In The Selfless Way of Christ, Henri Nouwen describes how tied our lives are to the Christ-event,
What is truly taking place in our lives is not determined by random ups and downs of our personal and communal lives, but rather by the events of Christ's life being realized among us in and through the church.Nowhere in the Coptic Orthodox tradition is this experienced more fully than during Holy Week (Holy Pascha) following the Great Lent which ends today. We follow the events that happened during this week in real time:
It is Advent, Christ is coming;That is what is truly happening! All other events -- personal, social, or political -- derive their meaning from the Christ-event.
it is Christmas, Christ is being born;
it is Lent, Christ is suffering;
it is Holy Week, Christ is dying;
it is Easter, Christ is risen;
it is Pentecost, Christ is sending his Spirit.
On Palm Sunday, we follow the Lord Christ on His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We then follow the Lord Christ on His way to the Cross through the Passover or Holy Pascha, the Passover that the children of Israel were commnded to keep in remembrance of the Lord passing them over in the last plague against the Egyptians . . . passing them over because of the lamb's blood on their doors. It is the Passover that foretells of the sacrifice of the Lord Christ on the Cross, that we may be passed over in the final judgement.
The Holy Pascha readings follow the older reckoning of days. On what we would normally term as Sunday evening, we find the beginning of Monday with Monday Evening. Mornings and evenings throughout Holy Week are steaped in prayer and worship. The path of Christ to the Cross is experienced through prophetic readings from the Old Testament, interpretations and meditations from the early Christian fathers, and readings from the New Testament in which the prophecies are fulfilled.
On Holy Thursday we learn of the betrayal kiss of Judas, who was one of the disciples, performed miracles, and, yet, he fell, setting the Lord on the path to the Cross. Oh Lord, that You would give us the strength to be firm in our faith and not betray You! Thursday is also the day in which the Lord washes the feet of the Apostles, teaching them that true leadership is to serve with a heart of humility. Holy Thursday is sometimes referred to as Covenant Thursday, as it is when the Lord declared the new covenant with the Last Supper, the Passover meal that declares the new Passover.
On Good Friday, we follow the Lord as he is tortured and crucified, those same voices who heralded His entry into Jerusalem, now condemn Him to death. The services end as Joseph of Arimathea takes Christ's body down from the Cross to bind in linens and spices and place in Joseph's tomb (see John 19:38-41).
On Bright Saturday, we sit outside Christ's tomb from midnight to early Saturday morning readings from prophecies, the New Testament and all of the Book of Revelations, culminating in an early morning Liturgy.
If you want to learn more about how the Coptic Church celebrates Easter, Premier Christian Media has produced a wonderful presentation called A Very Coptic Easter or follow the Coptic experience as they trend #CopticPascha on Twitter.Then later on Saturday, Sunday evening by the old reckoning, a lovely Liturgical service from 7pm to midnight during the peak of which the lights are dimmed and with a loud noise, the seal of the Tomb is broken and Christ is Risen!!! , Death is defeated and the Feast of the Ressurrection on Easter Sunday is celebrated!!!
For my Western Christian friends, I mourn the passing of Christ with you this Good Friday, for my Jewish friends, I wish you a blessed Passover, for my Orthodox friends, well you know, Thok, te ti gom . . .
References:
- The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life
by Henri Nouwen (UK
)
- Holy Pascha Readings on Amazon (US
, UK
) - also available on Kindle in both countries!!
- A Guide to Holy Pascha
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