Assumption of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Denver

“Behold the Bridegroom comes in the midst of the night and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching..”

Holy Week in the Orthodox Church is a holy time set apart for the faithful to travel with the Lord of Life from Bethany and the raising of Lazarus from the dead and through the gates of Jerusalem at His triumphal entry into the city and the place of His life-giving and voluntary Passion and His glorious third-day Resurrection which we will witness at Pascha. It is also a time for repentance, for receiving the sacrament of holy confession, for the shedding of tears over our sins and transgressions, and for allowing the merciful grace of God to sweep clean the dark places of our hearts and to fill us with His light! And while this is very good news for some it must be admitted that it is not such good news for others. For just as there were at least two types of people who tracked the events of Holy Week in Jerusalem amidst the flurry of activity surrounding the Lord, there are also two types of people in the world today who observe the events and services of Holy Week in the Orthodox Church; Pilgrims and Tourists. Pilgrims are those who, like the Virgin Mary and St. John the Beloved, are invested in the Passion of the Lord and who willingly suffer with Him, gladly submitting to the same indignities and cruel mockings that Jesus suffered for us. Pilgrims are those who stand nearby the foot of the Cross and gaze in wonder at the love of a God so vast that it submits even to the ignominy of a cruel public death for our sake and for our salvation. But tourists are those who have nothing invested, who look on with amusement and disdain, and who quickly shrug and go back to their lives once the “show” is over. But Jesus calls us into the communion of His love not merely as onlookers and tourists but as sons of God, joint-heirs with Him in the blessings of God, and as Pilgrims traveling on the road to our heavenly Jerusalem. The Lamb of God pours out His life-blood on Golgotha not for our entertainment but for our salvation. And regardless of the extent to which we have or have not participated in the Lenten journey this year, Holy Week beckons us to put aside, for a few short days, the mindless distractions of everyday life to serve the Lord and to pursue something higher. May we not let slip this blessed opportunity to be with the Lord Jesus Christ this Holy Week and Pascha! Instead, let us suffer with Him that we might also live in Him!

Kalo Pascha,

Rev. Economos Apostolos Hill, Dean