The Great Lenten Pilgrimage 2024, to the Empty Tomb
By the grace of God, we are once again set, to enter into the 50 days, ‘Great Lent’ – the biggest of the 5 canonical fasts of the Holy Church that leads us to greatest episode of memory of Christ’s Resurrection (Kymtho), the center of the liturgical year in the Orthodox Church. The Great Lent commemorates the forty days fast of our LORD, followed by the days of His passion. It is a season of renewal, through the various experiences of the Great Lent, refreshing by humility, purifying by abstinence, and strengthening by prayer. The Great Lent of seven weeks is a long journey to help keep us focused, commanded by the Church every year as this journey prepares us to greet the Feast of Christ’s Resurrection. Lent should bring religion into daily life like a bloodstream in the body of daily behavior. The Season of Lent is appointed by the Church as a time for change, prayer, penance and fasting, giving, forgiving, and healing.
The centre of the liturgical year in the Orthodox Church is Kymtha, the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection, (Hebrew, Aramaic – Pascha) the greatest of the feasts, Feasts of feasts and Triumph of triumphs. Justifiably so, for as the Apostle Paul declares, “if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (I Cor. 15: 14). The sense of Resurrection Joy forms the foundation of all the worship of the Orthodox Church. This is the goal of our life-long spiritual journey, a journey from death to life, from darkness to light – a restoration to paradise from which we have departed. Fasting, repentance and prayers are observed to enable the weak and the sinful, to prepare and present themselves unto the Mighty, Divine presence and Holiness of the Almighty God.
The Great Lent combines both fasting (upavaasam) and dietary restrictions (nombu). Dietary restrictions, as understood here, refers to avoiding fish, meat, wine, eggs, and dairy products. According to the Hudaya Canon (Ch. 5: 1), fasting during the Great Lent is up to the ninth hour (3 p.m.) on weekdays, and till noon (12 p.m.) on Saturdays and Sundays. Nursing mothers, the sick, the very aged and the infirm have been exempted from these requirements.
The Great Lent begins on the Sunday Evening, (not as in the Western Church on Ash Wednesday) of the Kothine or Cana Sunday, exactly 49 days before Resurrection Sunday. Resurrection Sunday is a movable feast of the Holy Church, therefore, the Great Lent does not have a fixed date of commencement. As per the Syriac tradition, since the day begins in the evening, observation of lent should begin with the Lenten prayers of vespers (ramsho in Syriac) of the Cana Sunday. The Great Lent lasts all of 49 days, including the Passion Week, and concludes with the Holy Qurbana on Resurrection Sunday on the 50th day.
After having gone through the 18 days before the Great Lent, that has been kept separate and set apart by the Church Fathers to prepare, the actual preparation of the Lent begins on the ‘Kothine’ or ‘Pethratho’ Sunday. Today, first day of the Great Lent is known as Kothine in Syriac and Pethoortha in Malayalam. Pethoortha literally means ‘looking back’. The day’s Gospel reading is to remember the first Sign of our LORD, i.e., water turned into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee (Jn, 2: 1-11). It denotes that a complete change in life, like the water changing into wine, among members of the Church through fasting during Lent and participating in the passions of our Lord.
Shubhkono
The beginning of the Great Lent is beckoned by the Shubhkono service, held on the very first day Monday of the Great Lent. This special ‘Shubokono’ service on Monday, known as for penitence and pardon. we seek reconciliation, as a basic requisite to our renewal. This is a service of preparation and forgiveness, marked by forty days of prostrations and the kiss of peace. Each Sunday of the Great Lent is arranged to reflect on one of the miracles performed by Our Lord. The Lents come to be effective by Sunday evening. Lent begins on Monday, (not as in the Western Church on Ash Wednesday). Instead we conduct a special service on Monday, known as “Shubokono” for penitence and pardon. Shubokono, meaning ‘Reconciliation’ is the gate we enter into Great Lent.’
The seven week journey has eight Sundays in this Lenten season. Each Sunday concentrates on one miracle/event/sign and points to the significance of Christ’s work of salvation among men. The Church invites her children to renew the experience of this salvation. All the miracles and events denote that a complete change in the life among members of the Church through fasting and participation in the passions of our Lord.
The second Sunday is to remember the healing of the leper ‘Garbho’ (Lk 5:12-16). Jesus touched the leper and cleansed him, thus transforming a lifeless person. Let Jesus’ touch, cleanse us. On the third Sunday remember the paralytic ‘Smariyo’ Mk 2:1-12, telling us not lie down immersed and soaked in sin, asking Jesus to cure us of our spiritual paralysis. Then comes the fourth Sunday of healing the demon possessed daughter of the Canaanite women ‘Knanitho’ (Mt 15:21-30). She prayed with great faith in Him, until she got the answer. Prayer is persistence and struggle.
On the 25th day of the Lent, which we call as ‘Mid Lent’, along with the Holy Communion service, we erect a decorative cross at the center of the Church because: (i) This reminds us the brazen serpent erected by Moses in the desserts that people could look at it and escape from snakebites (Numbers 21:8-9). It was a message to the coming generation Jn 3: 14 cf. Jn 12: 32 (ii) Decoration shows the outfitting of our LORD. Mt 27: 29; Jn 19: 17; Is 63: 1 compare with Lk 8: 43. Therefore we kiss the decorative ‘Gogultha’ and signed the cross. This adoration of the cross is to help us in strengthening and refreshing our spiritual life.
