The Spirituality of the Rites of Bright Saturday

Transcription

1 The Spirituality of the Rites of Bright Saturday Rites of Bright Saturday The rites of Bright Saturday are split into 7 sections: Praises and prayers of the prophets Raising of the morning incense Prayers of the third and sixth hour Reading of the book of Revelations Prayers of the ninth hour The liturgy of the word The liturgy of the faithful 1 P a g e

2 This day is called Apocalypse because in it we read the book of Revelation It raises the soul to heaven to participate with the saints that Christ brought into paradise on that night. Called Bright Saturday (Saturday of light) because in it, Christ shone on those who are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. He lit hades with the Light of His divinity when He descended to it through His Cross and released all those who died on the hope of salvation and raised them to heaven and opened to them the gates of paradise and let them in with the right hand thief to enjoy. Also, because on this day, light shines out of the Holy Sepulcher every year in a miraculous way, allowing everyone there to light their candle from that Holy light. This was witnessed by Ibrahim Basha the ruler of Philistine who doubted the validity of this miracle. It is also called Joyous Saturday because in it the saints rejoiced because Christ moved them from the suffering of hades to the happiness of paradise through His crucifixion and the fulfillment of salvation. His Spirit; united with His Divinity, descended into Hades to release the saints from their captivity. We remain awake throughout this night next to the tomb of Our Savior to offer Him praises and thanksgiving for this great salvation that He has made with the fathers and prophets We use the praises and prayers of these fathers and prophets throughout the night to remember their struggle and join in their joy for salvation. We stay awake for who can sleep on a night like this?! The church also remains vigilant this night emulating the saintly women who stayed awake after Christ s burial to prepare the spices for the Holy Body. The perfumes and spices that we offer throughout this night are praises, thanksgiving, contemplations and raising of our hearts to God as a gesture of love. We also offer a pure repentance from the heart. 2 P a g e

3 We offer our participation with Him in carrying the Cross as the wise men offered Myrrh at His birth and Nicodemus at His burial. The myrrh symbolizes suffering and pain and as Christ suffered on the Cross, we remain vigilant this night asking Him to aid our weakness so that we may struggle to die from sin that we may live in righteousness (Phil 3:15). The readings of Bright Saturday focus on 3 topics: The salvation that Christ fulfilled on the Cross The living God that does not die Even though He died in the flesh and placed in the tomb, He remained alive with the divinity which did not leave His humanity for a single moment for He is the Living Dead. For this reason we saw blood and water gush from His side. It is why we repeat the phrase Agios athanatos Nai Nan or Holy is the living who does not die have mercy on us (Psali for Bright Saturday) The great joy that surrounded the righteous who were in Hades. We see this through the rites and hymns, the church moves from feelings of sadness to those of joy. ANYONE WHO ASKS ABOUT ETERNITY, and how one can live in it, finds the answer in this night; in which the church remains vigilant in prayer and praise. It raises our emotions and feelings to heaven; that we may see a glimpse of its beauty and wonder. The hours of the night pass quickly as if it were a beautiful dream. Praises and Prayers of the Prophets After the conclusion of the prayers of Good Friday, the church hangs the white and red curtains and banners. The church is lit with many lights and candles The priest wears the joyous garments (Bornos) The book of psalms is wrapped in a white silk cloth and the high priest holds it while standing in front of the gate of the sanctuary. He and raises it above his head as he and the deacons chant Psalm 151 Anok pepikoji Why the book of Psalms? It is the book of praises and Bright Saturday is the night of praises to the Great Savior. Why white silk? Silk symbolizes kingship, majesty, and honor and 3 P a g e

4 white symbolizes joy, purity and holiness that we receive on this night. Psalm 151: I was small among my brothers, and the youngest in my father s house; I tended my father s sheep. My hands made a harp; my fingers fashioned a lyre. Alleluia And who will tell my Lord? The Lord himself; it is he who hears. It was he who sent his messenger and took me from my father s sheep, and anointed me with his anointing-oil. Alleluia. My brothers were handsome and tall, but the Lord was not pleased with them. I went out to meet the Philistine, and he cursed me by his idols. But I drew his own sword; I beheaded him, and took away disgrace from the people of Israel. Alleluia. It is called the little psalm, referring to King David who wrote it after the Lord chose him to rule His people despite being the youngest of his brothers. King David is a symbol of Christ As David was the youngest and no one paid any attention to him except the Lord because of the meekness of his heart, so also was the Lord Christ who appeared in the form of a slave despite being the King of kings and Lord of Lords who saved His people from the slavery of death. As David could not bear to listen to the cursing of Goliath at his people and fought and defeated him, Christ also could not bear the shaming of the spiritual Goliath; who is the devil, to His children; the believers, so He rose to save His people and defeated the devil through the Cross. The priests and deacons process the church as they chant the 2 nd Canticle Lobsh until they return to the first chorus and sit according to the rites. The procession is a sign of joy and the church chose to chant this hymn after psalm 151 to remind us that after Christ saves us from the spiritual Goliath; therefore, we are filled with feelings of thanksgiving and joy. 4 P a g e

