for all of us. On behalf of Dobrodiyka Erin, Noah, Finn and myself, I embrace and greet all of you during the time of glorious celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord. Our fervent prayer is that all of your shadows will be transformed in the light of Christ’s Resurrection and that the peace of God the Father will help you safely are tribulations and trials.
Yours In Christ,
Fr. Peter Haugen
