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
THE COST OF CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP
"And having called to Himself the crowd with
His disciples, He said to them, ‘Whosoever is
willing to follow after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and keep on following
Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose
it; but whosoever will lose his life on account
of Me and of the Gospel, this same one will
save it" [Mark 8:34-35).
Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ injects a new, solemn tone into His earthly Ministry by speaking about suffering and by teaching the"people" and the "disciples" the cost of discipleship: "let him deny himself, and take up his cross", Jesus means His followers should seperate themselves from their sins and form the inclination of their hearts towards evil (Genesis 8:21) crucifying their flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24). When the holy Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians regarding the "flesh" he does not mean the body. The "flesh" here is a general term for evil actions, the depraved will, the earthly mind, the slothful and careless soul–things that are under one's control, not part of human nature. This "flesh" is crucified with Christ (Gal. 5:24). It is not human nature that is mortified, but its evil deeds. To "save" one's "life" means to base one's earthly life on self. This is the opposite of self-denial, and ultimately results in the loss of eternal life. To "lose" one's life is to accept suffering and sacrifice for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom, which ultimately brings salvation. Discipleship is costly indeed: it requires giving up all claim to everything the world holds dear.
Our Holy Orthodox faith views the life of a Christian as possessing a "martyrdom" aspect, though this is not limited to physical suffering or death. It is understood that the ultimate martyrdom is being killed for one's faith, the daily Christian life is also considered a form of martyrdom. This involves dying to self, enduring hardship, and bearing injustices for Christ, much like the Saints who are considered living temples.
The Cross is the BANNER of the Church. From the day when the Savior bore the Cross on His shoulders to Golgotha and was crucified on the material Cross, the Cross became the visible sign and banner of Christianity, of the Church, of everyone who believes in Christ. The holy Apostle Paul writing the Corinthians said: "For Christ sent me not forth to baptize, but to be preaching the Gospel, not in wisdom of speech, lest the Cross of Christ should be made empty. For the word, that of the Cross, on the one hand, to those who are perishing is foolishness, but on the other hand, to us who being saved, IT IS THE POWER OF GOD" (1 Corinthians 1:17-18). He exhorted all not to be ashamed of the Cross as a sign of reproach. For the reproach on the Cross led to the Resurrection in glory, and the Cross became the IMPLEMENT OF SALVATION AND THE PATH TO GLORY.
Having always before oneself the image of the Cross, making on oneself the sign of the Cross, the Orthodox Christian first of all brings to his/her mind that he/she is called to follow the steps of Christ, bearing in the name of Christ sorrows and deprivations for his/her faith. Secondly, he/she is strengthened by the power of the Cross of Christ for battle against evil in himself and in the world. And thirdly, he/she confesses that he/she awaits the manifestation of the glory of Christ, the Second Coming of the Lord, which itself will be preceded by the manifestation in heaven of the "sign of hte Son of Man, according to the Divine words of the Lord Himself (Matthew 24:30). This sign, according to the unanimous understanding of the Holy Fathers of the Church, will be a magnificent manifestation of the Cross in the sky.
The sign of the Cross that we place upon ourselves or depict on ourselves by the movement of the hand is made in silence, but at the same time it is said loudly, because IT IS AN OPEN CONFESSION OF OUR FAITH. Thus, with the Cross is bound up the whole grandeur of our redemption, which reminds us of the necessity OF PERSONAL STRUGGLE FOR THE CHRISTIAN. In the representation of the Cross, even in its name, is summed up the whole history of the Gospel, as also the history of martyrdom and the confession of Christianity in all ages. Reflecting deeply on the wealth of thoughts bound up with the Cross, the Orthodox Church hymns the power of the Cross: "O invincible and incomprehensible and Divine power of the precious and Life-Giving Cross, forsake not us sinners."
In explaining why Christians venerate the Cross, Saint John Damascene sums up what has been accomplished through the Cross, which as he says, isa term denoting the death of Christ: "Every action of Christ and all His working of miracles is truly very great and Divine and wonderful, but of all things the most wonderful is His Honorable Cross. For by nothing else except the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ has death been brought low, the sin of our first parent destroyed, hell plundered, resurrection bestowed, the power given us to despise the things of this world and even death itself, the road back to the former blessedness made smooth, the gates of Paradise opened, our nature seated at the right hand of God, and we made children and heirs of God. By the Cross all things have been set aright. For "as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ," says the Apostle, "were baptized into His death" (Romans 6:3), and "as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27); moreover, "Christ is the power and wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24). See how the death of Christ, the Cross, that is to say, has clothed us with the subsistent wisdom and power of God!" [Exact Exposition 4.11; FC, pp. 349-50].–3rd Ed.]
The Lord said, "Anyone who DOES NOT CARRY HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE" (Luke 14:27). His message is very clear that if we wish to follow Him our commitment must be true and that we must look upon as the ruler of our life. Saint Isaac the Syrian stated: "The way of God is a daily cross. The Cross is the gate of mysteries." If we are truly the followers and disciples of Christ we must follow the path which leads to Him and the Kingdom. No one can dispute that God knows how weak and sinful we are when He asks us to follow Him. However, He commands us to use our free will and use that freedom to follow Him willingly and out of sincere agape and He in turn will grant us the grace to overcome our sinful nature. He also reminds us, "He who loses his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25). Therefore, no believer can avoid the path of the Cross if he or she is a true follower of His.
The Orthodox Christian must be willing to fulfill Christ’s commandment of carrying the cross daily by and through self-sacrifice, self-denial, obedience, willing to put our ambitions and desires last and the needs of our fellow man first. To nail and crucify our passions, our logismoi (wicked thoughts) and instead strengthen our prayer life, repenting, fasting, and being more compassionate and kind to those in need. The way of the Cross is not easy but the reward of carrying it leads to salvation and to eternal life. Whatever the difficulty, whatever the suffering, whatever the storm along this journey, our Savior will be our shelter and protector. He suffered and died for us and granted us eternal life. By obediently and in volunteeringly carrying the Life-Giving Cross, we are assured of His grace and the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life. Let us not forget that it is in our daily cross-bearing that we discover the sacred mystery of the Cross. The Holy Apostle Paul writes, "as ones sorrowful, but always rejoicing; as poor, but enriching many; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things" [2 Corinthians 6:10). And again the Apostle reminds us, "For the sorrow in accordance with God worketh out repentance to salvation, not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world worketh out death" (2 Corinthians 7:10). [Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]
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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
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 