WE WORSHIP YOUR CROSS, LORD…
On April 2, on the eve of the Week of the Veneration of the Cross in Lent, the All-night vigil in the Holy Trinity Church in Balakovo was celebrated by priest Alexander Kuzmenko.
On Saturday of the third week of Lent, in all Orthodox churches During the All-Night Vigil, the Cross is brought from the altar to the middle of the church, which is worshiped by the clergy and parishioners. Worship of the Cross of the Lord is intended to remind believers that the path to the Resurrection lies precisely through the cross and the salvation of the soul is impossible without a struggle with sins and passions, without sorrows and suffering. The Cross is taken back to the altar on Friday of the fourth week of Great Lent. That is why the entire week is called the Worship of the Cross.
After the Great Doxology, the priest performed the rite of carrying out the Honest and Life-giving Cross Lord's for worship.
“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 strengthening of believers, the Cross is the glory of angels and the plague of demons.” This is how one of the church hymns explains the meaning of the Cross for the whole world. “With the reed of the Cross, having dipped it in the red ink of Your blood, You, Lord, royally signed for us the forgiveness of sins.”- says one of the stichera of the holiday.
LENT SERMON
Today, having carried the Honorable Cross into the middle of the church, we remember with reverence and prayer the Savior’s feat on the cross. It is no coincidence that it is in the middle of Great Lent that the Holy Church directs our gaze to the Cross of the Lord - so that remembering the suffering of the Savior will give us courage and strength.
Every person in his life faces trials and injustice. Every person suffers, some more, others less. And many people, at the moment of suffering, grumble at God, asking: “Why, Lord, did I have such a difficult lot?” Remembrance of the Cross should help us understand that if God Himself endured human untruth, envy, slander, beatings, torture, death, if He experienced such cruel suffering, being absolutely innocent and sinless, He drank the most bitter cup that can be drunk on this earth, then this means that in suffering there is great meaning. The meaning of the Savior’s suffering is that it atoned for human sins, and through His suffering on the cross the doors to eternity were opened for us.
Therefore, we cannot grumble at God when we also have to suffer. You cannot grumble at the One who drank the cup of the most severe suffering. We don’t complain about people who suffer more in this life than we do - we, as they say, are speechless. Moreover, our thoughts should not rebel against God, so that we do not offend Him with our murmuring. But on the contrary, as Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk said: “We must admit from the heart that God does great mercy to us when he punishes us with his fatherly rod, although this is sad for our weak flesh. For the Lord punishes whomever he loves (Heb. 12:6). Therefore, you should not grumble, but thank Him for this.”
The Cross of Christ teaches us to accept suffering with humility. Of course, it is impossible to pretend that nothing is happening when life deals painful blows, but they should not break our will, destroy our personality and life. We must turn everything to the good: failures in life, illnesses, and sorrows that God sends to us, remembering that if the Lord deigned to suffer for the sake of saving people, then our sorrows also have a saving significance for us. The strength of a Christian lies, first of all, in the fact that, trusting in the will of God, trusting in the Lord, he is able to steadfastly and without complaining overcome pain and suffering, and therefore be internally strong and invincible.
The Savior, looking at us from the Cross, calls on everyone, following His example, not to turn away from their own cross, but to bear it in such a way that this bearing of the cross opens the doors of salvation for us, makes us stronger, wiser, and more spiritually elevated. All this is possible through a Christian attitude towards the cross, one’s sorrows and suffering. The Lord gives us not only an example, but also strength. When, from the depths of the misfortune that has befallen us, we turn our gaze to Him, our fervent prayer, then in response to it God gives strength to overcome trials, stopping our bearing of the cross when it exceeds our strength and capabilities.
May the Lord help us all in the ability to bear our cross in life, become stronger under its weight, rise spiritually, grow in faith, thereby opening the doors of salvation, which are not locked for anyone, for in order for us to be able to enter these doors . The Lord took upon Himself the suffering of the cross and cruel death. By the power of God, may we gain strength in bearing our cross in life.
- Worship of the Cross. It is dedicated to the worship of the Cross, which was established in ancient times to maintain the spiritual strength of believers in the middle of Lent. It reminds us that the Cross is the main instrument of our salvation, that it is a symbol not only of the atoning death of Christ, but also of His glorious Resurrection, which opened the way to heaven for all who are ready to follow Christ. Also, the image of the cross also suggests that our whole life is carrying our own cross and what lies ahead Holy Week, to which this post leads. On Saturday evening, a cross decorated with flowers is brought into the middle of the temple, and people worship it. The leitmotif of the service is the Cross as a tree of salvation and as a paradise tree of life. At the Liturgy, instead of the Trisagion, the hymn “We worship Thy Cross, O Master...” is sung.
