Let all mortal flesh keep silence
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The service tomorrow morning is one of the few times we change the Cherubic Hymn. The lovely, lovely Chris Farha, choir director of St. George Cathedral in Wichita, KS, emailed out this perspective on the change. The more time you spend in the Church, the more you realize that there’s a lot of meaning in even the smallest aspects.
There are only a few times in the liturgical year that we do not sing the Cherubic Hymn, but rather substitute different hymns in the place of the Cherubic Hymn. This substitution occurs at the Presanctified Liturgy and two days of Holy Week; Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday. I want to speak to the Holy Week substitutions. However, in order to effectively accomplish this task, we should first understand the Cherubic Hymn and its purpose in the liturgy. The Cherubic Hymn is the sacrificial offering to God, the offering of Jesus Christ who offers himself to God for the sins of the world. The Cherubic Hymn is the only hymn of the liturgy that is not addressed to God, but it is addressed to one another.
“We who mystically represent the Cherubim, and sing to the Life-giving Trinity, the thrice Holy Hymn, let us now lay aside all earthly care: that we may receive the King of all, who comes invisibly upborne by the Angelic Host. Alleluia!” We recall that the Angels of God are present in countless numbers before His throne in heaven – and on earth. The Cherubic Hymn reminds us of the awesome presence of God, the accompanying armies of angels who are worshipping here and now with us, and the tremendous Mystery that is unfolding in our midst – the sacrifice of bread and wine changed into the very Body and Blood of Christ. “Let us lay aside all earthly cares.”
In other words, we are called now to our utmost concentration and respect, ignoring all of our other concerns, thinking only of our dear Lord who is coming into our midst, and soon to enter into our body and soul, in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. It leaves us humbled, awestruck and exhilarated.
Holy Thursday — “Receive me today”
On Holy Thursday we sing “Receive me today, O Son of God, as a partaker of thy sacramental Supper; for I shall not speak of thy mystery to thine enemies, nor give thee a kiss like Judas. But like the thief, I shall confess thee. Remember me, O Lord, in thy kingdom.” This is also the Koinonikon and the post communion hymn, replacing, “We Have Seen the True Light”.The significance of this replacement is easily understood, in light of what has just occurred in the liturgy – the Gospel of the Last Supper. This is the day of the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the Eucharist, and the betrayal by Judas. The event of the Passover Meal was the entire mission of Christ and indeed the very purpose of the creation of the world in the first place, so that God’s creation could be in the most intimate communion with Him for eternity, sitting at table with Him, eating and drinking in His unending Kingdom. The cross, the tomb, the Resurrection on the third day and the Ascension into Heaven came to pass precisely so that men could be blessed by God to be in Holy Communion with Him forever.
Holy Saturday — “Let all mortal flesh keep silence”
Holy Saturday is of great significance, linking Holy Friday and the death of the Lord on the Cross, and the Resurrection on the day of Pascha. Holy Saturday is the Great Sabbath, the day of rest. God rested on the seventh day after accomplishing Creation. Christ said on the Cross, ‘it is finished’, i.e. accomplished, and likewise rested in the tomb on the Sabbath. The Great Entrance is commonly identified with the Entry into Jerusalem and then with the burial of Christ. But Holy Week is just preceded by Palm Sunday, and by Holy Saturday, the tomb, in the form of the epitaphios, is set forth in the church. So, the cherubic hymn is inappropriate on Holy Saturday.“Let all mortal flesh keep silence and with fear and trembling stand, pondering nothing earthly minded. For the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords comes to be slain, to give himself as food to the faithful. Before him go the ranks of angels: all the principalities and powers, the many eyed cherubim and the six-winged seraphim, covering their faces, singing the hymn: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!”
‘Let all mortal flesh keep silence’ comes from Habakkuk 2:20, and it is prescribed to maintain silence as far as possible during Holy Saturday, at least in monasteries. We ‘stand with fear and trembling’ in anticipation of the mystery of the Lord’s resurrection. We ‘take no thought for any earthly thing’ because nothing compares with the saving passion and resurrection of the Lord, who has died for us and gives us His Body and Blood for our healing and salvation which we pre-eminently think upon at Pascha.
Habakkuk 2:20 “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him”. The Orthodox Study Bible commentary footnote reads: “The mystery of God is best honored with silence. When God revealed Himself out of the whirlwind, Job too was found speechless. (Job 40:5; 42:3).
Great and Holy Saturday, our Lord’s mortal body is lying silent in the tomb while He breaks the bronze gates of hades and overthrows death.
The mystical Sabbath, the seventh day, the mortal body of God rests in silence. The Messiah is in the tomb and the Resurrection is not yet experienced, the events in hades are unknown. The cry of Holy, Holy, Holy and majestic praise seems strange and inappropriate in this time of quiet sadness. What else is there for mortal flesh to do but keep silent? What could be more appropriate? We wept at the Cross. We wept during His burial. We are wept out. We rest in silent anticipation on the Sabbath Day, awaiting the time of ultimate joy of Pascha, when the Thrice Holy Hymn will sound in double volume as we break the silence of sadness with joyful noise!
Related posts:
- The silence of Zacharias
- On silence (again)
- “Lord, have mercy”, cont.
- Happy Thanksgiving — in two tries
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Christ is Risen!
Beautiful thoughts on Holy Saturday. This was the first year that I really contemplated that the Sabbath that was instituted by God for Moses is connected to Christ’s rest in the tomb. Ba-wow. Thank you to our priest who pointed it out
Wow. I hadn’t connected that. That is just incredible.
I’m really getting a lot out of the Orthodox Study Bible’s footnotes in the OT. I’m especially amazed at how constantly the psalms foreshadow and foretell Christ’s coming.
Isn’t it? I’m still sitting here thinking “wow, how did I miss this before?“
I agree, it is incredible how the Old Testament, especially the Psalms, foreshadowed Christ. And, how our hymnogrophy draws that out, but often I miss it, because it is Vespers and Matins, and I’m not there, through my own sinful self.