Saturday, April 18, 2009

Great and Holy Friday...




Yes, I know it's Saturday. I decided, quite prudently, to quit burning the midnight oil and SLEEP last night - because tonight, we don't sleep!
I had Husband take pictures of our Epitaphios (The Big Carved Wooden Thing Pictured Above) because it just looked so nice. It's the sepulcher which holds an icon of Christ in the tomb, and we carry it outside around the church carrying candles. I wish very much that I could have gotten a picture of Kittyboy riding on his daddy's shoulders in the procession. He was very much into it. He also provided us, as expected, with what has come to be referred to as a "monk-boy moment". Thursday night, he saw Father hanging Christ on the cross, and correctly identified that as "Jhe jhe" (Jesus). He was there for the Friday morning service of the Hours, with "Jhe jhe" still on the cross. He was home napping, however, for the service during which we bring Christ DOWN from the cross, and when the icon of Christ in the tomb is laid in the sepulcher. When we came in Great Friday evening, he saw the decorated Epitaphios, the bare cross, pointed at the Epitaphios, and signed Jesus. How did he know? It's just what he does. Cross is empty! Tomb is pretty! Where else would Jesus be? Duh, Mommy!
He is currently in bed screaming and kicking the walls, because every night this week he has been in bed at 9 at the earliest, and now he thinks that's his new bedtime. Tonight, we need him asleep before 8 (we were shooting for 7, originally) because we'll be waking him at 11 to go back to church!
An early Christos Anesti - Christ is risen!

1 comment:

Pres. Kathy said...

What a beautiful epitaphio! It is so tough for the kids to get back to a normal schedule after Holy Week,