Protopresbyter Alexander Shmeman
"Midnight" (half) of Lent: cross
The third week of Great Lent is called the Worship of the Cross. During the all-night vigil of this day, after the Great Doxology, the Cross is solemnly carried into the middle of the church and remains there all week; After each service, a special veneration of the Cross is performed. We must pay attention to the fact that all the hymns of this Sunday speak about the Cross, but they do not speak about suffering on the Cross, but about victory and joy. Moreover, the irmos of the second Sunday Canon are taken from Easter service: “Resurrection day” and all of it is, as it were, a paraphrase of the Easter Canon.
The meaning of all this is clear. We have reached the middle of Lent. On the one hand, a physical and spiritual feat, if it is serious and consistent, begins to take its toll and one feels tired. We need help and encouragement. On the other hand, having endured this fatigue, having climbed half the mountain, we begin to see the end of our pilgrimage, and the radiance of the Easter light becomes brighter. Lent- this is the time of our self-crucifixion, an experience, albeit limited, of Christ’s call, which we hear in the Gospel reading of this day: “...If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:24) . But we cannot accept our cross and follow Christ if we do not accept His cross, which He took for our salvation. It is His cross that saves us, not ours. Only His cross imparts not only meaning, but also power to our crosses. This is explained to us in the Synaxarion of the Sunday of the Cross:
“...On the same day, in the third week of Lent, we celebrate the worship of the honorable and life-giving Cross, for this reason: during the forty-day fast we seem to crucify ourselves... and experience some bitterness, sadness and despondency - the Life-giving Cross is offered to us, refreshing and encouraging us; reminding us of the sufferings of Christ, he strengthens and comforts us... we are like those who go through a long and difficult path; tired, they see a beautiful tree and sit down to rest in the shade of its foliage; having rested a little, as if renewed, they continue on their way; so now, in Lenten time, in the midst of the regrettable path of asceticism, the Holy Fathers erected the Life-Giving Cross, giving coolness and refreshing us, so that we could courageously and easily complete the remaining path... Or let’s take another example: when the king comes, then before him first his banners and scepter appear, and then the king himself goes, rejoicing and having fun about the victory, and his subordinates are having fun with him; in the same way, our Lord Jesus Christ, who wants to show his victory over death and appear in the glory of the day of the Resurrection, sends ahead of him his scepter and the royal banner - the Life-giving Cross - filling us with joy and preparing, as far as possible for us, to meet the King Himself and praise His victory... All this during the week during the Holy Pentecost, because the Holy Pentecost is like a bitter source of shed tears of contrition, fasting struggle and despondency... But Christ comforts us, as those wandering in the desert, until He leads us to the spiritual Jerusalem with its Resurrection... because the Cross is called and is the Tree of Life, which was planted in the middle of Paradise; That’s why the Holy Fathers set it up during the holy Great Lent, recalling at the same time the bliss of Adam and how he lost it, also reminding us that by eating from this Tree we no longer die, but are revived...” So, strengthened and encouraged, we enter the second half Great Lent.
Priest Konstantin Parkhomenko about the Cross and crucifixion
From the first centuries of the existence of the Church, ancient Christians attached special importance to the Cross of the Lord. Our Savior suffered on it, on this Cross a redemptive death took place, which united people, even the lowest sinners, with God. In essence, the Cross of Christ was a bridge thrown across the abyss that separated us from God
Archpriest Alexey Uminsky about the meaning of the cross in the life of a Christian
Now, we will stand in the temple in front of the Cross and understand that our bitter truth of meeting the cross is such that it is simultaneously suffering, and light, and the experience of distance from God, and the joy of the fact that He still loves us immensely and infinitely
About the sign of the cross
When we are baptized, we CONFESS OUR FAITH. Sign of the Cross- this is the shortest symbol of faith, wordless and absolutely accessible to everyone. Here we put the first three fingers “pinch” together - this is a sign that we believe in God the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
“Explanatory Dictionary” with Yuri Pushchaev
Cross like main symbol Christianity is as paradoxical and unique as itself. Invented by the Romans ( Old Testament does not know the crucifixion), he was the instrument of a terrible and shameful execution, which was subjected to the most notorious criminals. The person died from severe suffering, since death occurred from suffocation, as a result of a long and extremely painful unnatural position of the chest and the whole body. However, in Christianity, the cross, on the contrary, becomes a sign of victory and a messenger of salvation, the main symbol of the Church and the Christian faith
For two thousand years, the word “crucifixion” was repeated so often that its meaning was to some extent lost and dimmed. The enormity of the sacrifice that Jesus made for all people, past and future, has also dimmed in the consciousness of those living today.
