Dear brothers and sisters,
How wonderful it has been to be blessed with such a buoyant and joyful festive weekend, showing us the glory, divine authority and power of the Saviour before His voluntary passion.
Friday saw us mark the last day of Great Lent with the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts in the Oratory Church, in the very place where we had celebrated the first day of the Fast, which seems to have passed at an unbelievable pace, and the verses on Lord I have cried reminded us that in our service we were beginning the feast of the raising of Lazarus – a day very special to some of us, especially with the wonderful paraliturgical hymn to which we look forward, and which I share in full!
“Rejoice, rejoice, O Bethany! On this day God came to thee, God came to thee; and in Him the dead are made alive, as is right for He is the Life! He is the Life! He is the Life! And in Him the dead are made alive, as is right for He is the Life!
When Martha went to receive Him, grieving loudly with bitter tears, bitter tears, she poured out the sorrow of her heart to Him, with great sadness, wailing her lament. Wailing her lament, wailing her lament. She poured out the sorrow of her heart to Him, with great sadness, wailing her lament.
She at once cried out unto Him, “My most compassionate Lord! My Lord! At the great loss of my brother Lazarus my heart is broken, help me! Help me! Help me! At the great loss of my brother Lazarus my heart is broken, help me!
Jesus said to her, “Cease thy weeping, cease thy grieving and sad lament, sad lament; for thy brother, My most beloved friend Lazarus, very soon will live again! He will live again! He will live again! For thy brother, My most beloved friend Lazarus, very soon will live again!”
Then He, the faithful Redeemer, made His way unto the tomb, unto the tomb, where He cried unto him who was buried four days, calling him forth, saying, “Lazarus, arise! Lazarus, arise! Lazarus, arise!” Where He cried unto him who was buried four days, calling him forth, saying, “Lazarus, arise!
Come with haste, ye two sisters, and behold a wondrous thing, wondrous thing, for thy brother from the tomb has returned to life. To the beloved Redeemer now give thanks! Now give thanks! Now give thanks! For thy brother from the tomb has returned to life. To the beloved Redeemer now give thanks!
To Thee, O Lord of creation, we kneel down in reverence profound, reverence profound; for all we who are dead in sin; in Thee, O Jesus, are made alive! We are made alive! We are made alive! For all we who are dead in sin; in Thee, O Jesus, are made alive!
Rejoice, rejoice, O Bethany! On this day God came to thee, God came to thee; and in Him the dead are made alive, as is right for He is the Life! He is the Life! He is the Life! And in Him the dead are made alive, as is right for He is the Life!”
In our joyful celebration of the raising of Lazarus in Warminster, and our first service for the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem in Tremorfa, we have celebrated the Divine Sovereignty of the Lord, the Creator and Life-Giver, before His self-emptying and self-effacing love is embodied in His suffering and death, and before the Life-Giving Resurrection to which Lazarus’s own arising points.
Our Warminster Liturgy saw Cardiff parishioners join their brothers and sisters in Wessex, and we were glad to congratulate Lazarus on what we have come to treat as has nameday, as well as George on his baptismal anniversary, singing many years for them, as well as for Isaiah and Seraphim, who also celebrated their baptismal anniversaries.
Arriving in Tremorfa on Palm Sunday was far from ideal, but it was, nevertheless, a blessing to celebrate our entrance to St Philip’s on the feast of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem.
It was good that so many people confessed and communed on Palm Sunday, and lovely to be able to gather the children before the icons at the end of Liturgy and talk about the joy of the raising of Lazarus, the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem, and how the events of the coming week will not only show His love for us, but will all be done to open heaven to God’s children, through the Saviour’s own glorious resurrection.
The layout of St Philip’s brought us all closer together and allowed for a more intimate celebration of the Liturgy, and though rather bare, it remains a setting in which to create an Orthodox place of prayer and worship, hence our encouraging everyone to share ideas of ways to do this.
This evening saw the mood of the Church change as we entered the solemnity of Holy Week, with the bringing out of the icon of Christ, the Bridegroom, arrayed in the purple robe of mockery and humiliation for our salvation and heavenly-calling, as we chanted in the praises,
As the Lord went to His voluntary Passion, He said to His apostles on the way: “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be betrayed, as it is written of Him.” Come, then, and let us also journey with Him, purified in mind; let us be crucified with Him and die for His sake to the pleasures of this life, that we may also live with Him and hear Him say: “No longer do I ascend to the earthly Jerusalem to suffer, but I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God; and I shall raise you up to the Jerusalem on High in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Bride-Groom Matins will also be chanted in Father Luke’s chapel at 19:00 tonight and tomorrow.
We will celebrate the Lord’s Passion and resurrection in St Philip’s, and for convenience will repeat our schedule.
- Wednesday 16/04/25 at 18:30 – The Service of the Oil (Holy Unction) / ПоследованиеСвятаго Елея. Those who are to be anointed with Holy Unction should be of confessing age and have made a recent confession. Please be aware that we are only to be anointed once a year.
- Thursday 17/04/25 – Holy Thursday at 18:30 – Matins : The Service of the Twelve Passion Gospels / Утреня 12 чтений из Св Евангелия
- Friday 18/04/25 – Holy Friday at 15:00 – Vespers (the taking out of the Shroud) / Вечерня (вынос Плащаницы). 18:30 – Matins (the burial rite) / Утреня (чин погребения).
- Saturday 19/04/25 Pascha Night (Saturday into Sunday) 23:30 – Midnight Office, Matins, Paschal Liturgy / Полунощница, Утреня, Божественная Литургия. Following Liturgy we will bless Paschal eggs and food.
- Sunday 20/04/25 – Pascha – NO LITURGY at 09:00, but the Paschal Hours with Holy Communion for parishioners who cannot attend the night service. In a change of schedule. Paschal Agape Vespers will now be chanted in St Philip’s, at 11:00. As I will already be communing parishioners after the Paschal Hours, we will take the opportunity to sit down for a cup of tea and something to eat after the Hours, and then chant vespers before we pack our things away.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the additional collection for the Holy Land. Our Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russian has had a special place in the Holy Land since the revolution, continuing the legacy of the Imperial period. Despite the forced-seizure of some of the key holy places by the then separate Moscow Patriarchate in the 1990’s, our clergy and monastics still maintain a prayerful presence at places central to the events of our celebrations this week. Every penny will make a difference, not only for the holy places, but also for the suffering and marginalised local Christians who are supported by our presence. If anyone else wishes to contribute, please pass offerings to Father Mark the Younger. May God bless you all!
Asking your forgiveness for Christ’s sake.
May God bless you in this solemn week.
Hieromonk Mark