On the fifth Sunday of the Lent, we remember the healing of the bent woman ‘Kpiptho’ (Lk 13:10-17), Spiritual bent cannot see things above, nothing divine, but only self, own wealth, prestige, personal care and concern. Go to church for healing and blessing, as a way to heaven and to avoid hell. On the sixth Sunday that of the blind man ‘Samiyo’ (Jn 9:1-14). The blind man believed, obeyed and was blessed. God calls us to open our spiritual eyes. On the 36th day of the Lent, we also observe our Church Day, i.e., the Catholicate Day with special programs, parades, public meetings, and the like. On the fortieth day that falls on a Friday which marks the end of the forty days of fasting, we do have communion service. The next day we commemorate the resurrection of Lazarus (Jn. 11:28-46), where in our LORD showed His divine power to the people before His own suffering and death, thus assuring them of His own resurrection, and of all the faithful departed. On the seventh Sunday we remember the triumphal entry of our LORD into Jerusalem (Jn. 12:12-19), where the children called out “Hosanna”.
Passion Week or Holy Week
The rest of the week is called “Passion week”. The crux and essence of prayers of a year, is the Prayers of the Passion Week. The prayers of the Passion Week begin with vespers on the evening of Hosanna Sundays. The service of the Church during this week follows the story of the passion of our LORD honoring the event of the last week of our Savior’s Crucifixion. The Holy Week is a special Fast in honor of our Lord’s Suffering and Passion and lasts from the evening of Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday. Holy Thursday: (Passover; Pesahaha; Maundy Thursday), we commemorate the LORD’s Supper, and all faithful members of the Church is supposed to receive Holy Communion on this day. Bishops conduct feet washing ceremony on Thursday afternoon, signifying the washing of the disciple’s feet by our Lord Jesus. Good Friday: This is the day of crucifixion.of our Lord. We have service throughout the day till evening. Holy (Great) Saturday is the day we wait in anticipation. This is the day of announcing the gospel to the departed.
Resurrection
This is our Feast of Feasts when we celebrate the Resurrection of our LORD from the tomb. It is the most important holy feast day of our Church.
Holy Qurbana, Prayers and Prostrations
Holy Qurbana during the Great Lent is restricted to Saturdays and Sundays with the exception of mid-lent Wednesday, the Annunciation to St Mary, 40th Day of Lent, and Passover. Services without Holy Qurbana during the Great Lent are Shubhkono and Vaade Dalmeeno (the Monday of Passion Week). Both are conducted by the celebrant from the chancel table (Namaskaram Mehsa). Holy Qurbana will be celebrated on March 25 (the Annunciation to St Mary) even if that day happens to be Good Friday. The annunciation to St Mary is a fixed feast and is always celebrated on March 25. Other days of note during the Great Lent are Catholicate Day (celebrated on the 36th day of the Great Lent, which is a Sunday), Saturday of Lazarus (the day before Palm Sunday) and Saturday of Good Tidings or Holy Saturday.
Noon prayers during the weekdays of the Great Lent are marked by forty prostrations. This is done in four sets of 10 prostrations. The first set is done to the accompanying chant of ‘Kurielaison’. The second set is done to the accompanying chant of Lord have mercy upon us (Njangalude karthaave njangaludemel anugraham cheyyaname). The third set is done to the accompanying chant of Lord be kind and have mercy upon us (Njangalude karthaave krupayundaayi njangaludemel anugraham cheyyaname). And the fourth and final set is done to the accompanying chant of Lord accept our entreaties and have mercy upon us (Njangalude karthaave utharamarulicheythu njangaludemel anugraham cheyyaname).
The prayers of the Passion Week are to be followed from the evening worship of Monday, as in the Orthodox tradition, a prayer day begins on the evening of the previous calendar day. These prayers contain lengthy supplication and meditation. Each prayer is composed in such a manner that the believers would experience the suffering and Crucifixion of Jesus directly. Since the prayers are lengthy, they are recited at the specified Canonical Hours, at the most clubbed together as three “hours” of worship as followed during lent. In homes, Canonical prayers must be recited thrice a day – three ‘hours’ of worship – evening (vespers), noon and morning (matins) during the Great Lent. Great Lent prayers are marked by prostrations. This is done by kneeling down, touching the ground with the forehead, then standing up and making the sign of the Cross.
The 40 prostrations for the noon prayers are not required for Mid-Lent Wednesday, 40th day Friday and for noon prayers during the Passion Week of the Great Lent. There will be no Kiss of Peace (kaikasthoori), benedictions (samadhanam) during the Holy Qurbana, or kissing of the celebrant’s hand (kaimuthu) during Passion Week. Neither are the sacramental fans (marhawsa) used or the bells rung during Passion Week. The Kiss of Peace and kissing of the celebrant’s hand are, however, restored on the Saturday of Good Tidings. Prostrations in general during prayers are not done on Sundays of the Great Lent, and after the Holy Qurbana on Mid-Lent Wednesday and Maundy Thursday (Passover).
Normally the Chancel of the Holy of Holies remains veiled. The chanced is unveiled only during the Holy Eucharist on Monday, Thursday at the time of the Adoration of the Holy cross on Good Friday. On all other occasions the offices are performed on the table of prayer in the Alb, with the Golgotha erected at its front.
On other days (like Saturdays) during the Great Lent, those who have partaken the Holy Sacraments should not do prostrations until vespers on that day. Hoping and praying that above summary is helpful for all during the Great Lent.
We faithful look ahead to Kymtho, the Great Feast of the Light. Lent commemorates the forty days fast of our LORD, followed by the days of His passion. The sense of resurrection joy is the only basis for our Christian life and hope; and stays at the foundation of all the worship of the Orthodox Church.
References:
Sabha Encyclopaedia
Shushroosha Samvidhana Sahayi
Hudaya Canon
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