CHRIST’S CROSS IS AN EMBLEM OF VICTORY

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My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

CHRIST’S CROSS IS AN EMBLEM OF VICTORY

O Lord, save Your people and bless Your inheritance.
Grant victory to the faithful over their adversaries and
protect Your commonwealth by Your Cross.
WI
We Venerate Your Cross, O Christ, and Your Holy
Resurrection we praise and glorify.

According to the Holy Orthodox Tradition the third Sunday of Holy and Great Lent is known as the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross. On this day the divine service of Orthros (Matins) concludes with the solemn Veneration of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross; the ceremonies are closely parallel to those at the feasts of the EXALTATION OF THE CROSS (14th September) and the PROCESSION OF THE CROSS (1st of August). THE VENERATION OF THE CROSS ON THIS THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT PREPARE US FOR THE COMMEMORATION OF THE CRUCIFIXION which is soon to follow in Holy Week, and at the same time it reminds us that the WHOLE OF LENT IS A PERIOD WHEN WE ARE CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST: as the Synaxarion at Orthros says, ‘Through the forty-day Fast, WE TOO ARE IN A WAY CRUCIFIED, DYING TO THE PASSIONS.’ NO separation is made between Christ’s death and His Resurrection, but the Cross IS REGARDED AS AN EMBLEM OF VICTORY AND CALVARY IS SEEN IN THE LIGHT OF THE EMPTY TOMB.

Let us quote here the words of the holy righteous Saint John of Kronstadt from his sermon on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord: “Let us enter into the meaning of the mystery of the Cross… The world, that is, the human race, would have been given over to eternal death, to eternal torments, according to the unchanging, most strict justice of God, if the Son of God had not become, out of His LIMITLESS GOODNESS, A VOLUNTARY INTERMEDIARY AND REDEEMER OF MANKIND, which was criminal, defiled and corrupted by sin. For, by the deception of the serpent, the murderer of men, it was cast down into a frightful abyss of lawlessness and perdition… However, so that men might be capable of this reconciliation and redemption from above, it was necessary for the Son of God TO DESCEND INTO THE WORLD, TO TAKE UPON HIMSELF A HUMAN SOUL AND BODY, AND BECOME THE God-Man, in order that in His own Person, in His HUMAN NATURE, He might fulfill all the righteousness of God which had been brazenly violated by all manner of human UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IN ORDER THAT HE MIGHT FULFILL THE WHOLE LAW OF GOD, EVEN TO THE LEAST IOTA, AND BECOME THE GREATEST OF RIGHTEOUS MEN FOR THE WHOLE OF UNRIGHTEOUS MANKIND, AND TEACH MANKIND RIGHTEOUSNESS WITH REPENTANCE FOR ALL ITS UNRIGHTEOUSNESS AND SHOW FORTH THE FRUITS OF REPENTANCE.. This He fulfilled, not being guilty OF A SINGLE SIN, and was the ONLY PERFECT MAN, in hypostatical union with the Divinity” [Sermon on the Feast of the Exaltation:  “The Meaning of the Mystery of the Cross”).

 
   Saint Gregory Palamas writes:  “Before Christ WE ALL SHARED THE SAME ANCESTRAL CURSE and CONDEMNATION poured out on all of us from our single Forefather, as if it had sprung from the root of the human race and was the common lot of our nature. Each person’s individual action attracted either REPROOF or PRAISE from God, but no one could do anything about the shared curse and condemnation, or the evil inheritance that had been passed down to him and through him would pass to his descendants.”  As we have seen, this inheritance entailed A CORRUPTED HUMAN NATURE, bringing about the death of both the soul and body.  “BUT CHRIST CAME,” says Saint Gregory, “SETTING HUMAN NATURE FREE AND CHANGING THE COMMON CURSE INTO A SHARED BLESSING.” (Homilies, vol. p. 52). [Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]

LENTEN PRAYER OF SAINT EPHRAIM

Lord and Master of my life, cast away
from me the spirit of laziness, idle
curiosity, love of power and vain talk.

But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of
moderation, humility, patience and love.

Yes, Lord and King, grant me to see my
own faults and not to judge my brothers
and sisters.

For You are Blessed Forever. Amen.

_________
“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George

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