5 In it we remember all the things God did for us. E.g. He became the stone that the sinners struck yet it provided them water to wash their sin, quench their spirits and grant life to those who drink of it. This is the first of three processions during this blessed night that symbolize the joy we feel after going through the hard times. The priests and deacons sit with the candles and lampstands lit as they chant the first Canticle and Lobsh (in Coptic and Arabic/English). It is the first praise of Moses the prophet that he and the Israelites prayed after the crossing the red sea and the death of Pharaoh and his soldiers. It speaks of how God saved His people from Pharaoh who enslaved them. This symbolizes the salvation from the spiritual pharaoh who is the devil. As Pharaoh and his army sank to the bottom of the sea, so too will the devil and all his powers sink in the fiery lake. This praise is called the praise of the Lamb because, in the book of revelation, it says that the victorious, who will inherit the kingdom, were standing by the glass sea; with God s harps as they chant the praise of Moses; God s servant and the praise of the Lamb. (Rev 15: 1-3) The rest of the praises are read in Arabic/English only The Second praise of Moses (Deuteronomy 32: 1-43). These are the last words spoken by Moses the prophet before his death. In it, there is a meeting between the characteristics of God and those of His people He is merciful and great in His justice and wisdom and as the rock, does not change. The believers lean on Him and He shields them. His people are warped and crooked Despite this, God remembers them with blessings and meets their wickedness with mercy and patience. When He punishes, He returns and accepts their repentance and grants them salvation. God commanded Moses to say this praise and command His people to write it and learn it. 5 P a g e

6 In it Moses reminds us that the Lord kills and raises up The praise concludes with joy the joy of heaven and what is in it with salvation. The first praise of Moses was said at the entrance of the Israelites into the wilderness of Sinai, while this praise is at the end of their forty years in the wilderness; before entering the Promised Land. The wilderness symbolizes our journey through life. The praise of Hannah mother of Samuel (1 Kg 2: 1-11) She offered this praise and thanksgiving to God to show her joy as she offers her son Samuel to the temple to fulfill her promise after the Lord answered her prayers and granted her a son and abolished her shame. The Lord granted her a son from a dead and barren womb (the Lord kills and gives life) He did the same with humanity that was barren and void of all goodness. The Lord gave us a Son and a Savior and granted us life after death. The prayer of Habakkuk the prophet (Habakkuk 3: 2-19) Habakkuk was from the tribe of Levi and was one the singers in the temple during the time of Daniel. One day, the Lord commanded him to go to Babel, to Daniel in the lion s den. Since he did not know the way, the angel of the Lord carried him there and God blessed Daniel through Habakkuk. Then the angel carried him back. Habakkuk suffered because of the corruption in Israel, yet he offered this praise in the spirit of prophecy for the salvation that God will grant to His people. The prayer of Jonah the prophet (2: 2-10) Jonah was a symbol of Christ: As he was in the belly of the whale 3 days and nights, so too was Christ in the tomb for our salvation. As he received the sentence of death when he was thrown into the sea, so too was Christ when He was placed in the tomb. When he was thrown into the sea, the ship was saved and when Christ was placed in the tomb, humanity was saved. When he was thrown into the sea, the sailors did not think he 6 P a g e

