ON THE PRECIOUS AND LIFE-GIVING CROSS (Part II)

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.

ON THE PRECIOUS AND LIFE-GIVING CROSS (Part II)
By Saint Gregory Palamas

As the word and the mystery came before the sign itself, we shall expound them to your charity (agape) first. Or rather, Saint Paul expounded them before us, Saint Paul who boasts in the Cross, determined not to know anything, SAVE THE LORD JESUS, AND HIM CRUCIFIED (cf. I Corinthians 2:2). What does he say? THE CROSS MEANS CRUCIFYING THE FLESH WITH ITS PASSIONS AND DESIRES" (cf. Galatians 5:24). Do you think he is referring only to the passions of sensual pleasure and gluttony? In that case he would not have written to the Corinthians, "Since there is among you strife and divisions are ye not carnal and walk as men?" (I Corinthians 3:3). Consequently, anyone WHO LOVES GLORY OR MONEY, OR SIMPLY WANTS TO IMPOSE HIS OWN WILL IN HIS EAGERNESS TO PREVAIL, IS CARNAL AND WALKS AS MEN, SINCE SUCH THINGS ARE THE SOURCE OF DIVISIONS. As Saint James (Iakovos), the Lord’s brother says, "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:1-2). Crucifying the flesh with its passions and longings means stopping all activity which is displeasing to God. Although our body may pull us down and exert pressure on us, we must still lift it up urgently to the height of the Cross…

"…How can you begin to take this thought up to the height of the Cross? Having put your hope in Christ Who provides for all creation and nurtures it, keep away from all unjust gains, and do not be too attached even to honest income. Put it to good use and let the poor share in its as much as possible. It is the same with the commandment to deny the body and take up our cross…

"…Are you troubled by the thought of love of glory? When you are in meetings or councils, bring to mind the Lord’s advice on this subject in the Gospels. DO NOT TRY TO APPEAR SUPERIOR TO OTHERS WHEN YOU SPEAK. Practice any virtues you have in secret, looking only to God and seen only by Him, "and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly" (Matthew 6:6). If, after cutting off the causes of every one of the passions, the thought of them still inwardly troubles you, do not be afraid. It will procure your crowns, since it annoys you but does not win you over, and is not active. It is a dead movement, conquered by your godly struggle…

"Saint Paul says, "We preach," "Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block," because they do not believe in the saving passion, "and unto the Greeks foolishness," as they value transitory things above all else because of their complete disbelief in God’s promises, "but unto them that are called, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (I Corinthians 1:23). This is THE WISDOM and POWER OF GOD TO BE VICTORIOUS THROUGH WEAKNESS, EXALTED THROUGH HUMILITY, RICH THROUGH POVERTY. Not only the world and the mystery of the Cross are Divine and to be reverenced, but so also IS ITS SIGN. FOR IT IS HOLY, SAVING AND VENERABLE SEAL, ABLE TO HALLOW AND PERFECT ALL THE GOOD, MARVELLOUS AND UNDESCRIBABLE THINGS WHICH GOD HAS DONE FOR THE HUMAN RACE. IT CAN TAKE AWAY THE CURSE AND CONDEMNATION, DESTROY CORRUPTION AND DEATH, BESTOW ETERNAL LIFE AND BLESSING. IT IS THE WOOD OF SALVATION, THE REGAL SCEPTRE, THE DIVINE TROPHY OF VICTORY OVER VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE ENEMIES, EVEN THOUGH THE HERETICS’ FOLLOWERS ARE INSANELY DISPLEASED. They have NOT understood that the Lord’s Cross DISCLOSES THE ENTIRE DISPENSATION OF HIS COMING IN THE FLESH, AND CONTAINS WITHIN IT THE WHOLE MYSTERY OF THIS DISPENSATION. Extending in all directions, IT EMBRACES EVERYTHING ABOVE, BELOW, AROUND AND BETWEEN. THE HERETICS ABHOR THE SIGN OF THE King of Glory (Psalm 24:7-10), putting forward and excuse, in accordance with which, if they were reasonable, they ought to reverence the Cross along with us. The Lord Himself, when He was going to ascend the Cross, openly referred to it as His LIFTING UP AND HIS GLORY (John 3:14-15). And He announced that when He came again and manifested Himself, THIS SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN WOULD COME WITH POWER AND GREAT GLORY (Matthew 24:30)…

"…Where did He triumph over them and put them to shame, so that we could be set free? Where was the middle wall of partition broken down and our enmity towards God abolished and put to death? By what means were we reconciled with God and how did we hear the Good News of peace with Him? Surely IT WAS ON THE CROSS AND BY MEANS OF THE CROSS. Let those who doubt listen to what the Apostle writes to the Ephesians, "For Christ is our peace, who hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby" [Ephesians 2:14-16).

Surely we should HONOR AND USE THIS DIVINE TROPHY OF THE FREEDOM OF THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE. ITS APPEARANCE ALONE PUT THE SERPENT, THE ORIGINATOR OF EVIL, TO FLIGHT, TRIUMPHS OVER HIM AND DISGRACES HIM, PROCLAIMING HIM DEFEATED AND CRUSHED. IT GLORIFIES AND MAGNIFIES CHRIST, AND DISPLAYS HIS VICTORY TO THE WORLD. If it were really necessary to disregard the Cross because Christ suffered death on it, then His death too would be neither honorable nor salutary. So how can we have been baptized into His death, as the Apostle tells us (Romans 6:3)? And how can we share in His Resurrection, it fwe have been planted together in the likeness of His death (Romans 6:5)? On the other hand, if someone were to reverence the sign of the Cross without the Lord’s name written upon it, he could justly be accused of doing something incorrect. Since "AT THE NAME OF JESUS EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, OF THINGS IN HEAVEN, AND THINGS IN THE EARTH, AND THINGS UNDER THE EARTH" (Philippians 2:10), and the Cross bears this Venerable Name. How very foolish not to bow the knee at Christ’s Cross!

Inclining our hearts as well as bending our knees, come, "let us worship," with David the psalmist the Prophet, "at the place where His feet stood" (Psalm 132:7), where His All-embracing hands were outspread and His Life-Giving body was stretched out for our sake. As we reverence and greet the Cross with faith, let us draw and keep the abundant sanctification flowing from it. Then, at the sublimely glorious future advent of our Lord andGod and Savior Jesus Christ, as we see Him come in glory, we shall rejoice and skip for joy unceasingly, having attained to a place on His right hand and heard the promised joyful words and blessing to the glory of the Son of God crucified in the flesh for us.

For to Him BELONGS ALL GLORY, TOGETHER WITH HIS FATHER WITHOUT BEGINNING AND THE ALL-HOLY, GOOD AND LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT, NOW AND FOREVER AND UNTO THE AGES OF AGES. AMEN. (Resources: HOMILIES)

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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George