On Great Wednesday, Metropolitan Alexander celebrated the last Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts this year

May 1, 2024 - Holy and Great Wednesday of Holy Week - commemoration of the anointing of Christ with chrism, which was performed by a woman sinner and the betrayal of the Apostle Jude.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty.

The Liturgy of St. Gregory Dvoeslov, celebrated on Great Wednesday, is the last of the current year. Also, for the last time, after singing “Be the Name of the Lord,” great bows were made during the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian: “Lord and Master of my life.”

At Vespers, as part of the Liturgy, a special stichera was sung, telling the story of the anointing of Christ by the repentant sinner with myrrh: “Lord, even as the wife who fell into many sins, who felt Your Divinity, the myrrh-bearing women took the rite.” This chant was composed in the 9th century by the only female hymnographer, the Venerable nun Cassia; the Gospel conception was also read about the anointing of the Savior with fragrant myrrh in the house of Simon the leper and about the betrayal of Judas (Matthew 26:6-16).

Concelebrating with the archpastor were: confessor of the Alma-Ata diocese Archimandrite John (Sazonov), Archpriest Vyacheslav Churbanov, head of the public relations department of the Metropolitan District Archpriest Alexander Suvorov, member of the Patriarchal Commission for Physical Culture and Sports Hegumen Philip (Moiseev), Archpriest Alexander Ievlev, hieromonk Roman (Chistyakov), head of the personal secretariat of the Metropolitan, Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, head of the Metropolitan Protocol Service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Andrey Pleten, Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin, Hierodeacon Zephaniah (Mazurenko), Deacon Alexander Piven.

Praying during the service were: Secretary of the Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, member of the Church and Public Council under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for the development of Russian church singing O.N. Ovchinnikov; employees of the Alma-Ata diocesan administration.

On the lectern lay the icon “The Anointing of Christ in the House of Simon,” created with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander by the famous icon painter from Ulyanovsk Vitaly Borisov. On the image there is a reliquary with a piece of stone from the dwelling where this evangelical event took place.

The choir of the Ascension Cathedral sang under the direction of N. Zubrevich. The chant “Let my prayer be corrected” was performed by Deacon Alexander Piven, Dimitry Kochua and Ivan Guseinov.

The sermon on the sacramental verse was delivered by Archpriest Alexander Suvorov.

At the end of the Liturgy, Metropolitan Alexander addressed those present with a word of edification.

“From the Gospel instructions delivered by the Lord Jesus Christ on Great Wednesday, the Church chose for the edification of believers the story of the unselfishness of a woman sinner who poured precious myrrh on the head of the Savior, thereby preparing His Most Pure Body for burial. That same night, at the council of the high priests, scribes and elders of the Jews, it was finally decided to seize Christ by cunning and condemn Him to execution. One of His closest disciples, Judas Iscariot, decided to betray His Teacher. Before us are two images. On the one hand, the sacrificial love of a sinner woman, and on the other, an apostle obsessed with the passion of love of money. What a great, but at the same time edifying discrepancy for all of us. Memories of these events give us a clear idea that indulgence of passions, rejection of divine institutions, neglect of spiritual ideals sooner or later lead to tragic events, entail resistance to the Creator and struggle with Him. While the desire for a life in accordance with the commandments, love and sacrifice give us the opportunity to enter into the New Testament with our Creator - into the gracious Kingdom of God.” From the words of Metropolitan Alexander.