We always begin Holy Week with this commemoration because we are reminded that, at the end of all things, Christ Jesus will do for us what he does for His friend, Lazarus. He will call us forth from the tomb; our souls and our bodies will be reunited, and we will be resurrected. That should bring us comfort and peace and hope and joy. But even though resurrection is something that isn’t going to happen to us until history has run its course, we can experience a foretaste of that glorious blessing right now, because, on this day, Christ Jesus is already calling out to us. He is calling us to come forth from the tomb.

At St John’s we use the translation of the Psalms published by Holy Transfiguration Monastery. Some of the Psalms in the Antiochian Service Book are from that translation, and some are not, so please be aware that you may encounter some differences in that regard throughout the week. If you have a Psalter published by Holy Transfiguration Monastery, please feel free to bring it to the services along with your Holy Week Book.

For most of us, this morning’s gospel lesson is really, really confusing.

That passage comes from St. Mark. At the conclusion of the passage, the apostles are arguing about which of them is the most important. Christ Jesus breaks up the argument and He tells the apostles that whoever wants to the greatest must be the servant of all.

But earlier in the passage, St. James and St. John approach our Lord and Master and they ask Him if they can sit at His right hand and at His left hand in the Kingdom of God. Now, you’d think that Christ Jesus would have said something like this to St. James and St’ John: “Guys, you don’t understand. We don’t have those kinds of distinctions in the Kingdom of God because we are all servants.” But that’s not what our Lord and Master says. What Christ Jesus says to St. James and St. John is this: “I’m sorry, guys, but those seats are taken.”

This morning’s gospel lesson comes from St Mark. In that passage, Christ Jesus heals a boy who is possessed by a demon, and then He talks to the apostles about the cross. Now, to us, those are two separate subjects, but that’s because we are out of touch with what the Church teaches about the cross. In Holy Orthodoxy, we proclaim that when our Lord and Master goes to the cross He triumphs over the demons; He casts down the kingdom of darkness, and He frees us from our bondage to Satan.

This is the third Sunday in Great Lent. We are now halfway to Pascha, and, at this midpoint, the Church always sets before us the Precious and Life-Giving Cross. …

I know. If you’re like me, you’re already tired of hearing about the subject. However, even after factoring in media hysteria and political posturing, this virus has the potential to cause a great deal of inconvenience and a great deal of genuine suffering. But it’s not like we Orthodox haven’t been through this before…