Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord

When the cross lies before us, and we, having bowed down to the ground, have shown our reverence for it and are ready to kiss it with our hearts and lips, in order to express our love for the crucified Jesus Christ, – at these very moments we will talk about the meaning of the Cross of Christ.

The Cross is the guardian of the entire universe, the Cross is the beauty of the Church, the Cross is the power of kings, the Cross is the affirmation of the faithful, the Cross is the glory of angels and the plague of demons!

The Cross is the hope of Christians, the guide of the lost, the refuge of the overwhelmed, the victory in battles, the confirmation of the universe, the physician of the sick, the resurrection of the dead!

Church poets, compilers of stichera, strove not only to express its power and significance, but also to dispose us to believe in it.

It is natural for us to make the sign of the cross, to wear it on our chests, and to see it everywhere: in churches, in cemeteries, and on elevated places. The Cross, together with the preaching of Christ crucified, has entered so deeply into the life of mankind that no forces are able to destroy it. But if the time comes, it will not be seen; if such terrible days come, when people will be ashamed of the cross and afraid to show faith in it, then this will be a sure sign of the imminent second coming of Christ for the judgment of the adulterous and sinful world. Then it will appear, no longer in secret places, but in heaven, so that all will see the sign of the Son of man, the Cross of Christ, desired by us Christians, and then all the families of the earth will weep before Him (Matt. 24:30).

The Cross of Christ was not only a temptation for some in the first years of apostolic preaching, but madness for others; not only people who heard the preaching of the Crucified Lord for the first time were confused, perplexed, and did not believe that our salvation could have been accomplished in such a strange and terrible way, but also those who have been Christians since childhood, coming of age, are tempted by the preaching of the Church about our salvation through the sufferings of the Son of God on the cross. And they are not so much tempted by the fact of the crucifixion of the Son of God, as by the words of the Saviour: "If any man will walk after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and come after Me." If the sufferings of Christ are accepted by faith, then the teaching of the Church that for our salvation we too must be crucified with Christ, crucify our flesh with passions and lusts, and bear the cross of life without complaint – this teaching does not always find a response, is not always recognized as the only way to salvation. To put it simply and clearly, believers often do not understand the meaning of the sufferings, sorrows, sorrows and illnesses by which we must enter into the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).

Instead of patiently bearing the cross of life with faith in the crucified Savior and thereby preparing itself for the Kingdom of God, the humanity of our time is exerting all its strength and capabilities to settle down with all the comforts here on earth. This craving for earthly well-being, for a sorrowless life, gives rise in individuals to coldness towards God, lack of faith, and even complete falling away from faith, and in the masses - an irrepressible attraction to social and state revolutions, which are supposed to lead to universal happiness.

Once the devil tempted the first people: "If you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you yourselves will be like gods." In other words, give up on God, don't listen to Him, and you'll feel good, better than you are now. Isn't the same thing happening now? If you want happiness, as the former seducer the devil asks everyone, then renounce the Gospel, which demands of you fasting, abstinence, repentance, and weeping over sins; renounce Christ, Who was crucified, Who promises you the Kingdom of Heaven, and you will settle down beautifully on earth, you will be happy. And since the desire for happiness and well-being is innate in man, it is difficult for him to resist this seductive call, it is difficult for him to struggle with his desire to live here to all his pleasure. And therefore the number of faithful disciples of our Saviour is becoming less and less.

Fortunately for us, we do not see that people who have rejected the Lord would be really happy, that their lives would flow without sorrows. This is a lesson and a saving warning for us!

But the best remedy against this temptation is closeness to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who was crucified, it is true, but also resurrected and promised us, His faithful disciples, the inheritance of eternal life (John 12:25-26).

Whoever is with the Lord always has the image of the crucified Christ before his eyes. Whoever is with the Lord remembers the resurrection of Christ. Whoever is with the Lord awaits the life of the age to come, holds fast to this hope and draws strength from it to bear his cross to the end.

And so, fellow brethren, making the sign of the Cross on yourselves, be transported in your thoughts to Christ Crucified, behold Him with the eyes of faith, be strengthened in faith and love for Him, – then no temptation will be able to separate us from the Lord. Amen.