Custom Designed on Nostr: Today is Holy Saturday, where the ancient Liturgy celebrates the "Harrowing of Hell". ...

Today is Holy Saturday, where the ancient Liturgy celebrates the "Harrowing of Hell". An excerpt from the ancient Liturgy:

Truly He goes to seek out our first parent like a lost
sheep; He wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of
death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve
from their pains, He who is God, and Adam's son. The
Lord goes in to them holding His victorious weapon, His cross. When
Adam, the first created man, sees Him, he strikes his breast in terror
and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply
says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises
him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ
shall give you light. ‘I am your God, who for your
sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and
command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in
darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise. ‘I
command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner
in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead.
Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my
image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we
are one undivided person. ‘For you, I your God
became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave;
for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth;
for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for
you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and
crucified in a garden. ‘Look at the spittle on My
face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that
first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on My cheeks, which I
accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to My own image. 'See
the scourging of My back, which I accepted in order to disperse the
load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See My hands nailed to
the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the
tree for an evil one. `I slept on the cross and a
sword pierced My side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth
Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; My sleep will
release you from your sleep in Hades; My sword has checked the sword
which was turned against you.