On the Tuesday evening of Holy Week, during the Third Bridegroom Service, we are blessed to hear the beloved Hymn of Kassiani. We also hear the hymn where the unnamed Sinful Woman and Judas are juxtaposed. “The contrast between the two of them is striking, and is all the more dramatic when you think that the love of the one and the treachery of the other were happening at the same time. It also calls into question how we judge others, for one was an obvious sinner and the other a disciple of the Lord; but their stories end in a reversal of roles: she becomes a beloved follower of the Lord and the other becomes His betrayer,” His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America remarked.

His Eminence joined Prositamenos Fr. Damaskinos Ganas of Kimisis tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church in Brooklyn, New York for this service where the chanters sang beautifully and emotionally the hymns of the evening as we continue to follow the journey of our Lord to the Cross where He sacrifices Himself to save us all.

Archbishop Elpidophoros reminded parishioners that “The Sinful Woman and Judas are inside every one of us. Whether we know it or not… the propensities for both linger within our hearts. The services and hymns of Holy Week invite us to discover the mystery of our human condition. And by God’s grace, we shall choose the way of repentance over foolish and dangerous impudence. Thus, with a good heart cleansed from sin, we shall arrive at the glorious Pascha of the Lord.”

Photos: GOARCH/Dimitrios Panagos