Lent and Passion Week

edited December 1969 in Coptic Orthodox Church
Firstly i just wanted to know the exact day lent finishes, i remember someone said it ended on sunday the 23rd but im just curious as whether we fast on that day too. Also, does someone mind explaining to me the details of passion week. Like when exactly does it start and end, and also the duties involved. I remember my aunty said we should read the synxarioum but i cant remember what she said we were supposed to read or exactly what we were supposed.. I will watch the passion of the christ in that week though :D

Many thanks for your help, rabana maak..

Matt

Comments

  • hi matt88, yes the holy great fast ends the 23of april which is reserection sunday and we don't fast on that day.
    and heres what we read during the pascha week:
    Monday: we read tobia.
    tuesday: we read the gospel of saint mathew.
    wednesday: we read the gospel of saint mark.
    thursday: we read the gospel of saint luke.
    friday: we read psalms.
    saturday: we read revelation.
    sunday: we read the gospel of saint john.
    * i hope i understood your question right*


    GBU
    sandra
  • I cant wait till Holy week and Great Friday.. and Easter! :)
  • Thank you so much Sandra for that!!!!!! I never knew what we were supposed to read, but im so happy now that i do know!!! Im just curious though, what is the tobia reading? Rabana Maak
    Matt
  • its one of the books thats not i the bible i really don't know it in english but in arabic its"el koteb el ma7zofa"

    GBU
    sandra
  • correct me if I am wrong,

    I think the book of Tobia (also referred to as "Tobit") is a book that's supposed to be in the bible, but the protestant churches took it out saying it isn't inspired by the Bible, but it really does support the Bible, a LOT..

    the story from here:http://st-takla.org/pub_Deuterocanon/Deuterocanon-Apocrypha_El-Asfar_El-Kanoneya_El-Tanya__0-index.html

    GBU and pray 4 my weaknesses,

    Laura
  • Yeah nene107, i cant wait for easter either :D Im just annoyed that i have to go back to uni when easter starts :(..

    Anyway, i was just going to ask then if anyone knows of a place where i cant read the tobia? If so i would really appreacite it!!

    Ma salaama..

    Matt
  • yes matt, here it is:
    http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/apo/tob.htm

    there is also a way to get to it from www.biblegateway.com but i haven't figured that out yet.

    just a small correction, or more of a technicality if you will, the great lent ends this friday (gom3et khetam esom) then starts passion week...actually it doesn't officially start until after palm sunday morning..that night, called Pascha of Monday eve (or something like that) is when the church is rearranged and dressed in black...actually, now that i think of it, it's during the general funeral that the church is dressed in black and all the palms are put away.
  • thanks alot for that! Also, one other question, are we supposed to catch up for the days that we dont read the synaxarioum? Thanks :)

    Matt
  • i have anotha question, sandra u said we read those books on certain days, r these days during the holt week?

    and do we read the whole book or is it a certain chapter?
  • There is some readings in each day for Holy week and you can find all of those in the Pascha book, where you can purchase it from your church bookstore or online. It's not just those ones that you said Sandra. Actually in Good Friday, you read the chapter of the crucifixtion from each Gospel...Matthew, Luke, Mark and John, and you read the first 3 psalms until a certain part where it says something like (ana nemt wie etga3t..or something like that)...then the rest of the psalms are said during apoghlamsis.
    The Holy week technically start the eve of Palm Sunday and ends the morning of apoghlamsis (not sure if that's the end or is it done after Good Friday ends).
    Let's get to your question about the synxarioum. The synxarioum is a rememberance of saints every day, and that's a good thing. But in Holy week, your whole focus should be on Christ, your saviour not on saints, so the readings that you need to do are all in the Pascha book, so just go to church and follow that ( i am not sure if there is an online version of the book). One more thing, no agpya readings are prayed during Holy week since they are considered "farya7y"

    Hope that helped.
  • thank you Marianne so much - you are always so helpful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    However, sadly, i havent really been to church for a while and wont be able to go before passion week..
    Do you think i would be fine if i just read, as instructed by Sandra;
    "Monday: we read tobia.
    tuesday: we read the gospel of saint mathew.
    wednesday: we read the gospel of saint mark.
    thursday: we read the gospel of saint luke.
    friday: we read psalms.
    saturday: we read revelation.
    sunday: we read the gospel of saint john."

    Or, are there any specific sections of the gospels and so on we are supposed to read? Or even better, would someone know where i could view a copy of the pascha book on the internet? I know im asking for a lot.. Though it the first time im doing passion week, and so i really want to do it properly...

    Thanks again so much!! Rabana Maak

    Matt
  • I don't know if there is a copy on the internet, I could find you the readings in my copy but I won't be able to get that until Thursday since it's home. If someone can't answer your question before then, I will be happy to give you the exact readings on there.
    By the way, if you are going to church during passion week, they should have a copy there or just pay attention and follow what's being said. If you won't be able to go, then I will be glad to help you with that but not until thurs night.
    Sorry.
  • why is agpya prayers faray7y?

    and so what do you pray from during the holy week?
  • I don't know why they are considered fary7y..you can ask an abouna about that...but that's what I have been taught.

    And again...you only pray from the pascha book...
  • Sure Marianne, i would really apprecaite it if you could list the readings, when you get available time. Truly, you have no idea how much i appreacite your efforts :D!! Though you will be in my prayers now :D!! Again thank you very much, and rabana maak.

    Matt
  • [quote author=mnc_hnn link=board=4;threadid=3630;start=0#msg52449 date=1144794290]
    i have anotha question, sandra u said we read those books on certain days, r these days during the holt week?

    and do we read the whole book or is it a certain chapter?


    the whole book during the holy week days!

    GBU
    sandra
  • it's not so much that Agpeya is fary7y as much as it doesnt focus on the passion of Christ, which is the theme for Holy Week. that's why there is the Pascha book which focuses primarily on the passion of Christ and its detail during that week (it even mentions prophocies). and if you notice, it too is divided into 7 hours like the agpeya.
  • [quote author=LauraInChrist link=board=4;threadid=3630;start=0#msg52396 date=1144720488]
    correct me if I am wrong,

    I think the book of Tobia (also referred to as "Tobit") is a book that's supposed to be in the bible, but the protestant churches took it out saying it isn't inspired by the Bible, but it really does support the Bible, a LOT..
    Yes your right. The protestants call them the " Apocr apha" They are supposed to be reffered to as the duetercanonical books (second canonical) because we still beleive that they are books that belong in the bible.
  • why is agpya prayers faray7y?

    agpeya is faray7e because when david the profit sang the psalms he used the trumpet and the kithara(not sure if its the same thing in english) and thats why its faray7e and the pascha week we are sad because jesus is deing for us(obviosly all of you knew that)

    GBU
    sandra
  • I tried to type the readings yesterday but there was an error and i couldn't type all of that again...anyway I just found that you can download it on here...on the homepage so u could try that if that didn't work..just let me know.
  • yeah i found it, thanks so much for your help Marianne!!
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