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Sunday after Elevation of Holy Cross OCALA 9/19/04 Last Tuesday, September 14, the Orthodox world celebrated the Elevation of the precious and Life-giving Cross. As with so many other Religious Holidays, our Holy Church singularly has preserved and until today expresses that, which the Universal Church believed in, during the first 10 Centuries, when there was only one Christian Church; --- the One, Holy, Catholic (Universal) and Apostolic Church, the true Church, founded by the Lord, and zealously preserved by our Holy Orthodox Church. Since this Great Day was on a weekday, when so many people cannot attend Church, I have always made it a practice to hold the Special Service of the Elevation on the following Sunday, so that we can sense and fully appreciate the spirit and the blessing of the Day;. Our Holy Hymnology has no equal. Our Hymns composed by the God-inspired Holy Fathers of many centuries gone by, are hymns of praise and glorification of God; no less, they are also replete with moral teachings and dogmatic truths, based strictly on the Bible. The special hymns of this Great Day as well as those of other Holy Days are chanted in the Orthros, or Matin Service, which we are unable to hold under our present circumstances. Just to give you some idea of the depth and beauty of our hymns, I bring to you one, which describes the power of the Holy Cross as follows: "The Cross is the preserver of all the Universe; the Cross is the comeliness of the Church; the Cross is the power of leaders; the Cross is the support of the believers; the Cross is the glory of Angels, and the annihilation of the demons." Our Lord is God; but, as the second Person of the Holy Trinity He was also an historic Person. He founded the Church, which is an historical Entity to continue His Teachings down through the ages; These teachings were disseminated by the Holy Apostles from their time until the present day without any changes. That is why it is so important for all Christians to know the historical truth, in order that they may have a better appreciation of the treasure the Church has to transmit to her Faithful. For instance, we must know how the Holy Day of the Elevation of the Holy Cross came into being. Some perhaps know, but it is important for all to hear and to learn. The Elevation has its historical beginning from the first part of the 4th Century. And now after almost 17 Centuries, we re-enact the finding of the Holy Cross through a brief special Service. We go back to the first Emperor of the vast Byzantine Empire Constantine the Great, --- an Empire founded over the fallen Roman Empire. One of Constantine's first acts, influenced by many prominent Christians, but chiefly by his pious Mother, St. Helena, was to declare Christianity as the Official Religion of the vast Empire in the year 323 A.D., even though he was not a baptized Christian. Now that the Christians officially breathed for the first time their religious freedom, the new Faith had such a pervasive influence on Emperor Constantine, that after he asked to be baptized, he forsook the Royal crimson robes, and preferred to wear the white tunic, in which he had been baptized. His humility and piety, chiefly attributed to St. Helena, inspired him to confer upon his mother the high title of Augusta, that is, the Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Constantine's profound dedication to the new Faith became more manifest, when in the year 330 A.D., the ancient City of Byzantium was renamed Constantinople, or the City of Constantine. To mark this occasion he erected two enormous columns in the main square of the City; one to honor his mother, and the other, himself. Spanning to connect these two columns was a permanent banner, on which there was the inscription stating: "One is Holy; One is Lord; Jesus Christ, to the Glory of God, the Father." These very words are heard in every Orthodox Liturgy immediately preceding the Communion hymn. St. Helena now was 80 years old. In spite of her advanced years, she strongly sensed the need to fulfill a life-long dream. She requested that her son assign to her a detachment, to travel to Jerusalem to search and find the Holy Cross, upon which the Lord was crucified. The Cross had been buried over the 300 years of the Christian persecutions. In 326 she arrives in Jerusalem, but the whole face of the City was changed after the destruction of the Holy City by the Roman Emperor Titus in the year 70 A.D. The pagans sought to build temples of their gods over the sites, which had become holy by the first Christians --- the sites sanctified by the Lord's life, upon which the first Christians used to gather to venerate and praise the Lord. Where was St. Helena to commence the excavations? From afar she saw a most beautiful temple built in honor of the ancient goddess Aphrodite. She was so impressed by its beauty that she wanted to see it up close. As she approached, she was almost overcome by the strong fragrance of large sweet basil plants, growing profusely near one corner of the temple. She sensed deeply, that this was the hand of Divine Providence guiding her. "This is where we must make our initial excavation" she commanded. It wasn't long before three crosses were unearthed. Two in the form of the letter "T", and one with an extended piece on the vertical arm. This was extended by the crucifiers to further mock the Lord, having nailed the inscription in Greek, Hebrew and Latin: "Jesus, the Nazarene, King of the Judeans" There was no question, which was the true Cross of our Lord; but to further testify it, they brought a paralytic woman to have her touch all three crosses. Touching the first two, nothing happened; the moment she touched the true Cross she was immediately healed. It is then, that the multitudes started chanting "Kyrie Eleeison" over and over again, just as we heard today in the special Service, when the Priest stooped toward the floor symbolically digging and finding the Holy Cross. The crowd became uncontrollable, surging forth to kiss the Holy Cross. For this reason, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Makarios, took the Cross to the peak of a small mound, so that all could se it and be blessed by it. Today's re-enactment of the Event of 1700 years ago, brings vividly to mind the saga of centuries gone by. At the end of the Service the faithful receive a twig of the blessed sweet basil plant to take home with them, as an added blessing in their life, and as a reminder of St. Helena's deep faith. The Holy Cross speaks loudly to all of us. It reminds us, that yes, we are sinners; but more importantly that we are God's creation, Who fashioned us in His Image and Likeness. The Cross also speaks loudly of forgiveness, because we were forgiven, cleansed and saved by the precious Blood of our Lord, which ran down from the Lord's crucifixion on Golgotha down to the present day and for all time to come. The Lord's precious Blood in the form of Divine and Saving Grace is given to the Faithful through the Holy Sacraments of the Church. I believe, that the Holy Cross is the greatest gift and comfort for all Christians; -- for the faithful, for the sinners, --- for those who suffer, --- for the captives, --- for those in distress, --- because, with this Life-giving Symbol, the faithful believe that God, through His power and wisdom crowned with His Love, will never abandon us. For us Orthodox Christians especially, the Holy Cross since the most ancient Christian years, constitutes a continuous prayer in our life through life's every _expression. We make the sign of the cross when we pray during the Divine Liturgy, and privately in our home. We make the sign of the cross when we embark on some endeavor; when we get in our car for a trip; when we prepare to swim; when we sit at the dinner table. When we make the sign of the cross, we truly express that in which we believe. Clutching together the forefingers and the thumb, we symbolize the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three distinct Personalities, yet, one God. The remaining two fingers clutched in the palm of our hand we symbolize Christ the God, and Christ the Man. Thus, in the 5 fingers of our right hand we express the basic Theology of all Christianity. When we bless ourselves we say: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen." A devout mystic once wrote, that the Cross reaches high into the Heavens, but no less, it embraces the earth. This mystic still further described, that the vertical piece of the Cross represents two worlds; the seen and unseen; that is Heaven and Earth. Still further, he wrote, that the vertical piece is Eternal Life, which descended from Heaven, to bring a new spirit to the people; to give renewed strength; new life;
and ultimately salvation. Truly, the Cross is the epicenter of human history, which presents to mankind the new order of things. It reveals the God of justice, and no less the God of Love. It reveals our Divine Destiny. It guarantees the power and blessings of forgiveness, and the opportunity to renew our life. But, it remains for people to make the choice to align their life along the lines, which the Lord has prescribed; the life, which God desires all people to enter, and thereby know the truth, which ultimately will make us free. Amen. +Fr. George Papadeas
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