It is holy by any name….

We have come full circle from the beginning of our paschal period to the glorious culmination of the Resurrection.
That is 50 days of fasting and special prayers and services!

And, of course, the observance of Holy Week was the awesome thread that carried us to the final exquisite moment of the Pascha story.

Here’s something interesting about Holy Week ….

Did you know that Holy Week is known by about six different names across various Christian denominations?

The season of Lent is a rich and beautiful time of the liturgical year, and as the Church looks forward to the joys of Easter, there is a variety of names that describe the final week of Lent and bring out the rich themes and lessons of each day.

In the Orthodox Church the last week of Christ’s life is officially referred to as Passion Week. In popular terminology it is called Holy Week.
Each day is designated in the service books as “great and holy.” There are special services every day and each has its own particular theme.

Monday’s theme is that of the sterile fig tree which yields no fruit and is condemned.
On Tuesday the focus is on the vigilance of the wise virgins who, unlike their foolish sisters, were ready when the Lord came to them.
Wednesday puts the accent on the sinful woman who repents. Great emphasis is made in the liturgical services to compare the woman, who is saved, to Judas, a chosen apostle, who is lost. The one gives her wealth to Christ and kisses his feet; the other betrays Christ for money with a fake kiss.

Thursday and Friday are heavily-laden with emotional highs and lows and heart-rending moments from the Last Supper to Christ‘s passion in the Garden of Gethsemane to his arrest and torture and being condemned to death by the crowd baying for his blood.

The horrors of the crucifixion and Christ‘s death and his burial take us up to midnight on Saturday of Holy Week.

Then the bells peal with joy as Christ emerges from the tomb – the Light of the World!

While both the Orthodox Church, Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church call this week “Holy Week,” it is also called by at least five other names.

1. HOLY WEEK
One of the most enduring names for this week is “Holy Week.” Simply put, this is a reference to the holiness of the mysteries celebrated during this week, and reflects another ancient tradition of calling each day of the week Holy, such as Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, and Holy Thursday.
It is the most sacred week of the Church’s liturgical year.

2. GREAT WEEK
The Eastern Christian Orthodox call this week, “Great Week,” which reflects another ancient tradition, explained by St. John Chrysostom in one of his homilies.

We call the week Great, not because it has a greater number of services and stories and hymns but because of the ineffable good things that come our way.

Jesus gives us so many great gifts – death is eliminated, curses are lifted, the devil’s tyranny is relaxed, and the reconciliation of God and man is achieved, heaven is made accessible to us.

This, then, is the reason we call the week Great, because in it the Lord lavished on us such a plethora of gifts and because great deeds were done by God during this week.

3. PAINFUL WEEK
One of the lesser known names for this week is, “Painful Week,” which is not a very popular name but echoes the intense pain felt by Jesus, spiritually, physically and emotionally as His time here on earth ebbed away.
It also alludes to the pain the Church feels as we watch our saviour suffer and die.

4. WEEK OF INDULGENCES
Another curious name for this week is the “Week of Indulgences,” which is also connected to the Roman Catholic Church.
It recalls a former tradition of welcoming back the penitents, who at the beginning of Lent were barred from the Church for the Lenten period. Once their penance was completed, the Church opens the doors and welcomes them back into the flock.

5. WEEK OF THE BRIDEGROOM
The Eastern Orthodox Church has yet another name for this iconic week which is the, “Week of the Bridegroom.”
This primarily refers to the first three days of Holy Week, where in the Byzantine tradition the liturgy recites the following words:
“ Behold, the Bridegroom is coming in the middle of the night.….
Do not fall into a deep slumber,
lest you be delivered to death and the door of the Kingdom be closed to you.”

Jesus himself spoke of the events of Holy Week in these terms, recalling how, “the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day” (Mark 2:20).It also foreshadows the second coming of Christ.

6. PASSION WEEK
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Holy Week is also referred to as Passion Week. This term highlights the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ during the last week of his earthly life.Both terms are used interchangeably to denote the period of intense spiritual reflection and commemoration of Christ’s passion and resurrection.

But whatever we choose to call this sacred period it is way beyond special and clearly a huge milestone in the ecclesiastical year as well as in our lives.

We wait all year for Pascha and this week leading up to the glorious resurrection of Our Lord allows us the privilege and opportunity to walk the painful walk with Him as the days unfold. And we also learn vital lessons for the enrichment of our souls.

Have a blessed post-Pascha week!

(Text and photos: Pepe Sofianos)