Behold, the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night, and blessed is the servant He shall find vigilant; but unworthy is he whom he shall find neglectful. Beware therefore, O my soul, lest you be weighed down by sleep, lest you be given over to death and be closed out from the kingdom; but rise up crying out: "Holy! Holy! Holy are You our God; through the intercessions of the Theotokos, have mercy on us."



The Triumphal Entry has occurred. Christ is in our midst! There was a spirit of joy in the procession on Sunday, even through the misting rain and cold. I looked around at the other faces and saw the excitement of knowing the King has entered, He who we have waited for. We sang, "Blessed is He who comes..." softly, remembering not only the triumph, but the reason for the coming.

It was also palatable beneath the anticipation, and the acknowledgement of the great event, an all too close sense of the sorrow to come. It was most apparent to me after we got home, and I was bending the blessed palms into crosses for our prayer corner. I thought of what my sister-in-law said to me in relation to making the palms into crosses, "You have to do it while they are still alive, or they just crumble." Required also was the life required of the Lord, for our salvation.

Holy Week is here, and the flurry of services and preparations. My children also, regrettably, have standardized testing this week, three days. Thankfully, it is only in the morning on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We're trying to decide which services to take all the kids to, which to only take the older ones, thinking about how to work the Pascha vigil. I'm exhausted already, may I be forgiven.

Observing Holy Week brings you to your knees-not only physically. It's an interesting place to be, feeling the weight of your sins, and knowing how sin bends, breaks, twists....

You must bend the palm, split it, twist it, and weave it through...essentially mangle it. Then, suddenly it begins to take the form of the Cross, this life-giving, all glorious symbol where the Lord died, where true living began-were death was vanquished.

Thanks be to God, there is more than the sorrow, more than the lamentation. Where we recognize only the end, the sorrow, the death, God works all things together for good, for life, and life eternal. Blessed Holy Week to all!