This evening our church will be serving Matins for Holy Thursday, in anticipation of the feast of the Mystical Supper tomorrow. Its canon is particularly beautiful and noteworthy. Sung in Tone 6 to the Lesser Znamenny melody we use for the Canon of Holy Saturday, it concludes with the hymn Come O Faithful (to be repeated tomorrow during the Divine Liturgy) about the Master Christ’s hospitality to his disciples in the upper room. This is the same chamber where they will be assembled in some fifty days to receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Mystically, it is where all Orthodox Christians assemble for the “banquet of immortality” that is offered by our Lord at every Divine Liturgy.
A translation of this hymn (which was distributed today to our parishioners to be sung as home) is the following:
Come, O Faithful, Let us enjoy the Master’s hospitality, The banquet of immortality In the upper chamber with uplifted minds, Let us receive the exalted words of the Word, Whom we magnify.
Listen for it at the end of the canon during this evening’s streaming service from our church.
For those who would like to hear it sung in the original Slavonic, earlier today one of our many sister parishes in Russia that are streaming services recorded it. The recording at the link below will begin exactly at the point when Come O Faithful begins during Matins. You can listen to the whole service by starting the recording from the beginning. (Note the parish is in the same closed door mode we are in.)