www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Midnight Pascha Service--Byzantine Catholic

DTBrown,

Christ is Risen!

Yes, the Resurrection Matins service starts in darkness with the priest praying the Prayers of Light and then lighting the Paschal Candle. From that, all other candles on the altar and the tapirs of the faithful are lit. Even the kadilla is cold and unlit until it is started from the Paschal Candle.

May you have a most blessed Paschal season.

Deacon El

Originally posted by Pani Rose:
"The Resurrection Services begin with the removal of the Holy Shroud, the Plaschanitsa, from the grave. The celebrant, vested in his festive robes, incenses the Holy Shroud, takes it from the grave ..."

That takes place during the last lenten service, the Midnight Office", during the ninth ode of the canon of Great Saturday, when the Church is still dark and somber. The Resurrection Services begin a few minutes later with the lighting of candles.

Photius

Originally posted by DTBrown:
"Thanks, Rose, for posting this from the Melkite tradition: ... Do Ruthenian or Ukrainian parishes ever do this?"

No. The singing of "Come and take light ... " and the reading of the Gospel are "Greek" (defined below) traditions; no Slavs other than the Bulgarians, I believe, do this this.

Elsewhere, the candle lighting takes place at the verse "Thy Resurrection, O Christ, Savior ...", which is sung during the procession around the Church; where "Come and take light ... " is used, "Thy Resurrection ..." follows once the candles are lit.

In Russia (among other places), there is total silence for a few minutes after the Midnight Office is finished. Then the clergy in the altar sing "Thy Resurrection ..." very softly, then loudly, then the third time, the Royal Doors are opened, and the people join in singing the verse, and the clergy come out of the altar and pass the fire to the people.

As for the Great Litany being sung outside, I've seen this done in places; but as to the knocking and "the King of Glory shall come ...", this is something that I've read of and heard of, and believe it is local to parts of the Middle East.

At any rate, everywhere, before "Christ is risen ... " is sung, Matins begins before the doors of the Church with "Bless, Master!" by the deacon, and "Glory to ..." by the priest.

Photius, Reader

By "Greek", I refer to those places which use Greek everywhere to some degree as a liturgical language, including the Patriarchates of Antioch alexandia, and Jerusalem, where there are few ethnic Greeks, as well as Bulgaria, which uses no Greek but follows the customs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Church of Greece.

CHRISTOS VOSKRESE! CHRISTOS ANESTE! CHRIST IS RISEN!

The Carpathians (Carpatho-Russian Diocese in America) does it in many parishes...probably due to their close association with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, they often follow Greek usage.

In the Risen Lord,
+Fr. Gregory

The practice of reading the Resurrection Gospel outside the closed doors of the Church just before the beginning of Paschal Orthros appears to be a nineteenth-century Greek custom, but it is spreading to a sufficient extent to warrant notice - partly, at least because it was (and presumably still is) practiced at Saint Vladimir's Seminary. It's quite effective and worth-while.
The "Litany of the Resurrection" is peculiar to the Melkites.

Incognitus

My guess is that only about 25-30% of the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic parishes have adopted the custom of proclaiming the Resurrection Gospel at the beginning of Pascha Matins. [This, and the presentation of the New Light, and the Paschal Litany seem to have come about simply because Archbishop Raya has given clear rubrics in his �Byzantine Daily Worship�.] As always, I recommend caution about adding it to the liturgical books without consensus by all of the Churches of the Ruthenian Recension (but at least here we have the contemporary usage of the Greeks).

This raises a very curious question. Why is Pascha the only Sunday at which there was traditionally no proclamation of a Resurrection Gospel?

Originally posted by Administrator:
"... This raises a very curious question. Why is Pascha the only Sunday at which there was traditionally no proclamation of a Resurrection Gospel?"

Because Pascal (and all of Bright week) Matins are very streamlined, and all Psalter readings and their infrastructure are eliminated from all offices. The Gospel at Matins is appended to the Psalter readings, and the parts of the service both before and after the Gospel are eliminated during Bright Week. Also, since all 4 Gospels are read in their entirety (and a few parts repeated) during the preceding week, not having a Gospel at Pascal Matins would seem to emphasize the contrast, the liturgical transition.

When Pascha is on 25 March, the Gospel of the Annunciation is read after the sixth ode of the canon, which is where a second Matins Gospel is inserted when any two other feasts coincide.

I hope this helps,
Photius, Reader

My thanks to the Administrator for his report that "about 25-30% of the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic parishes have adopted the custom of proclaiming the Resurrection Gospel at the beginning of Pascha Matins." The figure is much higher than I would have expected.

It would be helpful if some method could be devised of making an accurate, honest study of liturgical practices in our various jurisdictions on a great many questions. But I don't know where to begin in trying to gather such information.

Again, my thanks to the Administrator. His concern about hesitating to make innovations without the involvement of the hierarchy is legitimate - and it remains helpful to know what is happening in practice. It is possible that he is right in the assumption that "Byzantine Daily Worship" was the means by which this Gospel-reading entered Ruthenian practice in a significant minority of parishes (I'm familiar with at least one Ukrainian Greek Catholic parish where they use that "Litany of the Resurrection"). However, that need not be the only explanation.

Incognitus

Y'all I am sorry, I copied those off of the Byzantines.net and the Melkite website, but that may have been the one from Miles and not the Eparchy site. Sorry for any confusion but the links follow the posts.

Pani Rose

Christ is Risen!

Admin,

"Why is Pascha the only Sunday at which there was traditionally no proclamation of a Resurrection Gospel?"

But there is, it occurs in the Vesperal St. Basil Liturgy, providing yet another reason it should be held in the late afternoon/evening. The Typikon actually calls for the tenth hour of the day, 4:00 pm.


Fr. Deacon Lance

Christ is Risen!

Fr. Incognitus,

The Gospel Book published by Byzantine Seminary Press includes the Paschal Matins Gospel so that would seem to indicate at least a tacit approval of including it.

Fr. Deacon Lance