Soul With Body for Through

Continued ☝️ Soul with body, for through the cross, we are sanctified in both body and soul. People with nations, as Christ broke down the dividing wall of hostility, making peace between Jew and Gentile, and uniting all in His body (Ephesians 2:16). The cross is not just a sign; it is the medicine of life. As Psalm 73:12 tells us, "God is a king before the world, and He has made a remedy in the midst of the earth." The remedy is the cross, which carried the true healer, Christ, as described in John 19:17. The Discovery of the Cross: Queen Eleni and the Feast of Meskel The Feast of Meskel, or the "Finding of the Cross," celebrates a monumental event in Christian history. Queen Eleni, the pious mother of Emperor Constantine, embarked on a journey to discover the True Cross upon which our Lord was crucified. Arriving in Jerusalem, she was guided by an elderly man named Kyrakos, who advised her to pray and burn incense so that the smoke would lead her to the buried cross. Following his counsel, she witnessed a miraculous sign: the smoke rose to the heavens and then descended to the exact spot where the cross lay hidden. After much labor and prayer, Queen Eleni uncovered three crosses—the one on which Christ had been crucified and the two crosses of the thieves. To determine which was the True Cross, she touched each one to a sick person, and only the cross of Christ brought healing, restored the lame, and gave sight to the blind. The significance of this discovery is celebrated annually in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church with the Demera ceremony. “Demera,” meaning to gather or pile up, symbolizes the collective unity of the faithful, as they gather to burn incense and pile up wood to commemorate the miraculous finding of the cross. Conclusion: The Cross—A Source of Eternal Blessing The cross has traveled a long journey through the angelic realms, the blessings of the patriarchs, the deliverance of Moses, and the salvific act of Christ. It is not merely a symbol of death or punishment, but the means by which the entire cosmos is restored and healed. As we celebrate the Feast of Meskel, let us take to heart the lessons of Queen Eleni, whose piety and faith led to the recovery of the True Cross. Let us pray that, like her, we may be guided to the foot of the cross, where our Savior waits to heal us, to give us life, and to lead us to eternal victory. May the feast be for us not just a remembrance, but a deepening of our devotion to the cross, the power of God for us who are being saved. May the Lord make this holy day a blessing to all of us, and may the cross of Christ guide us in our daily lives, leading us ever closer to His kingdom. Amen. May the name of the Holy God be praised forever and ever in every tongue that He has created, today and always. May the blessings of God's mother, the virgin, and the cross be upon us. Amen. © John's Repentance Reach out to us on our social media platforms and share it with your friends: https://linktr.ee/johnsrepentance