Continuing the journey on this Special Christian holiday…

The Following Explanation of the Good Friday Evening Service is written by Rev.
Alkiviadis Calivas, and can be found in his book entitled, "Great Week
and Pascha in the Greek Orthodox Church."

On Good Friday evening Church celebrates the Orthros Service for Holy and Great Saturday.

On
Great Saturday the Church contemplates the mystery of the Lord’s
descent into Hades, the place of the dead. Death, our ultimate enemy,
is defeated from within. “He (Christ) gave Himself as a ransom to death
in which we were held captive, sold under sin. Descending into Hades
through the Cross . . . He loosed the bonds of death” (Liturgy of Saint
Basil). The hymnographer of the Church describes the mystery with these
words:

Come, let us see our Life
lying in the tomb, that He may give life to those that in their tombs
lie dead. Come, let us look today on the Son of Judah as He sleeps, and
with the prophet let us cry aloud to Him: Thou hast lain down, Thou
hast slept as a lion; who shall awaken Thee, O King? But of Thine own
free will do Thou rise up, who willingly dost give Thyself for us. O
Lord, glory to Thee.

Today a tomb holds Him who
holds the creation in the hollow of His hand; a stone covers Him who
covered the heavens with glory. Life sleeps and hell trembles, and Adam
is set free from his bonds. Glory to Thy dispensation, whereby Thou
hast accomplished all things, granting us an eternal Sabbath, Thy most
holy Resurrection from the dead.

(Hymns of the Ainoi)