Holy Friday Evening

Friday, April 30, 2021
7:00 PM 9:00 PM 19:00 21:00

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Holy Friday Evening

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Explanation of the Service

by Rev. Demetrios George Kalaris

In the evening, the service of Holy Saturday matins is chanted. Primarily, this represents the burial of our Lord, but it also commemorates His descent into Hades where He preached His Gospel to all those who had died before His coming and had not had the opportunity to hear His sermon of a new life free from sin.

This is known as the service of the Lamentations.

The worshippers hold lighted candles as the choir chants the series of lamentations which express the sorrow of the Christians that the Lord has died, the belief that He has descended to Hades to abolish the power of Satan and to trample upon death, and the expectation of His speedy and life-given Resurrection.

After the Lamentations, a procession is formed and as the choir chants the Thrice Holy hymn, the priest removes the icon of the epitaphion from the bier and circles the church, pausing at intervals to ask the blessing of our Lord upon all Christians who worship Him and who are commemorating the great sacrifice of Jesus for the redemption of mankind. At the end of this service, the embroidered icon of the epitaphion is placed upon the Holy Altar. The flowers adorning the bier are given to the worshippers who preserve them as sacred talismans.

Gospel Reading

Matthew 27:62-66

Next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again.' Therefore order the sepulcher to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." So they went and made the sepulcher secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.