Rating: 6,1|Votes: 7
The services of Passion Week are a musical feast for the ears and the soul. Russian liturgical tradition is rich in special melodies for certain hymns of this most important week of the liturgical year, and if the services are also sung by a good choir, they are that much more memorable.The Sretensky Monastery in Moscow is fortunate to have a world famous male choir singing at all of these beautiful services. We would like to share some highlights of this singing with our English language readers, and have therefore provided the English texts to match the hymns.
Fr. Peter Orfanakos
Rating: 7,4|Votes: 7
Each day of Holy Week has its own particular theme. The theme of Monday is that of the barren fig tree which yields no fruit and is condemned. On Tuesday the theme is on the vigilance of the wise virgins who, unlike their foolish sisters, were ready when the Lord came to them.
St. Luke, Archbishop of Crimea
Aren’t there in the life of our days also many visitations of God, which we do not notice, or do not admit that they serve for our peace and salvation?The days of our visitation by the Holy Spirit are manifold and diverse.
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
Rating: 6|Votes: 2
Nothing embitters a person so much as a lost, a disappointed hope; and that explains why people who could receive Him like that, who witnessed the raising of Lazarus, who saw Christ’s miracles and heard His teaching, admired every word, who were ready to become His disciples as long as He brought victory, broke away from Him, turned their backs on Him and a few days later shouted, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.”
St. John Chrysostom
Rating: 1|Votes: 1
Many men, when they see any of those who are pleasing to God suffering anything terrible, as, for instance, having fallen into sickness, or poverty, and any other the like, are offended, not knowing that to those especially dear to God it belongeth to endure these things; since Lazarus also was one of the friends of Christ, and was sick.