Anglicans world-wide mark Holy Week and Easter
Posted On : March 13, 2008 4:37 PM | Posted By : Admin ACO Related Categories: ACO
ACNS: 4378
[ACNS Special Report] Anglicans/Episcopalians around the world will join with other Christians in observing the most solemn time in the church's calendar, Holy Week, beginning Sunday, 16 March. The week marks the last days in the life of Christ and celebrates his glorious resurrection in the Easter Triduum (Three Days).
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will give lectures on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Holy Week at Westminster Abbey following Evensong. He will preside at the Chrism Eucharist and other services in his diocese and celebrate and preach Easter Day in the cathedral.
ACNS shares here the explanation of Holy Week rites and services as found on the excellent website of St Francis Episcopal Church, San Jose, California, USA.
ACNS would appreciate stories and photos of Holy Week observances from around the Communion from previous years or the current year. Editor: jim.rosenthal@aco.org
Observances vary in our churches and from Prayer Book to Prayer Book.
From the website of St Francis Church with notes from ACNS' Editor
Holy Week
The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
Holy Week begins with the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday. The dual, schizophrenic nature of the liturgy is evident from its title. A special liturgy begins with a procession of the congregation and the blessing of the palms, commemorating the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The Gospel reading is the complete story of the Passion. The service underlines the contrast between the crowd's joyous greeting of their king and then their condemnation of him-the contrast between shouts of "Hosanna" and "Crucify him!"
Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross
The term "Stations of the Cross" refers both to a series of fourteen representations of events on Christ's journey to the Cross and the popular devotion of passing before them in meditation on Christ's sacrifice. The devotion reflects the practice of pilgrims to Jerusalem who, from earliest times to the current day, have followed the way of the Cross from the house of Pilate to Calvary and wished to re-enact this journey on their return home.
The traditional pilgrimage route in Jerusalem starts at the site of Pilate's Judgement Hall in the Antonia and follows the Via Dolorosa through the narrow streets of Old Jerusalem to come to the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre on Calvary Hill. When the Franciscans received custody of the holy places in medieval times, they encouraged the erection of tableaux in their own churches depicting the sacrificial journey. The custom spread widely to other churches.
The content and number of the stations has varied widely throughout the ages, but the number was settled as fourteen under Clement XII in the 18th century. Eight of the stations directly reflect incidents recorded in the Gospels; the remaining six are based on inferences from the Gospel or from pious legend. With the recovered theology of the paschal mystery stressing the integral unity of Christ's death and resurrection, a fifteenth station representing the resurrection has frequently been added to the series.
Stations of the Cross may be part of a devotion at any time, and particularly during Holy Week, particularly on Palm Sunday or Good Friday.
An online Way of the Cross Devotion and photo tour of the Via Dolorosa was created in 1996 by St. Chad's College, Durham. There are also Way of the Cross Devotions with bronze sculptures presented by Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Louis.
Stations:
I. Jesus is condemned to death. II. Jesus takes up the cross. III. Jesus falls for the first time. IV. Jesus meets his mother. V. The cross is laid upon Simon of Cyrene VI. A woman wipes the face of Jesus. VII. Jesus falls for the second time. VIII. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem. IX. Jesus falls for the third time. X. Jesus is stripped of his garments. XI. Jesus is nailed to the cross. XII. Jesus dies on the cross. XIII. Jesus is taken down from the cross. XIV. Jesus is placed in the tomb. XV. The tomb is empty. Jesus is not here, for he has risen.
Benediction often follows.
Tenebrae
This deeply moving service, usually held on Wednesday in Holy Week, takes us into the darkest days of the church year. The monastic nocturns - offices of matins and lauds (prayers in the pre-dawn and at daybreak) - are combined in a service of hymns, psalms sometimes sung in plainsong, spoken responsories, lessons, canticles and prayers led by the Choir.
Tenebrae is Latin for "shadows" or "darkness." In the Roman Catholic Church, Tenebrae originally was the name given to the nocturns of the Easter Triduum.
Originally, matins was sung shortly after midnight. During the middle ages, the time of the service was moved back to allow more people to attend.
From about the fifth century it was the practice for the church to be
brightly illuminated on the Thursday. During the Friday service all candles and lamps were gradually extinguished. On the Saturday the church was in complete darkness, save for a small candle near the lectern to read by. It is generally accepted that it was from this gradual extinguishing of the candles and lamps that the service later came to be known as Tenebrae. The number of candles used in the service has varied at different times and in different places.
While the other services of Holy Week deal with specific events of Christ's passion and death, Tenebrae deals more with the general themes of despair, frustration, and final resignation - all of which Jesus must have experienced during those last few hours and days. The liturgy includes the chant of the Lamentations (in which each verse is introduced by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet). As the service proceeds, there are moments of silence and candles are extinguished. At the end, only a single candle is left burning. All of this is meant to signify the removal of the light of Christ from the world.
