Hosanna (Palm) Sunday (4) by Wedad Tawfik, PhD - Coptic Orthodox Church

 

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Hosanna Sunday (Palm Sunday)

A Dogmatic Overview

(4)

    With the conclusion of the Hosanna Sunday Liturgy and Holy Communion, the Church brings us forward to the voyage of the Passion Week and the Lord’s Redeeming Act for the salvation of the Faithful, through marvelous rites. Through the prayers, lections and hymns the Faithful live the event and come out filled with spirituality and with love for Him who died for us … But before this voyage the church begins a funeral service immediately after the Holy Mass …

    The Public Funeral Service:

    This service is arranged for those who depart during the Passion Week, because the whole week is for sharing the Passion of the Lord for us. Therefore whenever anybody departs, no funeral is done, but the body of the departed person is brought to the church to attend one hour of the Pascha Prayers.

    The church chooses for this service readings that give hope in resurrection:

+   Reading from (Ezekiel 37: 1-14): This part reveals how God raises even the dry bones, giving them life … This removes away any doubts concerning the resurrection of the dead …

  

+   Reading from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, (1 Corinthians 15: 1-17): Here St. Paul mentions how he proclaims the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and discusses the view of some who say there is no resurrection of the dead. He emphasizes the fact that the resurrection from the dead is the core of our faith, otherwise our faith will be futile and we are still in our sins … Then he concludes with wonderful words, saying: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” … Therefore at the end He will reign and put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy, death, will be destroyed, for He had put all things under His feet.

 

+    Reading from the Gospel (John 5: 19-29): The Evangelist brings evidence of the equality of the Son and the Father in everything, even raising the dead, from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, for He says: “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.” … So, who has such power to give life except God Himself?! The Father raises and gives life, and the Son likewise according to His own will, which is the same will of the Father … Again the explicit words declaring the equality of the Father and the Son: “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father” … So He is God, for He gives life to whom He will … He is the Judge because the Father committed to Him all judgment … He has the same honor which the Father has …

    This is the greatness of the Church and the holy fathers of the Church:

    The linkage between the rites, the dogma, and the Holy Scripture … The wisdom in arranging the rites in such a way that testifies for the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ in every event and on every occasion …

 All glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

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