Holy Week at Home

Holy Week at home with my family was intensely beautiful and difficult - much as it always is - but also not at all like always.

It was hard to stand in our living room next to the couch. Still, the children were able to ask about the scriptures and hymns and icons throughout the service, and actually get answers in real time. My older kids haven't colored in church in many years, but this year they carefully and attentively colored a different icon each day.

Many services felt weird and anti-climactic without the sacraments. Yet, my girls led the processions, lit the 12 candles, read the scriptures, chanted the hymns, and blessed the baskets - things they usually watch others do. So there was a different kind of participation.

We missed our picnics, singing, and meals with friends. But the children took active part in making sure we had a cross for Holy Thursday, they hunted flowers and insisted on making a bier, and they helped prepare our Paschal feast.

Someone commented on one of my pictures that my home looked cozy. I saw my re-arranged living room and, before I realized what I was saying, I laughingly replied, "it has transformed into a little church this week." It's true in the way I meant it - we moved chairs to make the prayer corner larger, and had stacks of bibles, service books, and music ready; oil and candles on stand by; a space made for our antidoron-like-bread and holy water; and an analogion set up for the festal icons. But it was also true in the accidental way that caught my breath when I saw it. We prayed together, liturgized together, suffered and served together in our home this week. My children received more of my attention this week than most regular Holy Weeks. We mourned the crucifixion and celebrated the resurrection in faith as a family.

This quarantined Holy Week revealed how much communion is part of the church, how much we need it, we need each other. But it also revealed God is with us in our most difficult moments, he is glorified in our must humble offerings. Christ is risen from the dead, and all we have to do is show up and celebrate it.

Anyway, this is the post with the pictures to remember it all.

Lazarus Saturday

Lazarus Saturday/Palm Sunday Door Decorations

Lazarus Saturday festivities

Laza-dog

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday Liturgy with Fern-Palms

Palm Sunday Liturgy, with a lucky find of a Lazarus Saturday paper icon and last year's crosses

Holy Monday

Bridegroom Icon with ferm-palms and daffodil-crosses

Holy Tuesday

The transformation of our living room, amid zoom ballet class and services

Holy Wednesday

No unction service this year, but we read some of the readings from the service
and anointed one another from our vigil lamp.

Holy Thursday

coloring icons for the Mystical Supper during the morning Liturgy

dyeing eggs and making butter lambs on Holy Thursday afternoon

Coloring the crucifixion as we listen to the Gospels and light the candles. Some of us were more still than others...

Reading the Gospels

Holy Friday

Cardboard bier ready

flowers gathered

Epitaphios colored during Royal Hours

Holy Friday procession

entering under the bier

Myrrh the children sprinkled

Every generation to thy grace comes bringing, dear Christ, its dirge of praise.

Parish vigil at the tomb on Zoom

Holy Saturday

Dogwood leaves and petals of victory for Holy Saturday

we had a little more fun with the leaves than usual

Pascha

Come receive the light

processing outside the door (with the window open so we can still hear the livestream)

knocking on the door

Christ is risen!

the dog is confused why we're shouting?

Giddy children settle on the couch for the Liturgy

the little one is already asleep

the Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom

Blessing the baskets with the priest

the analogion

the midnight feast, not everyone is awake.

long awaited ice cream

Bright Week

beautiful cards from missed church friends adorn our festal table

it doesn't stay pretty for long

Egg hunt later in the sun