Toward the end of the service the remaining candle is hidden, typifying the apparent victory of the forces of darkness. At the very end, a loud noise is made, symbolizing the earthquake at the time of resurrection, the hidden candle is restored to its place, symbolizing Christ and the ultimate triumph of good over evil, and by its light all depart in silence.
While some churches hold Tenebrae on Friday, we now hold Tenebrae on the eve of the Triduum - the Great Three Days- as do many other churches in the Anglican Communion, and it leaves us prepared to move through the events of Maundy
Thursday and Good Friday to their glorious culmination when the light of Christ is joyously spread at the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening or dawn on Easter Day.
During Holy Week many diocesan bishops gather their clergy for the renewal of ordination vows and the blessing of oils for use in the coming year. This is sometimes called the Chrism Eucharist. In many places, such as Canterbury, this is done on Maundy Thursday.
The Easter Triduum - The Great Three Days
"Triduum" means three days, and refers to the three days before a major feast. The Easter Triduum consists of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday - the Great Three Days - known collectively as Triduum Sacrum (triduum is Latin for "three days"), now often called the Easter Triduum. The Easter Triduum ends when the new fire is lit at the Easter Vigil.
Maundy Thursday
Thursday in Holy Week is called Maundy Thursday, from the Latin for mandatum novum, "a new commandment": John 13:34: After Jesus washed the feet of the disciples he said "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." It marks the beginning the Great Three Days leading up to the proclamation of the resurrection at the Easter Vigil.
The day traditionally involved three liturgical acts: the reconciliation of penitents (a mass, not in common usage today, for those to be restored to communion at Easter); the blessing of Chrism (oils to be used for baptism, confirmation, ordination, and anointing are blessed by the bishop); and the evening mass beginning the three days of the Pascal celebration. The evening setting highlights the nearness of betrayal and the approaching passion of Jesus.
From the Liturgical Notes of the Anglican Church in Australia, we learn
that the Gospel speaks of love and service, which are expressed in the ceremony of Foot-washing. By washing his disciples' feet, Jesus displayed the self-emptying love God shows for the world -- a sacred example of love. Nothing and no one is to be beneath them. and by this undifferentiating love the world will know that the disciples belong to Jesus.
The Eucharist commemorates the first Eucharist at the Last Supper and includes the reservation of sacrament for Good Friday. During the Easter Triduum, sacrament is not to be reserved at the main altar. So during the Maundy Thursday service, sacrament consecrated for use on Good Friday is "reposed" to a special altar set up in another part of the church, which is fittingly called "The Altar of Repose."
The service traditionally includes an Agape meal, a simple feast that continues the commemoration of the Last Supper. The service ends in complete silence. The altar is stripped and all decorative furnishings are removed from the church in recognition of the despair and death to come.
What about seders?
Some believe that the Last Supper was a seder, but there is much evidence that it could not have been a seder, and was just a communal meal occurring close to the approach of the passover celebration. Many think that Passover seders should discouraged in Anglican churches because Anglicans are an Easter people who celebrate the passover from death into life at the great Easter Vigil. Others believe that Christians should hold seders, thinking that this was Paul's intent with the words 1 Corinthians 5:8: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth.
Good Friday
One wonders why it's called Good Friday when it commemorates a very dark day, indeed. The name comes from "God's Friday," and on God's Friday, we commemorate the Crucifixion. It is a continuation of the Maundy Thursday service and begins in silence as the night before ended in silence. In the early church pieces of the True Cross were revered at this service, and the cross over the altar was draped in black. The Liturgy has four parts: the Word of God (with the Passion according to John), the Solemn Collects (which date back to the 4th century and are an early form of the Prayers of the People), the bringing in of the Cross and Veneration, and Communion from the Reserved Sacrament..
The Seven Last Words. Perhaps you have heard the phrase, "The Seven Last Words of Christ." This really refers to the last seven sentences Christ spoke as he hung from the cross. They are:
1. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) 2. "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani" ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?)" (Matthew 27:46) 3. He said to his mother, "Woman, behold your son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold your
mother!" (John 19:26-27) 4. "I thirst!" (John 19:28) 5. "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43) 6. "It is finished!" (John 19:30) 7. "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." (Luke 23:46)
These are often the theme of traditional Three Hours Services (12-3) marking the time Jesus hung on the cross. (Tre-Ore). Preaching on this day has always been a key element.
Some churches have choral cantatas and meditations on Good Friday in the evening, such as John Stainer's The Crucifixion or Stabat Mater of Pergolesi.
Holy Saturday
The Eucharist is not celebrated on this day. Matins and Evensong are offered, and many use this day as one to make their confession. Lent ends officially at midday. The day is seen as one of solemn expectation and the final "getting ready" for Easter.
