Fr. Bill's Orthodox Blog – Orthodoxy from the Third Coast
Saints, Seasons, Society, Sins, plus Travels mostly to Greece and who knows what next? by Father Bill Olnhausen
Note that we’re still on our Holy Week “topsy-turvy” schedule, always “anticipating” the next appointed service. As I said, despite my not understanding this, somehow it feels just right for this Week when the whole world gets turned upside down. Introduction For most of our Orthodox history the Holy Wednesday night service was Matins/Orthros, which […]
Read More »In case you’ve tuned in late to this series: These posts are “repeats” (with a little reworking each year) of my Holy Week posts of the past five years – which are based on talks I’ve given (off and on) for about 25 years at Holy Week services at Saint Nicholas Church, Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Why […]
Read More »Before we get into the Gospel story… Tonight at the end of the Aposticha we hear the Hymn of Kassiane, a Ninth Century nun and hymnographer. She was one of several young women interviewed by Emperor Theophilos as a prospective bride. The story says he was so flummoxed by Kassiane’s beauty that he said something […]
Read More »Troparion of Bridegroom Matins: Kievan chant, sung by “Archangel Voices” Behold, the Bridegroom comes at midnight, And blessed is that servant whom He shall find awake, But unworthy is the servant whom He shall find heedless. Beware, therefore, O my soul, do not be weighed down with sleep, Lest you be given up to death, and lest […]
Read More »Exaposteilarion from Bridegroom Matins, chanted in Arabic and then in English, by the Choir at Our Lady of Balamand Monastery, El Koura, Lebanon, Holy Week 2011 Gospel Reading: Matthew 22:15-46; 23:1-39 In tonight’s Gospel, the confrontation between Jesus and the authorities continues. They must stop this Man. Killing Him was the last option. The […]
Read More »