Pascha – The First Three Weekdays

Pascha and the first three days of the week.

On the first three days of the Holy Week Jesus left His last instructions to the Apostles and the rest of His pupils. Holy Monday is dedicated to the memory of Joseph, the youngest son of Jacob.  Joseph was jaundiced by his brothers who tossed him in a hole and told their father that a wild animal ate him. Joseph ended up in Egypt where he finally and after many vicissitudes became the governor. During the liturgy we have the Bridegroom services while the gospel reminds us the withering of the fruitless fig tree, a parallelism to the ones who don’t bring forth the fruits of repentance.

Holy Tuesday is marked with the Parable of the Ten Virgins. It’s been reminded that the Kingdom of Heaven will come “in the middle of the night” and all believers are called to be aware and ready for the coming of Christ and His Regality. We also have the Parable of the Talents, which must be used for the common good and not kept to one ’s self.

Holy Wednesday is dedicated to the repentant prostitute that, overwhelmed by the heavy burden of sin on her shoulders, asked forgiveness from the Lord. She was so grateful that she “washed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair” and finally anointed Him with myrrh. The liturgy includes the mystery of Holy Unction which ends with the priest anointing the faithful with holy oil. We have the remembrance of Mystical Supper, during which Jesus washed the feet of his pupils, a practice that takes place in many churches until this day. During the Mystical Supper He institute the mystery of Eucharist. This day is actually the beginning of the Holy Passion for it’s the day Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver and led to his arrestment. It is because of this that Wednesday has been a day for fasting. While Jesus waits his persecutors in the Garden of Gethsemane he prays alone and in such agony that “His sweat as drops of blood irrigate the earth” (Lucas gospel. 22, 24).  The words he addresses to His father are left to us as the Prayer of Christ: “Oh father, who art in heaven…”

Stay tuned for our next post “Pascha – Holy Thursday“.

Pascha