👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾A Lesson on the Holy Cross: What Comes to Us When We #Think of the #Cross?
(Part 2 )
Beloved in Christ,
Grace and peace be with you, from the One who was lifted upon the Cross for our salvation. Let us open our hearts and minds to the wonder of this sacred sign, not as a mere piece of wood, but as the instrument through which the Almighty revealed His infinite love, conquered death, and reconciled humanity to Himself.
1. The Power of the Cross
When we speak the word “cross,” or when it touches our minds, a spiritual felling awakens within the faithful. The Cross brings to our remembrance that Christ, the Lord of Glory, was crucified upon it. Through it the kingdom of darkness trembled, the wall of enmity between God and man was torn down, and the reign of death was broken, opening to us the way of the resurrection. Thus the Cross is not a mere piece of wood, but a spiritual sanctuary, a holy place sanctified by the blood of the Lamb.
It is upon this Cross that unclean spirits are vanquished, demons flee, and both the sickness of body and the wounds of the soul are healed. The Cross is the altar of angels and the dwelling of priests, where both heavenly hosts and earthly ministers lift up unceasing praise.
2. The Crown of the Church
The Cross is the diadem of the Holy Church, the crown of monasteries, and the ornament of every Christian soul. As the Psalmist declares: “You have given a sign to those who fear You, that they may flee from the arrow of the enemy” (Ps. 59:4). Indeed, the Cross is that sign — our shield of salvation, our refuge from the darts of the evil one.
St. Paul testifies: “The word of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). He teaches us that the cross is the power and wisdom of God..
Hear the golden words of St. John Afewerk:
“The Cross is the hope of Christians, the resurrection of the dead, the guide of the blind, the hope of the anointed. The Cross is the prophecy of the prophets, the preaching of the apostles, the glory of the martyrs, the righteousness of the just, the perseverance of monks, the purity of virgins, the foundation of the Church, the stability and peace of the world.”
Saint Justin Martyr, reflecting on the mystery of the Cross, said: “Think for a moment, O man, and ask yourself whether all the work of the world could be done without the cross?Without this symbol of victory? it is impossible to cross the sea. Without it, the sculptors and the wise men do not make any sculptures. For the form of man is itself a cross; and birds, like crosses, fly in the air.” (First Apology, Ch. 55).
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem exhorts us: “We should not be ashamed to confess the Crucified Christ. We should boldly honor the Cross by sealing it on our foreheads, on our hands, and upon all that we wear. We should mark it on the bread we eat and the cup we drink, when we go out and when we return, when we lie down and when we rise, when we journey and when we rest.” (Catechesis XIII, 36).
3. The Cross in Prophecy and Tradition
Before the crucifixion of Christ, the Cross was seen as a curse, a symbol of shame, as the Law says: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Deut. 21:23). But by the death of the sinless One upon it, the curse was turned into blessing, the shame into glory, the instrument of death into the fountain of life.
Continues 👇🏾