1. THE HOLY WEEK
THE HOLY PASCHA

2. Historical Facts The Great Lent The most sacred week of the year
Preparation Week: 7 days
Holy 40 days: 40 days
Lazarus Saturday: 1 day
Holy Pascha Week: 7 days
The most sacred week of the year
Used to be celebrated separate from the great lent until the 2nd century
Pascha = Passover

3. 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 entered the temple and kicked out those who were selling and buying.
Jesus returns back to Bethany

4. PALM SUNDAY What Does the Church Do? Title of the day
“Accepting Christ as a King”
All hymns are in joyful tunes
Procession of the Cross – Morning Incense
The Cross is the sign of His Kingdom
We are invited to accept him as a king in our life.
Palms signify: peace, royalty, strength
12 stations – 12 Gospel

5. PALM SUNDAY What Does the Church Do?
Regular liturgy except we read FOUR gospels

6. PALM SUNDAY What Does the Church Do? The general funeral Prayer:
Participate in the Lord’s death
The church focuses on the Passion of the Lord
The church sets us in the mood of passion week, by accepting the death of Christ in our life – “ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him” (Rom 6:8)

7. PASCHA: GENERAL OUTLINE
Pascha: “Passover”.
The Passing-over of the Angel of death: Exo 12:13
Christ is our Passover
“for indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” 1Cor 5:7
Through Christ’s Blood, we are saved from the devil, the punishment of sin and death

8. PASCHA: GENERAL OUTLINE
We follow the Savior step by step
We pray outside the alter…Why?
All attention is to the passion of our Savior:
No liturgies except….. Why?
No Agpya prayers… Why?
All prayers in a sad tune

9. PASCHA: GENERAL OUTLINE
OVERVIEW ON DAYS
SUN MON TUES WED THUR FRI SAT
P A P A P A P A P A P A P
N D N D N D N D N D N D
MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT
NO LITRUGIES

10. PASCHA: GENERAL OUTLINE
DAILY PRAYERS
DAILY PRAYERS
(e.g. Wednesday)
DAY
(Wednesday morning)
NIGHT
(Tuesday evening)
1ST 3RD 6TH 9TH 11TH
1ST 3RD 6TH 9TH 11TH
Good Friday: 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, 11th, 12th

11. PASCHA: GENERAL OUTLINE
Contents of Each Prayer
Prophecies
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

12. PASCHA: GENERAL OUTLINE
Contents of Each Prayer
A psalm of David
Sad tune
The Holy Gospel
The exposition
End of each night or day:
Litanies
The conclusion (O King of Peace)

13. Monday of the Holy Pascha
What Did Jesus Do?
He left Bethany to the temple in Jerusalem
On the way, He saw a fig tree that has leaves but no fruits. Christ curses the tree saying: No man will eat fruit of you for ever
Jesus spent the day in the temple teaching
The priests try to catch him with a mistake: By what authority do you do these things?
Christ returns back to Bethany

14. Monday of the Holy Pascha
What Does the Church Do?
Title 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!”

15. Tuesday of the Holy Pascha
What Did Jesus Do?
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?
Christ talks about the end of the world and his second coming in detail. He gives a lot of signs for the last day.

16. Tuesday of the Holy Pascha
What Did Jesus Do?
Christ emphasized the need to be always prepared by several proverbs:
The ten virgins
The Talents
The wedding ceremony
Christ returns back to Bethany

17. Tuesday of the Holy Pascha
What Does the Church Do?
Title 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

18. Tuesday of the Holy Pascha
What Does the Church Do?
Very Important: THE ELEVENTH HOUR
CHRIST
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
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

19. 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.

20. Wednesday of the Holy Pascha
What Does the Church Do?
Title of the day:
“WHERE IS MY HEART”
“WHAT WOULD I OFFER TO CHRIST”
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!