7 would survive and when Christ rose after being placed in the tomb and it was sealed, no one believed until they saw Him. Jonah entered the belly of the whale that no one else entered and Christ entered a new tomb where no one else was buried. Jonah s state in his prayer symbolizes humanity s state before salvation. He said I cried out to the Lord in my tribulation and He heard me from the belly of Hades and heard my voice The praise of Jonah symbolizes the crossing from death to life and from sadness to joy. The prayer of Hezekiah, king of Judah, when he was sick and rose from his sickness (Is 38: 10-20) Hezekiah was a righteous king in the sight of the Lord and was the last righteous king in all the kings of Judah. When he fell ill, the Lord sent him Isaiah to tell him that he will die. He then offered a contrite and tearful prayer to the Lord. The Lord sent him Isaiah again to tell him that the Lord will heal him, extend his life 15 more years, and grant him victory over his enemies. It is worthy to note that in this prayer, Hezekiah mentions salvation 4 times and Hades only 3 times to symbolize that he believed that the salvation is stronger than Hades and death. The prayer of Manasseh the King He was one of the Kings of Judah and the son of Hezekiah. He did evil in the sight of the Lord and brought back the worship of idols, so the Lord allowed his defeat and exile to the land of his enemies. In exile, Manasseh was humbled and prayed to the Lord who answered him and forgave him and returned him again to his kingdom. Who can imagine that a king who was defeated by his enemies and exiled can return again to his kingdom and rule without any war and receive the forgiveness of his enemies but this is the work and power of strong and fruitful repentance. As the Lord moved Manasseh from jail and exile to the kingdom, so too Christ with His death moved those who died on the hope of salvation from Hades to Paradise. 7 P a g e

8 The first praise of Isaiah the prophet Isaiah the prophet offered in his prophecies many woes and warnings to Judah, Israel and the surrounding nations as well as the whole world. He also offered three praises as thanksgiving to God for His promises, mercies, and salvation for those who hold on to Him. This is the first of those praises. It is a prophecy of joy and jubilation about the resurrection of the dead; those whom the Lord shall raise from death, sadness and slavery. The church here is calling all of us to rise from the death of sin and repent that we may live with Him. We offer this praise on Bright Saturday because it is the day this prophecy was fulfilled. The second praise of Isaiah the prophet Isaiah begins this praise by glorifying the Lord for He did wondrous and unique acts that no one else can do: what is more wondrous than the eternal salvation He offered to His people? He then reminds us that through the Cross, the Lord removed the shame from the nations and gave them great joy and glory and returned them to their original state. The church, after announcing to us that we were saved and raised from the death of sin, tells us that there is glory and honor awaiting us as a result of our faith in the Lord our God. The third praise of Isaiah the prophet This praise speaks of the eternal peace that whosoever believes in the Lord will enjoy. The church; through these three praises in this order is: calling us to hold onto our God that raised us after we were dead granted us glory and honor and if we are fortified in Him, we will live in eternal peace with Him The praise of Jeremiah the prophet Jeremiah the great prophet wrote this book (lamentations) after the surrounding and fall of Jerusalem as a result of the peoplees as thanksg, he laments the people of Israel who were destroyed and held captive and asks God to return them, save them, renew His covenant with them, and not reject them until the end. 8 P a g e

9 In this praise, we see the spirit of hope in the Lord that all the believers live in. This praise, the praise of repentance and hope, is offered by Jeremiah the prophet on behalf of all mankind and the church reminds us of itththat we may never forget the works of the Lord with us, but that we rejoice in Him always. The praise of Baruch the prophet The book of Baruch is one of the deuterocanonical books. He is one of the prophets of the exile. It was written in the land of exile after the Chaldeans burnt Jerusalem and took the people captive. It was written to console the people and remind them of the promise of the Lord with salvation if they repent and the church provides it to us for the same reason. When the church reminds us of this praise, it reminds us of the repentance of the people in the land of captivity and how they offered true repentance and fasted and prayed to the Lord in humility confessing their sins; which caused their captivity. This is to urge us to do the same that we may obtain salvation. The praise of Elijah the prophet Elijah offered this praise and deep prayer when he offered the bull on the altar to God. The Lord answered his prayer and sent fire and it consumed the sacrifice and dried up the water Elijah saved the people from the worship of idols (Baal) through the miraculous acceptance of this sacrifice. In the same way, the Lord saved His people through the miraculous Crucifixion and Resurrection, that even the centurion cried out and said truly this was the Son of God. The church reminds us of the deeds of God with His people and how He showed them Himself, that they may repent and return to Him confessing their sins. The prayer of David the prophet This prayer and praise of thanksgiving was offered by David and all the Israelites after they prepared everything for the building of the temple of God and after David commanded them to help his son Solomon in building the great temple. 9 P a g e

