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I received the Passaic eparchial paper yesterday and noticed that the cathedral is doing the Holy Saturday Vesper/St Basil liturgy combined with Paschal Matins again this year. Are there still parishes that do this rather odd combination? Is it still being encouraged as the new "easter vigil?" And do people come to it? Shouldn't the celebration of Pascha build to receiving the Eucharist, Christ our passover, as it's summit and not begin with it?? Am I off the mark in thinking this way??

John K

Yes, there are parishes that still combine Vespers / Basil Divine Liturgy and Pascha Matins. It started in Parma with a publication some years ago, and Bishop Pataki pushed it when he was Bishop of Passaic.

This combination of services is theologically poor. In the Byzantine liturgical tradition Vespers and Matins prepare for and build to the Eucharistic Divine Liturgy. Reception of the Eucharist comes at the end and is the high point. When the Divine Services are combined together to place the Eucharist before Matins the Eucharist is no longer the high point of these Divine Services and reception of the Eucharist becomes – in a sense – a preparation for Matins. This is very poor liturgical theology.

Prior to trying this Vespers / Basil DL / Resurrection Matins combination one parish in Virginia was getting about 350-400 people for the normal Resurrection Matins & Chrysostom DL at 11:00 PM. When they went to this combo at an earlier time the number dropped to about 50. The people have not gone back even though they now have the Vesper / Basil DL at 5 PM and the Matins / Chrysostom DL later in the evening.

There is a reason the traditional Holy Week services fell into a common timing, with some services being anticipated by half a day. It worked. Churches were full. It should not have been messed with since it has only succeeded in chasing people away.

Thanks John--glad that I am not the only one that finds the theology of combining these two services upsidedown and highly incorrect. Also the average Greek Catholic may find it interminably long, even if it was abbreviated by losing some of the readings. Not mention that the Vespers/St. Basil is the liturgy of Holy Saturday and NOT of Pascha. Making it the "first Mass of Pascha" is also theologically incorrect, even if it does contain SOME Paschal elements, such as the Gospel and changing of vestments/hangings from black to white.

I tend to think of the anticipation of the Holy Week services by a half day more to faciliate the reception of Communion, because few would have been able to fast all day to receive in the evening. The Vesper/St. Basil liturgies of Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday would have been in the morning, and people would only have to keep a normal "Sunday" fast to receive the Sacrament. Now with the relaxation of the fast to one hour, that is a mute point so the services can be moved back to canonical times.

We do Holy Saturday Liturgy in the morning. Vespers, Nocturns, Pascha Matins and Liturgy begin at 11 pm (I think -- I need to look at the schedule again).

Since you are Orthodox (according to your Profile), I highly doubt that you do Vespers in your parish just before Nocturns. I'm sure it's on Holy Saturday morning with (i.e. before) the Liturgy of St Basil. All these other arrangements I'm hearing that Greek Catholics are doing leads me to suspect that they are not really serious about their Eastern tradition.

Fr David Straut

John:

Would you mind telling me exactly how services were traditionally done for Holy Saturday and Pascha? At my parish, I believe that we are having Vespers followed by the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil in the evening on Holy Saturday, then on Pascha, we are having Resurrection Matins at 9AM, followed by the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. However, it was not done that we for the past few years at least, where we had the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil at 11AM on Holy Saturday, Resurrection Matins at 7PM on Holy Saturday, then the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom at 10 AM on Pascha.

Thank you,

Ryan

Ryan--

My former parish now does Vespers/St. Basil at 4pm on Holy Saturday and something I called "Mat-urgy" (similar in format to the Vespers/DL of Holy Saturday, only shortening and combining Paschal Matins and DL) on Pascha in the morning at the regular DL time. The current pastor and the one before him, use this format.

Prior to that Vespers/St. Basil were on Holy Saturday morning, Matins were at night on Holy Saturday, and DL for Pascha was on Sunday morning at the regular time. To me, it's anti-climactic to have Matins and not continue on immediately to the DL.

John

Father David--

I'm sure that you can find someone on the liturgical commission who can tell you that this is the way that it was done...<insert your favorite romanticized era here>

Dear Father David,

Please do not form an opinion of all Greek Catholics based upon the aberrations of a relatively small (and shrinking) contingent in the USA. Even in North America it is not that difficult to find Greek-Catholic parishes who serve normally and experience good pastoral results.

