We experienced a beautiful service on Holy Saturday. We had the Holy Saturday Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil celerated at 10:00. Unfortunately, no baptisms or chrismations of catechumens - that was done on Palm Sunday for some reason. Not quite as majestic or fitting as if they had been performed on Holy Saturday.
However, what was absolutely beautiful, humbling and moving was how the liturgy was celebrated on Saturday morning. In stead of celebrating the liturgy on the altar, the liturgy was celebrated on the tomb in the middle of the nave. So at the great entrance, the gifts came down from the prothesis table and were placed on the tomb in the middle of the Church. The entire liturgy was celebrated on the tomb in the midst of everybody. It was the most profound liturgical image of the Word's divine condescension and self-emptying I have ever experienced.
Here in the nave, as in the midst of the world, the Lord himself is crucified and tastes death in the flesh for the salvation of humankind, lies dead for 3 days and in the midst of this death, God and his life still reigns and sustains. Here, in the midst of the us sinners, Jesus Christ lies as a lifeless corpse in a tomb and we celebrate the eucharist on that tomb thus proclaiming the life bearing death of God become man.
There was something about celebrating his life giving death in the middle of the nave that pierced the heart and brought tears to many in the Church. It is a wonderful tradition and one that deserves to be seen and maybe even practised in more places because of what it communicates - here, in the midst of the world, Christ died for us while we were yet sinners and in that death and among us sinners, Christ gives himself to us.
I sincerely hope this tradition spreads to other places. I have been told that some parishes do this as a teaching tool for the laity (which I'm a bit skeptical of) on different days during the year but at our aprish it was not a teaching tool but a powerful liturgical image difficult to adequately express in words.
However, what was absolutely beautiful, humbling and moving was how the liturgy was celebrated on Saturday morning. In stead of celebrating the liturgy on the altar, the liturgy was celebrated on the tomb in the middle of the nave. So at the great entrance, the gifts came down from the prothesis table and were placed on the tomb in the middle of the Church. The entire liturgy was celebrated on the tomb in the midst of everybody. It was the most profound liturgical image of the Word's divine condescension and self-emptying I have ever experienced.
Here in the nave, as in the midst of the world, the Lord himself is crucified and tastes death in the flesh for the salvation of humankind, lies dead for 3 days and in the midst of this death, God and his life still reigns and sustains. Here, in the midst of the us sinners, Jesus Christ lies as a lifeless corpse in a tomb and we celebrate the eucharist on that tomb thus proclaiming the life bearing death of God become man.
There was something about celebrating his life giving death in the middle of the nave that pierced the heart and brought tears to many in the Church. It is a wonderful tradition and one that deserves to be seen and maybe even practised in more places because of what it communicates - here, in the midst of the world, Christ died for us while we were yet sinners and in that death and among us sinners, Christ gives himself to us.
I sincerely hope this tradition spreads to other places. I have been told that some parishes do this as a teaching tool for the laity (which I'm a bit skeptical of) on different days during the year but at our aprish it was not a teaching tool but a powerful liturgical image difficult to adequately express in words.
posted by Enthymemosis at 9:18 p.m.
4 Comments:
beautiful! I wonder if we could get fr. innovator, I mean, fr. lawrence to do that...
ha! fr. innovator. good one. i think you DEAR fr. innovator er i mean dear Fr. Lawrence to do it. You guys might not have enough space to do it but it sure is worth it. i mean ... as a liturgical event within the symbolic sytem of orthodox liturgical worship it is simply the most profound image of divine sacrifice i have experienced.
yes, dear fr. whatsisname. our precious leader. good to read your thoughts, wherever they pop up.
man, more good thoughts on G's blog. miss you guys. hopefully I will come and visit in the fall when I defend...
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