10 This praise reminds us that the Lord God is our strong King that fights for us and gives us victory always. The church offers us this prayer to remind us that in the world, there is always war and we have no salvation or victory except in the Lord alone. As David and the Israelites prepared everything for the building of the temple for God to dwell in, we too, should prepare our hearts through repentance and its fruits that it may be a dwelling place for our God. The prayer of King Solomon This prayer was offered by King Solomon at the consecration of the Temple. In it he remembers how God promised to aid His people and how He fulfilled His promise. The church reminds us of how God fulfilled the promise he gave to Adam that the seed of woman shall crush the head of the serpent. Solomon says behold the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you so how can this house? We also say to God that the heavens and heaven of heavens cannot contain you so how can this tomb that they placed Your Body in, contain You? The prayer of Daniel the prophet The sin of the people is what led to their captivity. Their repentance, confession and return to God and His return to them is the theme of this prayer. Daniel.me of this turn to God and His return to them is ain Yout contain you is housed to dwell in,tory except in the Lord alone.e captive.giving to God for His promithem and because He is a merciful and patient God. God heard the prayer of Daniel and sent him the angel Gabriel to show him that He will release the captivity of His people, not from Babel alone, but from sin also. The angel also informed him of the 10 P a g e

11 time of the birth of Christ to fulfill the salvation - the destruction of the temple and the end of the age of the laws of Moses and the beginning of the age of grace through the blood of Christ. As a temporary sign, God permitted His people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it as a symbol of His forgiveness to them. The church, in its wisdom arranged for this prayer to be said after the prayer of Solomon because in the prayer of Solomon, he says if Your people go out to fight their enemies if they sin towards You and You were angered at them and You handed them to the enemy to hold them captive in the land of the enemy if they return to their hearts in the land that they are captive in and return and implore You in their captivity hear in heaven, the place of Your residence, to their prayers and supplications and forgive Your people. The prayer of Daniel is the Lord s fulfillment to the prayer of Solomon. The story of Daniel the prophet about the three young men The three young men defeated the fiery furnace (the furnace of the world, its desires and temptations). They became a living symbol to the confirmation of faith and the victorious life with Christ As they were sentenced to death by entering into the furnace and they went out alive, so too was humanity sentenced to death, yet the Lord saved them with His Blood and gave them life. The church offers us this story on bright Saturday to teach us that whosoever desires to see God and live with Him forever must first go through the furnace of temptations and defeat it with the power of the Lord God who is victorious over the devil. The church also teaches us that as God did with the three young men, He will also do with humanity to make them victorious against the world and all their enemies. The prayer of Azarias Azarias was one of the three young men. He prayed this prayer while in the midst of the fiery furnace. In it he confesses to God that all He has done with His people was justified because of their sins. He then reminds God of His promises to their fathers and asks Him to fulfill these promises. God immediately sent His angel to save them. 11 P a g e

12 Azarias says Nevertheless in a contrite heart and an humble spirit let us be accepted. Like as in the burnt offerings of rams and bullocks, and like as in ten thousands of fat lambs: so let our sacrifice be in thy sight this day, and grant that we may wholly go after thee: for they shall not be confounded that put their trust in thee. The church teaches us that, as the three young men offered themselves as sacrifice to God, we too should approach God in humility and love that we might be an acceptable sacrifice. This prayer is considered a realistic example of the acceptable prayer to God because it begins with blessing, humility and confession to God as a sign of repentance. In it also we ask the intercession of the fathers and offer our prayers in the name of the Lord, through whose name, we receive salvation. This prayer is a remembrance of the passing of the three young men from death to life and that is why we chant the third Canticle (the praise of the three young men) following it, to liken ourselves to them. In the spirit of faith, we thank the Lord for salvation. Their feelings while in the midst of the furnace are the same as ours; which are the joy in the Lord, who turns the fire of this world into cold dew that strengthens us. The praise of the three young men (Da 3:2-10) (3 rd Canticle): The chanters chant this praise in Coptic and Arabic/English and every third verse they say the refrain: Praise Him, Glorify Him, and Exalt Him forever His mercy, for He is praised, He is glorified, He is exalted, for all ages and forever His mercy. The church says this refrain because the Lord raised humanity and did not allow death to have dominion over it. This refrain is repeated every third verse to symbolize the height of the joy of the salvation of the Lord and the confirmation and announcement of the 12 P a g e

