Exaltation of the Cross
O
n this day are commemorated two events
connected with the Precious Cross of Christ:
the first, the finding of the Cross on
Golgotha and the second the returning of the
Cross to Jerusalem from Persia.
Staying in the Holy Land, the holy Empress
Helena decided
to look for the Precious Cross of the Lord.
An old Jew called Judah was the only person
who knew the whereabouts of the Cross, and,
under pressure from the Empress, he revealed
that the Cross was buried under the Temple
of Venus that the Emperor Hadrian had built
on Golgotha. The Empress ordered that this
idolatrous temple be pulled down, and then,
digging deep below it, she found three
c
rosses. While the Empress was in
uncertainty about how to recognize which
cross was the Lord’s, a funeral procession
passed by. Then Patriarch Macarios told them
to place the crosses one by one on the dead
man. When they placed the first and second
on him, the dead man remained unchanged, but
when they placed the third on him, he was
restored to life. By this, they knew that
this was the Precious and Life-giving Cross
of Christ. After that, they placed it on a
sick woman, and she recovered. Then the
Patriarch raised the Cross aloft for all to
see, and the people sang with tears: “Lord,
have mercy!” The Empress Helena had a silver
casing made, and placed the precious Cross
in it.
Later, King Chosroes conquered Jerusalem,
took the people into slavery and carried the
Lord’s Cross off to Persia, where it
remained for fourteen years. In 628, the
Greek Emperor Heraclius was victorious over
Chozroes
and brought the Cross back to
Jerusalem with great ceremony. Entering the
city, Heraclius was carrying the Cross on
his back, but suddenly the aged Emperor was
unable to take another step. Patriarch
Zacharias saw an angel directing the Emperor
to take off his imperial robes and walk
beneath the Cross along the way that Christ
had walked, barefoot and
humiliated as He
had been. He passed this vision on to the
Emperor, who stripped himself of his raiment
and, in poor clothing and barefoot, took up
the Cross, carried it to Golgotha and placed
it in the Church of the Resurrection, to the
joy and consolation of the whole Christian
world.
-The Prologue from Ochrid of Bishop Nicholai (Velimirovich)
The
Cross is our pride, by which we accept the
death of the Master as the way to
Resurrection for deliverance from all sin.
The baptism which we undertook was described
by Paul as the participation with the Lord
in His burial and in the Resurrection:
“Knowing this, that our old
man was
crucified with Him, that the body of sin
might be done away with, that we should no
longer be slaves of sin.” (Rom 6:6) This is
the center of our faith. This is our
vitality.
If we post the Cross on the top of the Iconostasis, we do so in order that the meaning of the New Life shall stand before us and elevate us to Jesus in heaven, that we may forget all earthly care. And if we make the sign of the Cross over the baptismal water, we do it in order that the power of Salvation may descend upon the baptized through the water he is being washed with. In our Church, every symbol has its own meaning. When we Cross ourselves, we ask the Lord to send down upon us the power of Salvation as pictured in this symbol.
Likewise, if we wear a Cross around our neck
since baptism, we confirm our
Christian
faith and that we are attached to Jesus.
Some may wear a golden Cross, which at times
becomes fashionable. This could have a
much
deeper meaning if the wearer held fast to
chastity. Let us move from visible
decorations to internal decoration and have
the Cross carved in our hearts too.
When we Cross ourselves over the face, chest and shoulders, let us feel the connection with the Crucified. We do this every time the name of the Trinity is mentioned or glorified in prayers because the Trinity decided to allow the death of the Son in our days from all eternity. The true Glory descends upon us through the death of the Savior and through our faith in Him.
This is our pride and power. This is what the martyrs have delivered to us.
-written by Metropolitan George (Khodr) of the Antiochian Archdiocese of Mount Lebanon
