April 16, 2025 – Holy and Great Wednesday of Passion Week, commemorating the anointing of Christ with myrrh by the repentant sinful woman and the betrayal by the Apostle Judas.
Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at the Ascension Cathedral in the city of Almaty.
The Liturgy of Saint Gregory the Dialogist celebrated on Holy Wednesday is the final one of the current year. It was also the last occasion for making the great prostrations during the chanting of “Blessed be the Name of the Lord,” along with the Lenten prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian: “O Lord and Master of my life…”
During Vespers, as part of the Liturgy, a special sticheron was chanted recounting the anointing of Christ with myrrh by the repentant woman: “The woman who had fallen into many sins, perceiving Your divinity, O Lord, took upon herself the duty of the myrrh-bearing women…” This hymn was composed in the 9th century by the only known female hymnographer — the Venerable Nun Kassia. The Gospel reading (Matthew 26:6–16) also told of the anointing of the Savior with fragrant myrrh in the house of Simon the Leper and the betrayal of Judas.
Concelebrating with the Head of the Metropolitan District were: Spiritual Father of the Almaty Diocese Archimandrite Ioann (Sazonov); Protopriest Vyacheslav Churbanov; Head of the Public Relations Department of the Metropolitan District Protopriest Alexander Suvorov; Member of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports Hegumen Philip (Moiseev); Head of the Metropolitan’s Personal Secretariat Hieromonk Prokhor (Yendovitsky); Head of the Metropolitan District’s Administrative Secretariat Priest Georgy Sidorov; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich; Head of the Metropolitan’s Protocol Service Protodeacon Roman Golovin; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; Deacon Andrey Pleten; Deacon Vitaly Bystrushkin; Hierodeacon Sophonius (Mazurenko); Deacon Alexander Piven; Deacon Ioann Zhuchkov; and Deacon Georgy Tkachenko.
On the analogion lay the icon “The Anointing of Christ in the House of Simon,” created with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander by the well-known iconographer Vitaly Borisov from Ulyanovsk. The icon contains a reliquary with a particle of stone from the very house where this Gospel event took place.
The choir of the Ascension Cathedral sang under the direction of E. Boguslavets. The hymn “Let my prayer arise…” was performed by Deacon Alexander Piven, Dmitry Kochua, and Ivan Guseynov.
The sermon after the Communion verse was delivered by Protopriest Alexander Suvorov.
At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Metropolitan Alexander addressed the faithful with words of spiritual exhortation:
“Among the Gospel teachings proclaimed by our Lord Jesus Christ on Holy Wednesday, the Church has chosen for our reflection the account of the selfless act of the sinful woman who poured costly myrrh upon the head of the Savior, thereby anointing His Most Pure Body for burial. On that same night, during the council of the chief priests, scribes, and elders of the Jews, it was finally resolved to seize Christ by cunning and condemn Him to death. One of His closest disciples—Judas Iscariot—resolved to betray his Master. Before us are two images: on one hand, the sacrificial love of the sinful woman; on the other, the apostle driven by the passion of avarice. What a stark and yet instructive contrast for all of us. The remembrance of these events gives us a clear understanding that indulgence in passions, rejection of divine ordinances, and neglect of spiritual ideals eventually lead to tragic consequences, rebellion against the Creator, and warfare against Him. Meanwhile, the desire to live in accordance with the commandments, love, and sacrificial devotion opens the door for us to enter the New Covenant with our Creator — the grace-filled Kingdom of God.” — From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.
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