The Weekly Festal Cycle
Introduction
By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou
Introduction
By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou
In this year's written sermons for the two months of Summer (July-August) we will talk about the weekly festal cycle, that is, what we celebrate each day of the week. Thus, we will be given the opportunity to see that we not only have major feast days, such as Christmas, Theophany, Easter and the feasts of the Panagia and the Saints, but we also celebrate every day of the week with both basic feasts and commemorations of the Theotokos and the Saints.
First of all, it must be emphasized that the division of time into seven days in the week is found in the Babylonians and the Egyptians, and comes from the moon's orbit around the earth and its various phases; they also gave names to the days, some from various stars, others from the names of their greatest gods.
The Greeks received the division of the seven days of the week from the Egyptians, and the Hebrews received it from the Babylonians, Chaldeans and Egyptians. However, the Jews, the Greeks and the Romans did not use the seven days of the week with the names of the other peoples, but called them first, second, third, fourth, fifth, according to the Greek numbering.
In particular, the Jews called the seventh day Sabbath, which signifies rest, and the weeks they called Sabbaths, so the first day of the week was called "first of the Sabbath." Also, the day before the Sabbath was called Preparation, because the Jews were preparing for the feast and rest of the Sabbath.
The Christians found this division of the week, mainly from the Jews, but also from the Greeks and the Romans, however they made some correction, namely to the first day, or "first of the Sabbath", which they called the Lord's Day (Kyriaki),1 because on this day Christ was resurrected, and the other days they numbered as Second (Deutera),2 Third (Triti),3 Fourth (Tetarti),4 Fifth (Pempti),5 Preparation (Paraskevi)6 and Sabbath (Savvaton).7 Also, the Christians gave these days a special celebratory significance, as is clearly seen in the troparia of these days included in the liturgical book called the "Parakletike".
Christianity, as we know, began in Jerusalem, immediately after Pentecost, which was the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and the first Christians who accepted the preaching of the Apostle Peter and were baptized, then the first Church in Jerusalem was formed, as described in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. Thus, they gathered every day, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, had common meals and glorified God.
As we read in the "Constitutions of the Holy Apostles", the Bishop had to encourage the people to gather in the church in the "morning and evening of each day." Thus, the Christians gathered every morning and evening, chanted and prayed, read the Psalms of David and celebrated the Eucharist.
There is no religion without faith and worship. This also happens with the Church, which has a faith that is God's Revelation, a worship that is connected to prayer and an upright life that should be adapted to the Orthodox Christian faith.
Within this perspective, the weekly festal cycle arose. On the Lord's Day, which is the first day of the week, it was established that the Resurrection of Christ should be celebrated; the Second Day was dedicated to the Incorporeal Powers, i.e. the Angels; the Third Day was dedicated to the great figure of the Honorable Forerunner and Baptist John; the Fourth Day was dedicated to the beginning of Christ's Passion, when there was a meeting of the Pharisees, Scribes and Elders of the people on how to arrest Christ by treachery and kill Him, and the betrayal of Judas followed. The Fifth day was dedicated to the Apostles and Saint Nicholas, the popular saint. Preparation Day was dedicated to the Passion, the Cross, the Death and Entombment of Christ; the Sabbath was dedicated to the commemoration of the creation of the world and God's cessation from all works and also to the memory of all the Saints, especially the martyrs, the holy ascetics, and of the pious reposed Christians throughout the ages.
In the sermons of the following Sundays, this entire weekly festal cycle will be analyzed, and what the theology is for each day of the week will be presented. In this way, we will learn to live every day ecclesiastically, to remember God and the Saints and to define our lives based on the daily program established by the Church with prayer and fasting.
Each of us has set a schedule for each day, and has determined what to do each day. However, as Christians and indeed Orthodox, we must know how our Church planned our weekly life and that way we will have an ecclesiastical phronema and we will be Christians in practice.
This means that Christ and the Church must always be in our memory and thus we will have an ecclesiastical phronema and our life will be festive.
Source: Delivered on Sunday 7 July 2024. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Notes:
1. In English corresponds to Sunday (Day of the Sun).
2. In English corresponds to Monday (Day of the Moon).
3. In English corresponds to Tuesday (Day of Aries).
4. In English corresponds to Wednesday (Day of Hermes).
5. In English corresponds to Thursday (Day of Zeus).
6. In English corresponds to Friday (Day of Aphrodite).
7. In English corresponds to Saturday (Day of Saturn).
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