21. The Great Thursday What Did Jesus Do?
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

22. The Great Thursday What Does the Church Do? We pray in the sanctuary
We start with the Matin rising of incense
The book of acts: Selecting a new apostle instead of Judas. It is scary!!!!!!
Procession to rebuke Judas (OURSELVES) in the opposite direction

23. 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…”

24. The Great Thursday What Does the Church Do?
The Liturgy of the Blessing of Water
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
Gospel: John 13: Christ washes the feet of the disciples
At the end, the priest washes the feet of the congregation

25. 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
Gospel: Matthew 26: Christ gives his body and blood to the disciples
No prayer of Reconciliation, no commemoration of the saints
Fraction of the Sacrifice of Isaac

26. The Great Thursday What Does the Church Do?
During communion, we pray the 11th hour of the Pascha
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

27. 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 (The Paraclete)

28. 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

29. 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
Judas arrives with the soldiers to arrest Jesus
Peter cut the right ear of the servant of the high priest

30. 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

31. The Great Friday First Hour Third Hour
Christ is being sent to Pontius Pilate
Pilate sends Him to Herod
Third Hour
Christ goes back to Pilate
Pilate sentences him to death

32. The Sixth Hour of the Great Friday
Prophesies
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

33. 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

34. 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

35. The Sixth Hour of the Great Friday
Prayer with the right thief
Remember me O Lord when you come into your kingdom
…. O Master ….
…. O Holy-One ...
End of the Sixth Hour and lights are back

36. The Ninth Hour of the Great Friday
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
Part from the Agpeya
Agious
Psalm and Gospels

37. The Eleventh Hour of the Great Friday
Prophesies
Exodus and Leviticus: Passover
Regular Pascha hour

38. 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

39. The Twelfth Hour of the Great Friday
Exposition and Litanies
METANIAS in all directions
Procession
The Burial and GOLGOTHA
The Book of Psalms

40. 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

41. APOCALYPSE We start with this psalm 151
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

42. APOCALYPSE Layout Praises and prayers of the prophets
Matins’ raising of incense
Prayers of the third and sixth hours
Reading of the book of revelations
Prayers of the ninth hour
The Liturgy

43. APOCALYPSE The first Procession:
Starts with “Let us thank Christ our Lord” hymn of Maran o-onh
This is to proclaim their joy in the Lord’s salvation over Satan (the spiritual Goliath)

44. APOCALYPSE The first Hos: the 1st praise of Moses
This tells the story of the Lord’s deliverance of His people by Moses, through the Red Sea.
This was a symbol of the Lord’s deliverance of Satan (pharaoh) who enslaved us by sin
Called the praise of the Lamb (Rev 15:1-3)

45. APOCALYPSE The 2nd praise of Moses(Deu 32: 1-43)
These are Moses' last words to the children of Israel. In it he reminds them of God’s aid to them and calls them to repent and seek the Lord.
It ends with joy in the his salvation
The church is calling us to repentance so that we may partake of the joy of the Lord’s salvation and enter the heavenly Jerusalem.

46. APOCALYPSE We read several praises from the Old and New Testament
Hannah (mother of Samuel), this is the prayer of thanksgiving of Hannah when she brought her son Samuel into the temple, fulfilling her promise to God
The church likewise thanks God for granting her a Son (Christ) to redeem her from death.

47. APOCALYPSE The prayer of the prophet Daniel
Three young men in the furnace
As the 3 young men were condemned to death, but they came out alive, likewise humanity was condemned to death, but Christ granted it life through his death
Whoever wishes to see the Lord, must pass through the fire of temptations and overcome it with the power of God.

48. APOCALYPSE We read the story of Susanna (very Important)
Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, king Solomon, Baruch, Habakkuk, etc.
We read the story of Susanna (very Important)
As God sent Daniel to save Susanna, God sent his Son Jesus Christ to save everyone

49. APOCALYPSE The 2nd procession: the praise of the three young men
This is a portion of the Praise of Azarius while in the furnace, as he proclaims that he’ll follow the Lord under any condition (even in the furnace)
After the church head all the prayer and praises, it goes around the church assuring the Lord that it will follow him chanting “we follow thee” ten ouweeh enthok “

50. 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

51. APOCALYPSE
We read the book of revelation
Ninth hour
Holy liturgy

52. HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE IF WE NEGLECT SO GREAT SALVATION?
CONCLUSION
HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE IF WE NEGLECT SO GREAT SALVATION?
HEBREW 2:3

53. PASCHA: GENERAL OUTLINE
We pray outside the alter, WHY?
- we were cast outside of the Paradise and remained outside, until the crucifixion
- Christ suffered outside of Jerusalem: “therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” Heb 13:13

54. PASCHA: GENERAL OUTLINE
No liturgies except on Thursday because the Passover lamb was kept for 4 days (Exo 12:3-7)

55. APOCALYPSE
Psalm 151
Tells us the story of David: how God transferred him from poverty to glory
Tells how David transferred the children of Israel from shame to victory and salvation
The church reminds us of how the Lord saved us from spiritual Goliath, which is Satan, whom he slew on the cross.