Augustine Sokolovski
In the Orthodox Church, the content of the divine services during the first three days of Holy Week has a distinctly apocalyptic character. At the same time, each day—from Monday through Wednesday—is associated with its own distinct thematic reflection on passages from the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Monday’s Old Testament reflection is the story of the biblical Patriarch Joseph, whom tradition, to distinguish him from Joseph the Just, who was Jesus’ father according to the Law, calls “Joseph the Beautiful.”
According to the Book of Genesis, Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt by his own brothers out of jealousy. There, he nearly perished in prison on false charges but ultimately saved not only Egypt but also his brothers, becoming the ruler of the country during the most severe famine that struck the entire Middle East. The biblical reading about Joseph is read during the divine service.
The Typikon prescribes the reading of a special edifying treatise on Saint Joseph, which hagiography attributes to the Church Father and great 4th-century theologian, Ephrem the Syrian (306-370). In the century before last, Ignatius Bryanchaninov (1807-1867), a saint of the Russian Church, wrote a special “Sacred Tale” about Saint Joseph. It is striking for the depth of religious feeling, psychological insights, and sacred melancholy characteristic of this solitary bishop, mystic, and ascetic. The leitmotif of the Divine Liturgy and the Church Fathers: Joseph is the prototype of Jesus. In him lies an astonishing indication, down to the smallest detail, of the mysteries of our salvation.
The Gospel story of the fig tree that Jesus cursed and which withered is one of the most difficult Gospel passages to understand. The reason for this is the Gospel’s own indication that the cause of the curse was the tree’s lack of fruit. At the same time, the Gospel itself confirms that the time for the fruit had not yet come. The fig tree and its cursing are a prophecy of the Lord Jesus concerning Himself. He was not meant to die; He took upon Himself the curse of the human race. His death on the Cross brought salvation.