👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾The Glory of the #Cross in the #Orthodox Church
(Part 6)
Beloved in Christ, the Cross is not for us a mere symbol of death, but the throne of life, the banner of victory, and the treasury of divine grace. The Orthodox Church lifts it high in glory, for in it we see both the humility of the Lord and the exaltation of mankind. Let us then unfold how the glory of the Cross is revealed among us.
7. Making The Sign of the Cross as a Testimony of Faith
When we Make and trace the holy sign of the Cross upon our bodies, we testify to the faith that has saved us. Moving the hand from the forehead to the chest, we confess that the eternal Son descended from the heavens and humbled Himself to dwell among men. Moving from the left shoulder to the right, we proclaim that humanity has been transferred from darkness to light, from death to life, and from the left hand of judgment to the right hand of glory.
Thus, every motion of the hand becomes a sermon. The Cross itself preaches to our souls that Christ “humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him” (Phil. 2:8–9). Each time we make this holy seal, our earthly body is lifted up into the hope of the heavenly kingdom.
8. The Cross as a Lesson for Children and the Faithful
making the sign of the Cross is not silent ritual but living instruction. At every moment before prayer, when entering the church, before sleep, or upon rising it reminds us of the sacrifice of Christ. For this reason the Church teaches children from their earliest days to make the sign cross themselves, so that the Cross may become their teacher and guardian. The Cross is both prayer and catechism, guiding the faithful to remember the Lord always.
9. making the sign of Cross as a Proclamation of Christ’s Death
✍🏾Each time when we make sign of Cross , we declare the death of the Lord. For it is written: “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). Indeed, in the Eucharist we proclaim His sacrifice, yet the Eucharist is not celebrated everywhere and at all times. But making the sign of the Cross can be made anywhere and at any time, were are never without a reminder of our Lord’s death and His saving work. Each time we make the sign of Cross, we proclaim that Christ was crucified for our salvation. By this holy sign, we not only remember His sacrifice but also confess our faith before heaven and earth.
✍🏾 Thus, the sign of the Cross becomes for us both a prayer and a shield, a constant act of worship, uniting our body and soul in the memory of the Lord’s passion and victory.
10. The Cross as the Reminder of Sin and Salvation
The Cross teaches us that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Adam’s disobedience brought death into the world, but Christ who was without sin died upon the Cross to destroy death itself. Saint Paul proclaims: “Even when we were dead in trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:5).
Each time we make the sign of the Cross, we remember both the seriousness of sin and the immeasurable mercy of God, who turned the curse into blessing and death into life. The sign of the Cross becomes both a warning and a deliverance teaching us to flee from sin and to embrace the life that is in Christ.
11. Making the sign of Cross as the Measure of God’s Love
Above all, the Cross reveals divine love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). Saint Paul echoes this: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Who can measure this love? Our Lord Himself declared: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). “Therefore, when we make the sign of the Cross, it reminds us of the depth of God’s love for usa love so great that it led Him to die upon the Cross.”
Continues 👇🏾