Quotes from St. Nikolai Velimirovich’s ‘Prologue of Ohrid’

Palm Sunday

At the glorious Entry of the Lord Jesus into Jerusalem, and even in the Temple itself, the children cried out: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! (Matthew 21: 9). It seems that nothing irritated the Jewish elders so much as this praising of Jesus by young children. Hearest thou what these say? (Matthew 21: 16), they asked Him maliciously. And Jesus answered them meekly: Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? (Matthew 21: 16). Thus, it is as clear as day that these prophetic words of David pertain to the wonder that occurred at the Entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem: this wondrous praising of the Lord by little children. It is obvious that, as this event was prophesied, so it was literally fulfilled. It is also obvious from this that the Lord Himself was then referring to that prophecy of King David: Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise. There can be no doubt that it was a great wonder, inspired by the Spirit of God and carried out by the power and will of God. While the princes, scribes, elders and priests were not able to recognize Christ the Lord, the little children both recognized and proclaimed Him! In truth, this is a miracle, unique throughout the Old and New Testaments; and no less of a miracle than the resurrection of the dead.

Holy Monday

The soul of man is the bride, and the Living and All-powerful God is the bridegroom of the soul of man. The Lord clothes His bride, the soul, in light and nourishes it with His grace. And the soul, whose groom is God, gives birth to many good children in the form of many beautiful works of virtue. The soul, on its own, cannot give birth to even one virtuous work. Virtuous works are born only of the soul made fertile by God. However, the soul that is made fertile by the world either remains barren or produces sin and vice. That is why the Lord says to men: “I am married to you.” If a human soul knew to Whom it is betrothed and with Whom it is wed, it would not stray and deaden itself in adultery and turn to dust. God is a faithful Groom of the human soul. He never betrays His bride, the soul. His love toward the soul never cools as long as the soul does not turn away from Him and commit adultery. But even then God does not abandon the soul immediately, but pursues it and returns it from the path of destruction. Turn, the Lord then says to the souls of men. “Repent and I will forgive you. Return and I will receive you.” Penitents can testify to how great the mercy of God is. They can confirm how patient the love of God is toward sinners, even to the last hour. God is faithful in His love, and He is not swift to seek vengeance on the adulterous soul.

Holy Tuesday

Contemplate the miraculous withering of the unfruitful fig tree (Matthew 21: 19):
1. How the Lord cursed the fig tree that had many leaves but no fruit, and the fig tree withered up;
2. How my life too, which has many leaves— bodily cares, desires and thoughts— but is without spiritual fruit,

Oh how ugly is a barren, waterlogged and fruitless field, and how beautiful is a cultivated field covered with rich crops! And you are both the one and the other field, O man. Choose— death or life! No householder values a field at all if it does not bear a crop. Is it possible that God is less intelligent than ordinary householders, and gives value to a field that fails to bear fruit of every seed sown on it? What will become of the man who, in his prosperity, does not listen to the words of God?

Holy Wednesday

It is most difficult for a general to wage war when he has an enemy within the camp— not only external enemies but also internal enemies in his own ranks. Judas was considered among his own. However, he was the enemy from within. Rows of enemies crowded and closed ranks around Christ while Judas was preparing betrayal from within. His hand was on the table that Christ blessed, but his thoughts were aligned with the enemies, where the darkest evil, hatred and malice seethed against the gentle Lord. Is it not also the same today, that the hands of the many betrayers of Christ are at the table with Him…They eat His bread, and they speak against Him. They warm themselves by His sun, and they slander His name. They breathe His air, and they rise up against His Church. They live by His mercy, and they banish Him from their homes, their schools, their courts, their books and their hearts. They willfully and maliciously trample His commandments and ridicule His law. Are they not the betrayers of Christ and the followers of Judas?

Holy Thursday

Contemplate the Mystery of Communion as a life-giving cure for the soul and body:
1. As a cure that heals and cleanses the soul from sinful maladies, and restores it to life;
2. As a cure that heals and purifies the body from lust and vice, and restores it to life;
3. As a cure that enlivens a man and makes him a healthy member of the immortal Body of Christ. But if a man will remain a corrupt member to the end, eventually he will be cut off and cast aside.

In Holy Communion, He gives Himself completely to us, Body and Blood. But Holy Communion is a reminder that our souls must continually be nourished by Him, continually eat Him and drink Him just as we continually breathe. O our good and sweet Lord, stir up our souls that they may continually nourish themselves with Thee and remain alive. Thou art our Bread of Life.

 

Holy Friday

Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God (Matthew 27: 54). That centurion was this blessed Longinus, who with two other of his soldiers came to believe in Jesus, the Son of God. Longinus was chief of the soldiers who were present at the Crucifixion of the Lord on Golgotha, and was also the chief of the watch that guarded the tomb. When the Jewish elders learned of the Resurrection of Christ, they bribed the soldiers to spread the false news that Christ did not resurrect, but rather that His disciples stole His body. The Jews also tried to bribe Longinus, but he did not allow himself to be bribed. Then the Jews resorted to their usual strategy: they decided to kill Longinus. Learning of this, Longinus removed his military belt, was baptized with his two companions by an apostle, secretly left Jerusalem and moved to Cappadocia with his companions. There, he devoted himself to fasting and prayer and, as a living witness of Christ’s Resurrection, converted many pagans to the true Faith by his witness. After that, he withdrew to a village on the estate of his father. [He eventually was martyred]

 

Holy Saturday

Contemplate the Lord Jesus in hades:
1. How His plan for salvation is all-abundant, encompassing all generations and all ages from the beginning to the end;
2. How He came to earth in the flesh, not only for the sake of those who lived on earth then and for the sake of those who would live, but also for those who had already lived;
3. How He, while His lifeless body lay in the tomb, descended into hades with His soul and announced salvation and redemption to the fettered.

To be concerned for the dead, to do good for the dead, has ceased to be amusing [to doubters]  since the revelation of the Lord Jesus, Who revealed that He is God— the God of the living— and Who showed it by His actions, by descending into hades to redeem and save the souls of the righteous, from the time of Adam to the time of His death on the Cross.