The community of Holy Cross Church in Whitestone, NY and parish priest Fr. Nicholas Paros welcomed His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America for the service of Orthros of Holy Monday, which takes place on Sunday evening. Beginning on the evening of Palm Sunday and continuing through the evening of Holy Tuesday, the Orthodox Church observes a special service known as the Service of the Bridegroom. Each evening service is the Matins or Orthros service of the following day (e.g. the service held on Sunday evening is the Orthros service for Holy Monday). The name of the service is from the figure of the Bridegroom in the parable of the Ten Virgins found in Matthew 25:1-13. Read more about the Services of the Bridegroom here.

In his Homily to the faithful, the Archbishop said, “The challenge of Holy Week is to recognize in the Bridegroom, the very God Who created us and loves us just as we are. It is hard for us to admit that His humiliation, His torture, and His death were accomplished for our sake. Why do we need such a Bridegroom:? Why do we need such a Divine Lover? Because through sin, through resentment, through envy, through pride, and through our lack of love and generosity toward others, we are dwelling in darkness. That is why He comes to us in the middle of the night, ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τῆς νυκτός, in the middle of our dark night of the soul, to find us just as we are, that we may discover who we really are.”

Photos: GOARCH/Dimitrios Panagos