Isusove suze na Bogorodičinom grobu
Last supper and betrayal Christ hosted the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday. He invited his 12 disciples, the apostles, to a special room in Zion. The Last Supper was actually an ascetic dinner that Jesus wanted to use to announce his imminent death to the apostles. It was also during this supper meal that he instituted a new holy se- cret that we call the Eucharist – com- munion. He took bread, blessed his dis- ciples and said: “This is my body, which is broken for you and for many others, for the forgiveness of sins.” He shared the bread with all those in attendance and gave them wine to drink: “Drink from this cup. This is my blood, which is shed for you and many others, for the forgiveness of sins”. Christians contin- ue to receive communion in this way to this day, which represents a central part of the ritual of worship. Apart from the last supper, something else also hap- pened on Maundy Thursday. Namely, Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’s disciples, Ljiljani su oduvek važili za simbol milosr- đa i bezuslovne ljubavi. Zato i ne čudi što se upravo za ljiljan često koristi i naziv raj- ski cvet. Zanimljivo je da o njegovom po- reklu postoje grčki mitovi, a pominje se i u Bibliji, i to upravo u vezi sa Uskrsom, odno- sno Isusovim uskrsnućem. Prema grčkom mitu, beli ljiljan je nastao od kapljice mle- ka koja je kapnula na zemlju dok je boginja Hera dojila Herkula. Verzija koja ovaj cvet smešta u Bibliju kaže da je uskršnji ljiljan ni- kao u Jerusalimu, na mestu na kojem je Ju- da izdao Isusa. To je bilo mesto na kojem se, prema jevanđeljima, Isus često molio sa svojim učenicima, pa tako i te posled- nje noći svog života. Iako je učenike molio da ostanu budni, oni su zaspali. Isus je je- dini ostao budan i to u velikom bolu, zna- jući šta ga čeka. Biblija kaže da su kapljice znoja, ali i suza, pale na tlo i da su tačno na tom mestu nikli beli ljijani. Slikari su vrlo često posezali za ovim cve- tom kada bi prikazivali Bogorodicu, jer je njena smrt obeležena ljiljanima. Naime, kada su ljudi posetili Marijin grob tri dana nakon što je sahranjena, na njemu su pro- nađeni veličanstveni beli ljiljani.
TEARS OF JESUS ON THE TOMB OF THE VIRGIN MARY
Grief and hell Saturday is a day of mourning the cru- cified Christ, but also a day of waiting for his prophecy to be fulfilled. It was on this day that he descended into the netherworld and preached to those who had once lived. Hell is described in the Old Testament as a place of total dark- ness, dampness and stagnation, where sinners were tied to one another in such a way that no one could see the face of another. Jesus tore down the gates of hell and rose from the dead early on Sunday morning. Easter and joy The Holiday begins with the holy litur- gy and communion, which marks the culmination of a week-long Lenten fast. Orthodox Christians greet each oth- er on that day with the words “Christ is risen” and respond with “Indeed he is risen”, with these words considered by many as being the true password for tri- umph over death. sus. According to the Gospels, that was the place where Jesus often prayed with his disciples, as was the case on the last night of his life. Although he begged his disciples to stay awake, they all fell asleep, leaving Jesus as the only one awake, and in great anguish due to his awareness of what awaited him. According to the Bible, drops of sweat, but also tears, fell to the ground and prompted white lilies to sprout in that exact spot. Painters very often chose this flower when depicting the Virgin Mary, as her death was marked with lilies. Specifically, mag- nificent white lilies were found on Mary’s grave when people visited it three days af- ter her burial.
abandoned and betrayed him. Selling Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver. Day of mourning Jesus was crucified on the cross on Good Friday, dying on Golgotha Hill, which was located on the outskirts of Jerusalem at the time and is now al- most in the city centre. “Golgotha” is an Aramaic word meaning skull, and both the Old and New Testaments state that the skull in question is that of Adam. Given that Adam was the first man, his skull symbolically represents human- kind as a whole. A specially embroi- dered shroud, or cape adorned with the image of the dead Lord, is brought out at churches on that day. It serves as a reminder of the expensive cloth in which Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the fallen Saviour. This is a day of mourning for everyone. There is no lis- tening to music and no rejoicing, while many of the faithful choose to avoid food of any kind. Lilies have always symbolised mercy and unconditional love. It thus isn’t surprising that they are often referred to by the name “heavenly flower”. It is interesting that Greek myths exist pertaining to its origin, while it is also mentioned in the Bible, and specifically in connection with Easter, or with the resurrection of Jesus. According to the Greek myth, the white lily originated from a drop of milk that fell to the ground from the bosom of the goddess Hera while she was nursing Hercules. The version placing this flower in the Bible says that the Easter lily first sprouted in Jerusalem, on the very spot where Judas betrayed Je-
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