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Sunday before the Elevation of the Cross. Ocala 9/11/05 On September 14th the Orthodox world celebrates the great Day of the elevation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross. As with so many other Religious Holidays, the Orthodox Church singularly has preserved, and expresses that, which the Universal Church practiced during the first ten and one half centuries, when there was only one Church; the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church; that is the true Church, which the Lord Himself founded. Being that we do not celebrate the Great Holidays when they coincide with a week-day, I have always chosen the nearest Sunday to express the spirit and the blessing of the Holy Day. Our Orthodox hymnology has no equal. It is poetic, theologic and truly God-inspired. While our hymns glorify and praise God, they are at the same time replete with moral teachings and dogmatic truths based on the Bible. The hymnology of the Day of the Elevation of the Holy Cross is truly an inexhaustible Fountain, refreshing those, who choose to drink from it. One of the hymns describes the power of the Holy Cross as follows: "The Cross is the preserver of the Universe; the Cross is the comeliness of the Church; the Cross is the power of the Rulers; the Cross is the support of the believers; the Cross is the Glory of the Angels, and the annihilation of the demons." Our Lord was an historical Person. The Church which He founded, is an historical entity, continuing His teachings through the Holy Apostles, as they were instructed by the Lord. That is why it is so important for all Christians to know the historical truth, in order to have a better appreciation of what they believe in. For example; we must know how the Holy Day of the Elevation of the Holy Cross came into being. It has its historical beginning, during the first part of the 4th Century. And here we are, almost 16 centuries later, re-enacting this same historical Event, which we shall express next Sunday. St. Constantine the Great, while not yet baptized, becomes the first Emperor to declare Christianity as the official Religion of the vast Roman Empire, which was renamed the Byzantine Empire. There is no doubt that he was greatly influenced by his pious mother St. Helena Christianity, which was persecuted during the first three hundred years was finally free-- and not only free but it was declared the State Religion. Christianity had such an impact of Emperor Constantine, that when he accepted to be baptized a Christian, he forsook the royal crimson robes, and chose to wear the white tunic, in which he was baptized. His humility, and his piety as we said was due to his saintly mother, to whom he conferred the title Augusta, that is the Empress of the vast Byzantine Empire. His profound dedication to the new Christian Faith became more manifest when in the year 330 A.D., the capital of the Empire in the City of Byzantium was renamed Constantinople, or the City of Constantine. In the central square of the Queen City, Constantine erected two enormous columns; one to honor his mother and the other, himself. Spanning these two columns, he ordered that the cross be placed above a stationary banner, which posted the inscription: "One is Holy; One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the Glory of God,the Father." These very words are the hymn, which we chant immediately before the Communion hymn in every Liturgy. St. Helena at that time was 80 years old! In spite of her years, she had a burning desire to travel to Jerusalem and find the Holy Cross. Her son grants her a detachment to male the arduous journey. When she arrived in the Holy City, everything had changed after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman Emperor Titus in 70 A.D. Over the ruins, large pagan temples were erected, especially over the sites, which the Lord had sanctified with His presence. Where was St. Helena to begin her excavations? As if by Providence, she was particularly attracted to the pagan temple of Aphrodite. She walked all around the impressive building. She stops at one corner to inhale the fragrance of the many sweet basil plants growing there. She decided that this was a sign to dig at that spot. It wasn't long, before 3 crosses were unearthed, two of them in the form of the letter "T," and the one was a true cross with an extended piece, upon which, the inscription was nailed: "Jesus, Nazarene, King of the Jews?" This inscription was in 3 languages, Greek, Hebrew and Latin. There was no question, as to which was the Cross of our Lord. But, to further ascertain this, they brought a paralytic woman and helped her touch the two crosses. Nothing happened. But, when she touched the Holy Cross, she was instantly cured. The multitudes excitedly commence to chant the "Kyrie eleison" over and over. The crowd charged forth uncontrollably to touch our holiest Symbol. To avoid any injuries, the Patriarch of Jerusalem Makarios proceeded to a small mound, and there lifted up the Cross, for all to see it and to be blessed by it. This scene we shall re-enact next Sunday. The Holy Cross, my beloved, speaks loudly to all of us. It reminds us that, yes, we may be sinners; but more importantly we are the exceptional creation of God, Who fashioned us according to His Image and Likeness, that is, to strive to become in God's Likeness. we were cleansed and saved by the innocent Blood of our Lord, which ran profusely down from the Cross. His Blood constitutes the Divine Grace which is given to the Faithful when they receive any Sacrament. The Cross is the greatest comfort for all Christians; --- for the sinners, -- for those, who suffer, -- for the captives, and all those in distress. We believe, that with this Life-giving Symbol, that God through His power and Wisdom, crowned with His love, will never abandon us, even though it may appear that way, when we are suffering. For us Orthodox especially, the Symbol of the Holy Cross is a constant prayer in our life, in its every _expression. We make the sign of the cross, when we pray during the Liturgy, and privately in our home; we make the sign of the cross, when we face some trial; we bless ourselves, when we sit at the dinner table; -- when we get into our car to drive some place, -- when we embark on some endeavor, and in so many other instances. When we make the sign of the cross, it expresses what we believe in. Joining the thumb and the 2 forefingers we symbolize, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that is, three personalities, yet, one true God; and the remaining two fingers, clutched in the palm of our hand symbolize Christ as God, and Christ as Man. Thus, we express our basic Theology by crossing ourselves and saying: "In the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Orthodox are the only Christians, who proclaim the theological dogmas through the sign of the Holy Cross. A devout mystic once wrote, that the Cross reaches high up into the Heavens, but no less, it embraces the whole earth. He described the vertical piece as representing two worlds; the seen and unseen, -- that is, Heaven and Earth. And the horizontal piece spreads, and spans the face of the earth. Further, he wrote, the vertical piece is Eternal Life, which descended from Heaven to bring a new spirit to man; -- renewed strength; --new life, and ultimately salvation! Truly, the Cross is the epicenter of human history, which presents to humankind the new order of things. It reveals the God of absolute Justice and boundless love. It reveals our Divine Destiny --the forgiveness and the opportunity to renew our life. But, it remains for us, to choose to align our life along the lines, which the Lord has prescribed, and to which He desires all people to come and know the truth, so that ultimately, we all can be free! I would be remiss if I didn't bring to mind vividly, the tragic event of 9 / 11 of 4 years ago, when we lost over 3000 of our fellow Americans, as well as the new devastation of hurricane Katrina where they repeatedly estimated, that the death toll may reach 10,000! Our hearts cannot but bleed witnessing these events on television, which is only the tip of the iceberg. I ask you to rise and pray with me: "O Lord our God, infinite wisdom, creator of Heaven and earth, we humbly come before You, bowing the knees of our soul; we ask, that you receive in Your Domain the souls, which very suddenly, and so tragically departed this life. Grant also, the needed comfort to all those, who are being so tested. We recognize, that we have drifted from Your path. Help us, and enlighten us, with the light of Your understanding, that we may know, that in spite of all the horrific happenings, which must have a purpose, You are still our merciful and all loving God. Amen.
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