Easter Vigil
Since the early days of the church, Easter eve was a time set aside for baptisms. They were elaborate, dramatic services carefully timed to coincide with the proclamation of the Resurrection, symbolizing a new light shining, a new beginning. and the Great Vigil is one of the most dramatic services the church offers. A study in contrasts, it begins in the darkness that we entered at Wednesday's Tenebrae service. As the congregation waits in the darkened church, the paschal candle is lit from a special fire that uses palm fronds; these become the ashes that will be used the next year on Ash Wednesday. The procession then moves into the church following the paschal candle, and hundreds of candles held by congregation, choirs, lay ministers and clergy are lit. An ancient hymn, the Exultet is sung. The Exultet is an ancient chant which reminds us of our links to the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. Several Old Testament lessons are read, one of which is always the wonderful story of the parting of the Red Sea, and songs are sung. These lessons and songs trace the history of our redemption from the time of creation up through the prophets. The promise of redemption is further realized in the Sacrament of Baptism, and finally realized with the words proclaimed by the deacon at the conclusion of the baptisms: "Alleluia. The Lord is Risen." The lights come on. The organ plays. Bells are rung in a great fanfare to indicate that this is indeed a festival. (Worshippers are encouraged to bring their own bells from home and to join in.) When the church is fully bathed in light, we then celebrate the first festive eucharist of Easter together, as the light of Christ returns to our midst.
There's an excellent sermon about Easter Vigil on the web site of St. Paul's Church, DeKalb, IL. An excerpt:
"There are few moments more exhilarating than that moment in The Great Vigil of Easter when the Celebrant declares, "Alleluia, Christ is risen." The congregation responds, "The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia." The lights in the nave and sanctuary come on. Members of the congregation have brought bells and they are rung with joy. The congregation and organ belt out joyful strains of the Gloria in excelsis. The Celebrant sprinkles on the people gathered holy water that had just been blessed in the font.
"This event, this day, is what our faith is all about. It is no accident and no secret that Christians are called "Easter people." Everything we do as Christ's disciples today have their grounding in the events of Good Friday and Easter.
"The light of Christ is a free gift. And those who accept that gift bask in the glow of that light. Christ transforms that which is broken and makes it whole. When we receive the light of Christ, we come to realize that our lives are not the same and they will never be the same again."
Easter Morning
Jesus' disciples had though of Passover as their reason for going to Jerusalem. But before the sunset that was the start of Passover, Jesus' dead body had been taken down from the cross and laid in a tomb. With Jesus' death it seemed everything had ended. His disciples had entrusted everything to him, made him the center of gravity, the keystone that held their lives together. And now he was dead, gone, finished. The cross represented the complete refutation of everything to which the disciples had given their lives.
But then came Easter morning. Something had happened that night ... during the Easter Vigil. The women who went to mourn that Easter morning say an angel in white and an empty tomb. Mary Magdalene, first witness to the miracle, ran quickly to tell the disciples, "I have seen the Lord. He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see [him] too."
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Easter begins with an encounter with the living Christ, himself - an encounter, first, between unbelieving, broken followers, who, by finding Jesus in a wholly new incorruptible body were themselves resurrected. And now, our encounter, as the living Christ is present among us - with you - in his Spirit in the Eucharistic meal he instituted, and in his life which you appropriate here and now.
The great Easter truth is not that we are to live newly after death, but that we are to, and may, live nobly now because we are to live forever. Jesus taught us how to do this by the action of his life and the meal he instituted: Take what is received from God; bless it by giving thanks for it; break what is so consecrated so that it does not need to be kept for itself; and give it and ourselves to others in free service of love, following Jesus' example.
During the first Christian centuries, the events of the Great Fifty Days of Easter - from Easter to the Ascension to Pentecost -- were looked on as a unified feast. The joyous Easter season is reflected in the seasonal changes in our worship: the liturgical colour is white; the Gloria and the Alleluia return; Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Easter Eggs
And how did the tradition of dying eggs get started? There is a story about Mary Magdalene. She travelled to Rome and was received by Tiberius Caesar. When she met him, she held up a plain egg and proclaimed the resurrection of Christ. Caesar laughed and said Christ rising from the dead was as likely as the egg in her hand turning red. Then the egg turned red. It has become an Eastern Orthodox tradition to greet one another on Easter by giving bright red eggs and proclaiming "Christ is risen!" The egg represents new live, Christ bursting forth from the tomb. Some churches today use red eggs at funerals and memorial services as a symbol of the hope of resurrection.
Another custom is the "Flowering of the Cross" and the setting up of an "Easter Garden" (very popular in UK).
Eastertide lasts 50 days ending with Pentecost. Ascension Day is 40 days after Easter.
The octave of Easter Day is often called Low Sunday. The Paschal Candle is lit until Pentecost, although in some places it is extinguished on Ascension Day.
Ends
With Greetings for Holy Week and Easter, the Staff
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