The Pentecostarion (i.e., also known as the Flowery Triodion or Festal Triodion) is the service book of the Eastern Church that provides the texts for the moveable portions of the divine services from Pascha through the feast of All Saints (the weekend that follows Pentecost). You will recall that the Lenten Triodion is the service book of the Eastern Church that provides the texts for the divine services for the pre-Lenten weeks of preparation, the Great Lent and the Great and Holy Week. In Greek and Slavonic it is simply called the Triodion because the canons appointed for Matins (i.e., Morning Prayer) during this period are composed of three odes each. The Pentecostarion includes the following:

PASCHA – Resurrection Weekend
ANTI-PASCH – St. Thomas Weekend
MYRRH-BEARERS Weekend
THE PARALYTIC MAN Weekend
THE SAMARITAN WOMAN Weekend
THE BLIND MAN Weekend
THE ASCENSION
THE FATHERS OF THE 1ST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL Weekend
PENTECOST Weekend
ALL SAINTS Weekend

As you will recall, the weeks of the Triodion were originally designed to prepare potential converts for Initiation into the Church. Each week presented a different aspect of the Christian Way of Life – which is the way of METANOIA or change of heart and mind. The weeks of the Pentecostarion were originally designed to continue the religious education of the newly initiated, helping them to truly understand the WAY of living that Jesus revealed. I would like to challenge all my readers to think about these themed-weekends and attempt to determine what the Church is trying to teach us about the WAY. The Church deliberately chose these Gospel stories to teach us something. Over the next several weeks, I would like to share information about how our worship of these events came into existence.

In worship we encounter the living God. Through Worship God makes Himself present and active in our time, drawing the particles and moments of our life into the realm of redemption. He bestows upon us the Holy Spirit, who makes real the promise of Jesus to be in the midst of those gathered in His name (Mt 18.20). In our church, therefore, we do more than remember past events and recall future promises. We experience the risen Christ, who is clothed with his past and future acts. Thus, all that is past and all that is future are made present in the course of our liturgical celebrations.

Pascha, which commemorates the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is the oldest, most venerable and preeminent feast of the Church. It is the great Christian festival, the very center and heart of the liturgical year.

It is important, if we are to truly understand our Church, that we understand more about our worship.

More to follow!