On Monday next, we celebrate the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross. The Cross stands at the center of salvation history and is the profound truth about the unending and complete love of God for us. It is mercy’s eternal and Divine symbol: to human sin, God responds with compassion; to human weakness, God reduces His Son to utter abandonment; to the hopelessness of death and godlessness, the Crucified One responds with the consoling words “Amen, Amen, I say to Thee — this day, thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco reminds us: “The Cross of the Lord was the instrument by which He saved the world after the fall into sin. Through the Cross, He descended with His soul into hell so as to raise up from it the souls who were awaiting Him. By the Cross, Christ opened the doors of paradise which had been closed after our first ancestors had been banished from it. The Cross was sanctified by the Body of Christ which was nailed to it when He gave Himself over to torments and death for the salvation of the world, and it itself was then filled with life-giving power. By the Cross on Golgotha, the prince of this world was cast out (John 12:31) and an end was put to his authority. The weapon by which he was crushed became the sign of Christ’s victory. The demonic hosts tremble when they see the Cross, for by the Cross the kingdom of hell was destroyed. They do not dare to draw near to anyone who is guarded by the Cross.”
If the Cross is such a powerful weapon against evil and proof positive of God’s merciful love, Orthodox Christians need to sign themselves with it more often and, when they do so, do it with reverence and prayerfully. St. John Chrysostom admonishes us: “When, then, you make the sign of the Cross, arm yourself with a saintly boldness, and reinstall your soul in its old freedom; for you are not ignorant that the Cross is a prize beyond all price. You should not then, carelessly make the sign of the Cross, but you should impress it on your heart with the love of a fervent faith. Nothing impure will dare to molest you on seeing the weapon, which overcometh all things.” Taking care to sign yourself with the Cross reverently is itself an act of profound piety. Making a careless, fast, and thought-less sign of the Cross (like you are swatting flies) can be an indication of disregard for its holiness and redemptive power. The Romanian spiritual father, Elder Cleopa, teaches us: “Do not do anything without signing yourself with the sign of the Cross with care! When you depart on a journey, when you begin your work, when you go to study, when you are alone, and when you are with other people, seal yourself with the Holy Cross on your forehead, your body, your chest, your heart, your lips, your eyes, your ears. All of you should be sealed with the sign of Christ’s victory over hell. Then you will no longer be afraid of evil spirits, or temptations, because these are dissolved by the power of the Cross like wax before fire and like dust before the wind.” As we reflect on the meaning of the Cross in our life of faith, let us remember the wise counsel of the Saints and holy ones. Let us strive to sign ourselves with the Cross more faithfully and to do so with a fervent heart, prayerful mind, and great reverence. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, for by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world!
Fr. Dimitrios
