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Holy Week: Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is the feast of Christ's triumphal
entry into Jerusalem, when Christ was hailed by the people as the
Messiah and New King of
Israel. As He entered the city on a donkey the people waved branches
and cried: "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Zech.
9:9)
Christ came to Jerusalem in fulfillment of the prophecies and having chosen the way of the Cross, invited the faithful to witness His passion that they might share in His Resurrection.
On this day palms are blessed in church and distributed to the people. Also on Palm Sunday two things are sung:
The Ode: "This day the creatures leap for joy; they bless the Lord and rejoice, Heaven and Earth in company dance and clap their hands. This day on Mount Zion the nard has spread its fragrance, the rose is aglow with diverse hues, in crimson, red, and violet..."
The Introit: "Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and adorn thy bridal chamber, O Zion, for behold the King Christ, seated on the new colt, showeth meekness and cometh to enter into thy chamber. And cry aloud, Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, who hath great mercy."
In the service of the Opening of the Doors (now usually done right after the Palm Sunday liturgy), the priest and people pray for entry once again into God's glorious Kingdom and wait for the church to symbolically open its doors just as Christ, through the raising of Lazarus, opened the doors for the resurrection of humanity.
There was a time when the faithful would actually gather outside the church building and ritually enter. In fact, in earlier days in Jerusalem, a procession would begin in Bethany and come to stand at the actual gates of the city. After a service of prayer, chanting, and song, the gates would be opened and the faithful would proceed to worship. Today, the clergy and congregation kneel before the closed altar curtain and beseech God to "Open the gates of virtue." (Psalm 119)
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| Learn how to make your blessed palm into a cross. |
- Morning Service
- Divine Liturgy
- Vespers(Trnpatzek)
- Isaiah 62:11-12
- Philemon 4:4-7
- Zechariah 9:9-15
- Mark 10:46-11:11
- Matthew 20:29-21:17
Palm Sunday
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