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The Sign of Faith: The Exaltation of the Holy and Life Giving Cross The Universal Exaltation of the Holy and Life Giving Cross on September 14th.is celebrated in both the East and West. On this day we recall the veneration of the great relics of Christ's cross in Jerusalem after Emperor Heraclius had recovered them from the Persians in A.D.614. The early writers always speak of the portions of the cross in the plural-" the pieces of the wood of the cross". The relics were lifted up for the people to venerate and many who were sick were cured. The Feast is also closely connected with the dedication of St. Constantine's churches at the Holy Sepulchre and Calvary in A.D.335 and with a vision accorded to St. Cyril of Jerusalem in A.D.351 There is a story about the Emperor who determined to carry the recovered Holy Cross with great pomp upon his shoulders into the city only to find that he could not go forward. The patriarch Zachary who was accompanying him suggested that the Emperor lay aside his purple, crown and shoes, so that he may reflect the humility of Christ. He did so, and the procession and veneration took place. We too have to take up our cross and follow Him. There are many lovers of the heavenly kingdom but few bearers of the cross. It is the person of Christ that makes the Cross so potent, so victorious. The Cross is more than a badge of allegiance and more than a symbol of our faith-it is the sign of our salvation; that we have been rescued from sin, death and the evil one. The Apostle St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians 6:14 boasts in the power of the cross and in his letter to the Colossians 2:14 makes clear that it was on the cross that Christ cancelled out our sins. Here on a Roman instrument of death the power of God is realised and raised as the standard of God's Love for all humanity.1 Corinthians 1:18.It is then not surprising to find that the Church has used the sign in blessing and forgiveness down the ages of God's grace. Tertullian A.D.145-220wrote: "In all your travels and movements, in all your coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupies us, we mark our forehead with the sign of the Cross." The sign of the Cross is not reserved only for liturgical use in Church it is a constant reminder of what we are and to whom we belong. Making the sign of the cross is a powerful affirmation of our faith where actions speak louder than words. In all we do we use the sign of the cross; to reverence the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity, to protect ourselves from danger, to dispel the darts of the evil one and to bless ourselves and others in the service of Our Lord. St. Cyril of Jerusalem A.D.315-386 also saw this universal application of the sign of the Cross: "Let us not be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Let the cross, as our seal, be boldly made with our fingers upon our brow and on all occasions: over the bread we eat, over the cup we drink, in our comings and goings, before sleep, on lying down and rising up, when we are on our way and when we are still. It is a powerful safeguard. It is without price, for the sake of the poor, without toil, because of the sick. For it is grace from God, a badge of the faithful and a terror to the devils…….for when they see the cross, they are reminded of the Crucified. They fear Him who smashed the heads of the dragons (Psalm 73:13). Despise not the seal as a free gift, but for this reason honour your Lord even more." The sign of the Cross is our testimony that the Holy Spirit has taken up His abode in us and that we are His temple. We put crosses on our churches, our houses, we put them on our necks and on our gravestones-it surely follows that we put the cross on ourselves. When we are questioned why we Orthodox make the sign of the Cross, we should have a ready answer. The two index fingers and the thumb of the right hand are joined together to show that we believe in God the Holy Trinity, three Persons in One God, God the Father the Creator, God the Son Our Saviour, God the Holy Spirit the Sanctifier who lives in us. The remaining two fingers represent the two natures of Christ that He is both God and man. These two fingers are brought down into the palm of the hand to show that Jesus "came down from heaven" for our salvation. This simple but effective action reminds us not only of the price God has paid to save us from our sins but is an expression of the great commandment:- "You shall love the Lord your God with all your mind, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength." When we touch our forehead we confess our love for God with our whole mind. When we touch our chest we confess Christ with our heart and soul. When we touch our shoulders we are confessing Christ with all our strength. We make the movement from our right shoulder to the left since the Father is the Godhead (the head) and the Son sits at the right hand of the Father in glory. Indeed, we always make the sign of the cross in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. True prayer involves the whole person-not just our intellect, not just our emotions and not just our ritual movements. The prayer of the Cross is essentially a synthesis of the whole of our being. As the priest says in the Holy Liturgy, "We dedicate all our life unto Christ Our God." St John Chrysostom said: "When therefore you sign yourself, think of the purpose of the Cross and quench any anger and all other passions. Consider the price that has been paid for you. Like a lamb that is marked to show to whom it belongs, we too are branded with the mark of our Master and Shepherd to show our owner and the One we follow. Let us then be bold in boasting whose servants we are through our actions and in our lives. Fr. Jonathan |