Fr. Serge

Ryan,

Traditionally the Vespers and Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great for Holy Saturday was celebrated in the morning of Holy Saturday and the Resurrection Matins and Divine Liturgy of Pascha was celebrated at midnight on Saturday night. [I will note that many Carpathian parishes anticipated Pascha Matins on Saturday evening and then returned to the church to celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom on Sunday morning.]

One thing to keep in mind is that these are not just services that are anticipated by half a day.

The Vespers and Diving Liturgy of St. Basil the Great was originally a baptismal Liturgy and not – as some are trying to invent – the “First Mass of Easter” (to purposely use the Latin liturgically understanding). One needs to consider that when this Divine Service moved from Saturday night to earlier in the day it continued to develop. As it exists now its character has both resurrection elements (especially the Gospel) and anticipatory elements (“Arise, O God, and judge the earth”, “Morn not for me, O my Mother, for I shall arise and be glorified”). The music is neither mournful like on Good Friday and even Jerusalem Matins nor is it joyful like at Resurrection Matins but rather it is anticipatory. The whole character of this Vespers and Basil Liturgy is the message of Great Saturday: be still, be patient, let God work. As such it cannot be the “First Mass of Easter”. Simply rescheduling it for Saturday evening does not work for in its present form it is not structured as the “First Mass of Easter”. This is why people do not flock to it like they flock to Matins & the Chrysostom Divine Liturgy.

Pascha Matins also developed its character after the Vespers and Basil DL moved to earlier in the day. As it stands now it is meant to be celebrated at night (think of the hymns about “this saving night” and the Ambon Prayer at the Chrysostom DL with references to the gathered Church holding candles).

So simply re-scheduling these services does not work. The people pick up on the fact that they are out of place and don’t come.

One cannot take a utilitarian approach to Liturgy, and that is the major problem behind the Ruthenian liturgical reforms (even more troubling than the Latin mindset driving the reforms). They say “we must move the Vespers and Basil Liturgy for Holy Thursday to the night since Vespers belongs in the evening and the people are home from work and can come to Communion”. It’s the same mindset that says that we must combine Vespers and Divine Liturgy on Saturday nights so that people are free to do more important things on Sunday morning (like sleep in or take the kids to soccer). We should be calling people take at least Thursday and Friday off from work to pray these services, and the traditional way they were celebrated spread them out nicely during the day. Reworking them as they are doing only continues to drive them away.

Ask your priest to keep the celebration of the Vespers and Divine Liturgy of St. Basil early on Saturday (if the local bishop permits it). And to celebrate Pascha Matins and the Chrysostom Liturgy at midnight on Holy Saturday night, making it the only celebration of Pascha. You will be amazed at how beautiful it is.

John

John:

Thank you for taking the time to reply. My only response (and I'm not saying that it in any way invalidates your argument) is that some people may find it very difficult to take off both Thursday and Friday of Holy Week. There are employers who simply won't cooperate--I've witnessed it in the past when one of the managers at a previous employer actually subjected employees to disciplinary action for taking off Good Friday. We simply don't live in a society that cares about the religion needs/obligations of those who take them seriously.

Ryan

Ryan,

I understand and sympathize. An individual can only do his best. I've been blessed with an employer who freely allows me to use vacation days during Holy Week. In your case I would expect that if you had to work on Holy Thursday and could not get to the daytime Vespers and Basil Liturgy you would definitely participate in the Matins on Thursday night (the Twelve Gospels). It, too, is a beautiful service (although our 1976 book abbreviates it too much out of shape).

But if I had to work on Sunday morning I would not insist the Church add a Divine Liturgy on Saturday night to accommodate me. I'd be happy at the Vigil and would then take Eucharist at a weekday Divine Liturgy. [And if the Sunday employment continued long term I'd find another job!]

My larger point is that the Liturgy (and the Holy Week services, and even their scheduling) develop organically over time, guided by the Holy Spirit. Reworking them from the perspective of their utility destroys their beauty. When they are no longer beautiful people no longer participate and the churches become empty.

John

Glory to Jesus Christ!

I'm curious, do any other Ruthenian parishes celebrated Matins at dawn?

We have been doing this at my parish for a number of years (followed immediately by the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom), and always have a good turnout. Last year the timing was perfect - we read the Gospel of the Resurrection, talking about the rising of the sun and the desire of the women to roll back the stone from the tomb, as we were about to enter the church singing "Christ is Risen", just as sun was breaking.