The last week of Lent or the so-called Holy Week traces the most painful days in the life of the Saviour, the days preceding the crucifixion. Filled with pain and suffering they remind believers of Christ’s sacrifice, a sacrifice he made because of his love for the human race. During this week Orthodox Christian priests appeal to their congregation to open their eyes to the spiritual world, to things eternal, to purge their minds of material thoughts:

“Holy Week is the best time to take stock of one’s life”, says Father Vassil Vassilev from the Three Saints church in the town of Shoumen. “To take a look at everything we are at present and live up to what we have been and what we can be. We must take an active part in divine services because they help us take stock of our own lives, so that we may turn to face what is good in our souls and the meaning of the Resurrection – the most important time for any Christian. Our empathy for the suffering of our Saviour brings out our empathy for our neighbour. It is the only way we can prepare ourselves for Easter – a time when compassion opens up the heart and the soul to a new life. And that is something very important. When a human feels compassion, he or she shall know the suffering of others, which is part of the suffering of Jesus. When we have empathy for His sacrifice, we can change our own selves. Unless we do this, unless we really know its meaning, Easter will be no more than any other feast day.”

Holy Week culminates in Good Friday, the day of Jesus Christ’s greatest suffering as he made his way to Golgotha and His crucifixion. Hundreds of thousands of laymen go to church, some just to pass under the shroud for health, others bow down their heads and humble themselves.

“This is where the true meaning lies. By humbling ourselves we demonstrate that had we witnessed these events, our place would have been by the side of the Mother of God and the apostles. By passing under the shroud, a symbol of the Holy Sepulchre we show that we too are part of God’s suffering. And if there are Christians who pass under the table just for the sake of their health or for some other reason, it is because of these 45 years of atheism, followed by 25 years of misunderstood democracy. The church does not force itself on anyone, but its doors are always open. Anyone visiting the temple can ask the priest to clarify these things. Unless we do that, we shall pass Easter by without seeing Christ resurrected. We shall eat of the Easter cake, paint eggs without ever realizing what they symbolize. It is this that makes us human, all else is bestial, corporeal. When we meet the needs the body has but neglect the soul, our spirit is stunted and the image of God darkens. We must feed the soul and it is the soul that must guide us. Then the body shall be pleased and shall delight in big as well as in little things because it shall serve the soul. That is the correct way to look at things.”

On this day, believers do not eat, nor do they drink water as a sign of empathy.

“As is the canon nothing must be eaten on Good Friday. It is a day when we forget about food and turn to the soul; bread and water is allowed only for the old and infirm. All this must be done with the blessing of the priest who can say whether the believer can take this strictest of fasts. Good Friday is the most severe day, the day when we feel the greatest anguish, on this day there is not even a liturgy. That is why it is a holiday, a day of preparation for the Resurrection, when all believers are in the temple. I would like to say to all of our compatriots living abroad that the church has not forgotten them and we are praying constantly for them, for their success. They should know that Bulgaria awaits them.”

English version: Milena Daynova