I assembled a bunch of my Holy Week printables in one place. I appreciate Elissa Bjeletich's suggestions for celebrating this year on Raising Saints. We will be reading, singing, flowering, and processing as much as we can from home. Blessed Holy Week at home, dear ones!
If you are preparing to celebrate Holy Week at home, here is a printable Epitaphios. I thought it might be fun to make our own to carry on Holy Friday.
Behold the Bridegroom cometh in the middle of the night, and blessed is that servant whom he shall find watching; and again unworthy is he whom he shall find heedless. Beware, therefore, O my soul, lest thou should be borne down with sleep, lest thou be given up to death and be shut out from the kingdom. But rather rouse thyself and cry, Holy, Holy, Holy, art Thou, O our God. Through thepower of thy cross, have mercy on.
As we approach Thanksgiving and the Nativity fast, I'm thinking about ways to draw my children's hearts (and my own!) toward gratitude. My friend and khouria recently suggested having children choose from the ikos of the Akathist of Thanksgiving and draw some of the imagery in it. I tend to run with an idea - so I formatted the whole Akathist with one kontakion or ikos per page. I think we will draw on the paper around the words, and then staple them into a book.
This hymn of Thanksgiving is was written by Metropolitan Tryphon, and found among the effects of Fr. Gregory Petrov who died in a Soviet prison camp in 1940. The refrain "Glory to God for all things" is reminiscent of the words of St. John Chrysostom as he was dying in exile. This is an expression of the joy and peace we find in our Savior when we assume a posture of humble gratitude even amidst terrible sufferings.
I've been using this printable Dormition Calendar for many years, but this year I decided to quickly sketch up a new one that includes the cross. We bring the cross into the church, venerating it throughout this fast and remembering how God heals us through Christ's saving work. The cross is a comforting reminder for us, as we prepare for the death of the Theotokos, that we do not grieve without hope. Death is overcome and becomes now the entrance into the mystery of life with Christ. We look to the Theotokos as the leader of Christians, the first to believe in Christ, the first to enter into life with Him. Most Holy Theotokos, pray to God for us!
Color a flower each day to decorate the icon and cross for the feast! Just grab them image and save it. I've always thought it would be lovely to do this activity by gluing paper or other fake flowers onto the paper each day, but we haven't done that yet. We do love to bring flowers to church for this feast!
