Holy Monday

Icon of Christ the Bridegroom, sitting above the star at Golgotha in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.

Holy Monday or Great and Holy Monday is the Monday of Holy Week, which preceeds the commemoration of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

Western Christianity

In the Roman Catholic Church, the Gospel lesson at Mass tells of the Anointing of Jesus at Bethany (John 12:1–9), which chronologically occurred before the Entry into Jerusalem described in John 12:12–19.

Few Protestant churches have special services for Holy Monday. Those which do may follow the general pattern of the Roman Catholic observance.

Eastern Christianity

In the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, Great and Holy Monday commemorates the withering of the fruitless fig tree (Matthew 12:18–22), a symbol of judgement that will befall those who do not bring forth the fruits of repentance.^[1] The hymns on this day also recall Joseph, the son of Jacob, whose innocent suffering at the hand of his brethren (Genesis 37), and false accusation (Genesis 39-40) are a type (forshadowing) of the Passion of Christ.^[1]

The day begins liturgically with Vespers on Palm Sunday night, repeating some of the same stichera (hymns) from the night before. At Compline a Triode (Canon composed of three Odes), written by St. Andrew of Crete is chanted.

The Matins service for Monday through Wednesday of Holy Week is known as the Bridegroom Service or Bridegroom Prayer, because of their theme of Christ as the Bridegroom of the Church, a theme movingly expressed in the troparion that is solemnly chanted during them. On these days, an icon of "Christ the Bridegroom" is placed on an analogion in the center of the temple, portraying Jesus wearing the purple robe of mockery and crowned with a crown of thorns (see Instruments of the Passion). The Matins Gospel read on this day is from the Gospel of Matthew 21:18–43.

The four Gospels are divided up and read in their entirety at the Little Hours (Third Hour, Sixth Hour and Ninth Hour) during the course of the first three days of Holy Week, halting at John 13:31.

At the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts there is no reading from the Epistles, but there is a Gospel reading from Matthew 24:3–35.

References

^ ^a ^b Kallistos (Ware), Bishop; Mary, Mother (1978), The Lenten Triodion, South Canaan PA: St. Tikhon's Seminary Press (published 2002), p. 59-60, ISBN 1-8789997-51-3 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)

External links

Great and Holy Monday Orthodox icon and synaxarion

[Ware-1] Kallistos (Ware), Bishop; Mary, Mother (1978), The Lenten Triodion, South Canaan PA: St. Tikhon's Seminary Press (published 2002), p. 59-60, ISBN 1-8789997-51-3 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)

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