13 desire of the church to praise the Lord in excess The third Canticle is the praise of all creation led by the church and it is originally the praise sung by the three young men while they were in the fire. While singing it, the church unites in one scene, the presence in the midst of the fiery furnace of this world while being protected by the Son of God. Because of the great joy and love of the Church towards its creator for His mercy and protection, we call upon the whole creation to join us in joyful praise of God. In this praise, the three young men spoke to Christ 6 times saying Blessed are you symbolizing the 600 years between King Nebuchadnezzar and the birth of Christ. They spoke to the creation saying Bless the Lord, O you urging them to bless God 34 times symbolizing the 33 1/3 (34) years that Christ lived on earth. Greek and Coptic Psali Watos for the three young men: Contemplates their salvation and the state of humanity. Tenen This hymn is offered as a sacrifice and worship followed by praise for the three young men who deserved; through their faith, that God send them His only Son to protect them from the fire. This praise gives the Lord the title of angel The tunes of this hymn are filled with tenderness and sweetness and raise the soul from all the worldly thoughts to heaven to offer God various sacrifices: The sacrifice of our mental worship The sacrifice of our lips The sacrifice of our lives The sacrifice of tolerating the tribulations The rest of the story of the three young men It is the conclusion of the story of the three young men and speaks of what Nebuchadnezzar, the king and the rest of the people did afterwards and how they praised God. What is strange is that even the non-believers praised God, so how much more ought we to offer praises and sacrifices to God? 13 P a g e

14 The praise of the virgin Mary The virgin spoke these words after she had seen the salvation of the Lord that is coming. The prayer of Zachariah the priest Zachariah praised God with these words after the birth of St. John the Baptist who came to prepare the way of salvation before God. The church offers these words to us that we may praise with Zachariah about Godes salvation for us and His care and great love towards us. The prayer of Simeon the priest Said by Simeon the priest (one of those who translated the Septuagint translation) after he held Christ in his hand. We notice that the church gives us the previous three prayers in that order to show us the following: The prayer of the Virgin Mary which is a praise to God for His salvation and a remembrance of the promises of this salvation that God gave to us in the old days. The prayer of Zachariah at the birth of John after the Lord started to fulfill these promises through the sending of John; the angel coming before Him. The prayer of Simeon which he said after he saw the salvation and held Him. The story of Susana The salvation of Susana is a symbol of mankind s salvation Daniel, who was sent to save Susana, symbolizes Christ who was incarnate in the fullness of time to give salvation to everyone that believes in Him. As with the wise judgment of Daniel, the two elder men were arrested and put to death, also with the death of the Son of God on the Cross (the hypostasis of wisdom), the devil was arrested in Hades and condemned for all eternity. The third procession with the hymn of Tenoueh ensok It is a part of the prayer of Azarias that he prayed by himself while he was with Ananias and Misael in the midst of the fire. 14 P a g e

15 In it, he pronounces his faith and belonging to the Lord in all situations and everywhere; even in the midst of the fiery furnace. The believers, after listening to all the stories of the fathers and how they were saved after their tribulation, process around the church in joy and faith following our Savior (the cross), likening ourselves with the three young men. Carrying the crosses with the white linens symbolizes joy and victory. In truth we all follow you with all our hearts we follow you with joy all the days of our life The Book of Revelation We notice that the reading of the book of revelation is placed between the prayer of the sixth and ninth hours because it is the time that salvation take place on the cross. The Lord died in the flesh and through His death we moved from sadness to joy. The revelation speaks of how God will cross with His church from the world and all that is in it; from sadness and tribulation, to eternity where the true joy and gladness are. Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man He had in His right hand seven stars The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches We place in the midst of the first Chorus; in front of the sanctuary, while its curtain is open, seven lampstands lit with pure oil, seven candles, a cross in the midst and seven censors. The seven lampstands are the seven churches whom John speaks to and they are a symbol of the church in the world and the believers in it. The seven candles are a symbol of the seven stars which point to the shepherds of this church The cross in the middle is a symbol of Christ that John saw in the midst of the lampstands (churches) The open curtain points to the fact that the Lord showed 15 P a g e

16 everything to John the beloved in a vision e Lord showed everything to John the beloved in a vision )rs The seven stars Refrains From the tribe of (---) 12 thousand The church is encouraging her children, the believers, to struggle that they may have a share in the great city, the heavenly Jerusalem with those entering the heavenly wedding from all the tribes the city is for all and the invitation is general. The Precious Stones: our Savior in its midst crowning with Honor those who love Him The church is enticing her children to struggle in the life of repentance to cross with Christ from death to life and inherit the Holy city through repentance. When the priest speaks of the glory of the city and its glamour, the believers cry out saying that the glory and greatness is from the presence of Christ in its midst for us it is an eternal life with Christ. 16 P a g e