By Father Vasilios Kaliakmanis
Professor of the Department of Theology
Thessaloniki A.P.

During the period of Halloween and the Triduum, the Church gradually introduces Christians to the spiritual atmosphere of the Great Lent and the preparation for the cross-resurrection Easter.
It psychologically prepares the weary hearts to taste the glow of the divine presence. Thus Christian exercise, prayer, fasting, fasting, exalted humility, repentance, chastity, love for the neighbour and mourning for God are more prominent. Authentic people and instructive things are highlighted through parables and riddles.

On the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, which opens the Triduum, the way of sincere prayer is revealed, as well as the danger of pharisaism, social boasting and hypocrisy. On Ascension Sunday, Christians are initiated into the authentic way of repentance and the breadth of divine love is revealed in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). St.Gregory Palamas, interpreting this instructive parable, emphasizes the goodness of God the Father, who, as an unfeigned one, kept nothing for himself, distributed abundantly all created goods as well as heavenly gifts to men, but they squandered them.

And the holy Church leaves no room for misunderstandings and evasions about the person of God: “God is love. Whoever does not love has not known God.”
(see 1 John 4:8).

That is why the final judgment will have as its measure love for the fellow human being, the stranger, the naked, the prisoner, the hungry, the thirsty.
Then, after passing through the spiritual stations of the various Sundays of the Great Lent and the popular Sequences of Greetings to the Virgin Mary, we enter the Holy and Holy Week. And everyone longs for the lost intimacy with God. He is concerned about the absence of meaningful human relationships and the deterioration of his quality of life. In any case, the person of the Lord Jesus, who is voluntarily led to the Cross, “taking away the sins of the world”, although it is a “sign of controversy”, radiates light and grace, a way of sacrificial life. At the same time it inspires with resurrection hope the fighters of everyday life.
Blessed are those who have pure eyes and become recipients of divine gifts. And they are known only to the omniscient God, since they usually remain in obscurity and on the margins of social and ecclesiastical life. They are the simple bearers of the Cross of Christ in the family, in the cafeteria, in the school, in the office, in the field, in the bustling society. They are also sharing the burden of social responsibility on their shoulders. And they become in an indivisible way shareholders of grace and light.
Their model are the philacolytes and simple monks of Athos who spend most of the hours of Lent and Holy Week in the church praying, chanting and reading sacred texts. “The Athonite megalobodos”, writes Old Moses of Mount Athos, “is silent, sober, unperturbed, secret, it leads one to a useful introspection, to necessary self-knowledge, to self-observation and not constant hetero-observation and judgment… The Athonite Elders silently participate in the Lord’s Immaculate Passion. When you talk you don’t listen. They are silent to listen. They listen to experience. That the blood of Calvary was shed for everyone…

Saint Joseph the cave dweller

Listen and act. To do so
the good, leaving room for the other”
(Eortia Letters from Mount Athos, pp. 147-148).

On the other hand, in the face of the glory of the voluntary emptying of the Son and Word of God, of His sacrifice and longsuffering, human smallness is revealed in a very eloquent way. The daily tales of betrayal for “thirty pieces of silver”, the volatility of the mob that is recklessly led from “hosanna” to “crucify him”, the Pharisaic hypocrisy, as well as the easy denial of the teacher confirm the truth of the matter.
Man is so free that he can reach not only the denial and rejection of God but also “deicide”. And this inevitably leads to “homicide”. The so-called “death of God” in the Western world was followed by the “death of the neighbour” with all its unpleasant consequences. Societies have become societies of envy. And people who envy and hate their fellow man become “homicidal,” since “he who hates his brother is a homicidal man” (1 John 3:15).
In our days there is a thirst and hunger for heavenly grace. However, most people, because of confusion and obscurity of mind, do not go to the lusty Fountain of Life, but run elsewhere to quench their thirst and be satiated. Others seek the meaning of life and grace in the overconsumption of material goods. Therefore, when they do not have this possibility, they become frustrated and devalue life. But even those who have the financial comfort are unsatisfied, because they try to satiate their spiritual existence with material goods.

And when hearts are full. no restriction can darken them. They are illuminated by the life-giving light of the Resurrection.

In years past, people sought joy and grace in distant journeys. They flocked to the national roads in search of the authentic meaning of life in a village in the countryside, close to the spring nature and the “good old customs”. But even they were not filled with flight, obelia and false euphoria, even if the beauty of the Greek countryside gave them a temporary respite. Others arrive at the half-open churches to light a candle, to venerate the icons of the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Holy Virgin Mary.
Particularly characteristic is the icon of the Resurrection, which appears in various versions and is displayed for veneration every Sunday and during the Church’s resurrection period. The predominantly Byzantine depiction stands out, showing Christ in Hades freeing Adam and Eve from the bonds of death, as well as all the righteous who were anxiously awaiting the coming of the Redeemer.

A classic example of this composition can be found in the chapel of the Chora Monastery in Constantinople. In this fresco, Christ, wearing white and in bright glory, dominates as the conqueror of death, drawing Adam and Eve from the bonds of death. On his hands and feet are the marks of the crucifixion nails. Above there is the inscription “The Resurrection”. Both this inscription and the processions of the righteous depicted clearly refer to the Resurrection not only of Christ but of the entire human race. At the bottom of the dark abyss and through steep rocks lies death in chains.
This performance can inspire every honest fighter and runner of everyday life not to run selfishly alone, stepping on others or passing by them indifferently. But to hold the hand of the weak, to slow down his time for the desperate, to bend down for the hurting, to cancel the power of death with love, to end up with others spiritually enriched by the resurrection hope that blooms in the hearts of all fellow travelers. And when hearts are full. no restriction can darken them. They are illuminated by the life-giving light of the Resurrection.