| Holy Tuesday | |
|---|---|
_MET_DP835787.jpg) The wise and the foolish virgins | |
| Also called | Great and Holy Tuesday Fig Tuesday Megali Triti |
| Observed by | Christians |
| Type | Christian |
| Significance | Commemorates theParable of the Ten Virgins and theParable of the talents or minas |
| Observances | Mass orService of Worship |
| Date | Tuesday before Easter |
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| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Holy Week |
Holy Tuesday orGreat and Holy Tuesday (Ancient Greek:Μεγάλη Τρίτη,Megali Triti) (lit. 'Great Third (Day)', i.e.,Great Tuesday), also known asFig Tuesday, is a day ofHoly Week, which precedesEaster.[1] As with other days of Holy Week, this day is observed through the holding ofchurch services.[2]
Holy Tuesday is also known as Fig Tuesday "as it commemorates the day Jesus returned to Jerusalem from Bethany, passing a barren fig tree on the way, which he used as an example to teach his disciples."[1] The passages discussing this are found in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.[3]
In theRoman Catholic Church, the readings for the Novus Ordo are Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 71:1-6, Psalm 71:15, Psalm 71:17; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; and John 13:21-33, John 13:36-38. In the older form of the Mass known as theTridentine Mass the readings are taken from Jeremiah 11:18-20 and the Gospel according to St. Mark 14:1-72; Mark 15:1-46. In the 1955 Holy Week Reform, the first 31 verses of the 14th chapter of St. Mark were removed. Those 31 verses are retained in the Roman Catholic Churches which celebrate the pre-1955 Holy Week.[4]
In theRevised Common Lectionary, which is used by theAnglican Communion,Methodist Churches,Lutheran Churches,Old Catholic Churches and someReformed Churches,[5] theScripture lessons are Isaiah 49:1-7 (First Reading), Psalm 71:1-14 (Psalm), 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (Second Reading), and John 12:20-36 (Gospel Reading).[6]
In traditional Methodist usage,The Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965) provides the following Collect for Holy Tuesday:[7]
Almighty, everlasting God, grant us so perfectly to follow the passion of our Lord, that we may obtain the help and pardon of his all-sufficient grace; through him who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.[7]
In theEastern Orthodox Church,Armenian Apostolic church and thoseEastern Catholic Churches that follow theByzantine Rite, this day is referred to asGreat and Holy Tuesday, orGreat Tuesday. On this day the Church commemorates theParable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), which forms one of the themes of the first three days of Holy Week, with its teaching about vigilance, and Christ as the Bridegroom. The bridal chamber is used as a symbol not only of theTomb of Christ, but also of the blessed state of the saved on theDay of Judgement. The theme of theParable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) is also developed in the hymns of this day.[8]
The day begins liturgically withVespers on the afternoon ofGreat Monday, repeating some of the samestichera (hymns) from the night before. AtGreat Compline atriode (Canon composed of threeOdes), written bySt. Andrew of Crete is chanted.
TheMatins service for Monday through Wednesday of Holy Week is known as the Bridegroom Service[9] or Bridegroom Prayer, because of their theme of Christ as the Bridegroom of the Church, a theme movingly expressed in thetroparion that is solemnly chanted during them. On these days, anicon of "Christ the Bridegroom" is placed on ananalogion in the center of thetemple, portraying Jesus wearing the purplerobe of mockery and crowned with acrown of thorns (seeInstruments of the Passion). These Matins services are often chanted the evening before so more of the faithful may attend. TheMatins Gospel read on this day is from theGospel of Matthew Matthew 22:15-23:39.
The four Gospels are divided up and read in their entirety at theLittle Hours (Third Hour,Sixth Hour andNinth Hour) during the course of the first three days of Holy Week, halting at John 13:31. There are various methods of dividing the Gospels, but the following is the most common practice:[10]
At the Sixth Hour, there is a reading from theBook of Ezekiel Ezekiel 1:21-2:1.
At theLiturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, some of thestichera from the previous night's Matins (Lauds and theAposticha) are repeated atLord, I have cried (seeVespers). There are two Old Testament readings: Exodus 2:5-10 and Job 1:13-22. There is noEpistle reading, but there is aGospel reading from Matthew 24:36-26:2.
Today is Holy Tuesday in Holy Week---a day which has also been called Fig Tuesday because of the passages of Scripture that mark this particular holy day in the historic Church. The reference to figs comes from two different passages in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.
TheRevised Common Lectionary has been subsequently adopted by many English-speaking Protestant denominations such as the Church of Scotland and various Methodist, Lutheran and Reformed Churches. It has also been adopted by some Old Catholic Churches and is widely used throughout the Anglican Communion, for example by the Church of Ireland, Scottish Episcopal Church, Church in Wales the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Churches of Canada, Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand and Polynesia, Melanesia, the West Indies, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. In the Church of England the two-year Sunday Lectionary of theAlternative Service Book 1980 was replaced in 2000 by an adapted version of theRevised Common Lectionary inCommon Worship.
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