For many Eastern Christians, Holy Week (the Great Week), begins with "Bridegroom Matins," a service held on the first few days of Holy Week.
It recalls the following words of Jesus.
Holy Week is the time of the year when we recall how the bridegroom is taken away from us. It also calls to mind the other time Jesus talked about "the bridegroom."
In this last passage, Jesus urges us to be "vigilant," when the bridegroom will come again in judgment.
One of the reasons for this wedding imagery is because Heaven is often viewed as the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.
We are all called to the banquet. Will we respond to the invitation?
Here is the Troparion of Bridegroom Matins that we can meditate on throughout this week, preparing ourselves for Jesus' death and resurrection, while also looking forward to his Second Coming.