What is a crucifixion? Cicero called this execution the most terrible of all executions that people have come up with.
Audio
What did the Cross look like on which Christ was crucified? Why is this shrine now fragmented into many small parts? Why is it needed? pectoral cross and what does the cross on the priest’s chest mean? Visiting Alla Mitrofanova- Candidate of Theology, Acting Head of the Department of Biblical Studies of the Moscow Theological Academy priest Alexander Timofeev
Question to the priest
The Orthodox cross is not “so complex” at all; it simply most accurately reflects the shape of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The feet of those sentenced to execution were nailed to the lower crossbar (foot), and since the soldiers could not accurately guess where Christ’s feet could reach, the crossbar was attached after the crucifixion, immediately before installing the cross in a vertical position. The upper crossbar with the inscription (title), according to the Gospel narrative, was also nailed after the crucifixion of Christ by order of Pilate - “they placed an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (Matt 27:37)
How did the tradition of placing crosses outside churches and cemeteries develop in Rus' and how did it develop?
The candidate of art history talks about this Svetlana Gnutova, author-compiler of the book “The Cross in Russia” and scientific editor of a series of collections devoted to research into the history of the cross in Russia
“Replicas” by Alexander Tkachenko
Apparently, by and large, my Christianity had not even begun yet. All these years, God has only been preparing me through the circumstances of my life for something else, much more serious and important, for circumstances when it will be necessary to choose between comfort and the cross. And then God give me strength, understanding and faith to make the right choice
Video
In the 21st century, the word “cross” does not surprise anyone and does not frighten anyone: crosses are worn in pierced ears, pricked out in the form of tattoos, and, after all, there is a cross on an ambulance. At the same time, for Christians it continues to remain a sacred symbol. To be a Christian means to follow Christ and carry your cross, and Christ carried his cross to Calvary.
Does this mean that God wants us to suffer and die horribly or not?
Answer these and other questions in the studio Alla Mitrofanova answered the rector of the temple in honor of the icon Mother of God « Life-giving spring» in Tsaritsyn Archpriest Oleg Korytko
What do folded fingers symbolize? See the infographic “Thomas”
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Come, faithful ones, let us worship the Life-giving Tree... - today the Holy Church calls its children to the foot of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord. This Golgotha, having stepped over time, approached us, invading our consciousness with the memory of itself. For on it the Cross ascended - which is the ladder to heaven, and on the Cross - the One who said: “...I am the way and the truth and the life...” ().
The Cross of Christ is the great saving power of all earthly beings. It extends both into the longitude of all times and into the breadth of all places, its height to heaven, and its depth to the abysses of hell.
And today, on the day of the half-life of the saving feat of fasting, the Lord condescends to those who are tired and exhausted under the burden of fasting, giving them His love, and strength, and a gentle reminder that they have not yet fought sin to the point of bleeding. The Lord today reminds us of the uniqueness and immutability of the path of salvation - the path of the Cross and suffering - and inspires us with hope. Light Christ's Resurrection visible only from the Cross.
The life-giving Tree of the Cross - the Cross of Christ - was grown in the middle of the earth by God's love for people, so that the destructive cross - from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, taken upon oneself in paradise by man's self-will and disobedience to God - could be transformed into a saving Cross, again opening the doors of heaven.
The Cross of Christ has been raised above the world since the time of the Lord’s saving suffering. But every person who comes into the world from birth inherits the cross of his forefathers and invariably carries it through life until the end of his days. The earth is a vale of weeping and sorrow, a place of exile for those who transgress God’s commands - full of sorrows and suffering. The thistles and thorns of sinful habits and passions, with which we become familiar and enjoy, simultaneously wound the soul and inflame the circle of life.
Take a closer look, our friends, at the life of people outside of Christ. How often it ends in spiritual death much earlier than physical death. Evil and sin devour everything human in a person, evil is insatiable, and man is insatiable in evil. And this is also suffering, but suffering is not saving; The reward of this suffering will always be inevitable death and destruction of the soul. The cross of life without Christ is vain and fruitless, no matter how heavy it may be.
One’s cross can be transformed into a saving cross only when one follows Christ with it.
Christ our Savior "...He Himself bore our sins in His Body on the tree, so that we, having been delivered from sins, would live for righteousness..." ().
The Cross of Christ became a sign of the glory of Christ Himself and a weapon of His victory over sin, curse, death and the devil. And we today, standing before the Cross of Christ, feeling on our shoulders* (*Ramo, ramen - shoulder, shoulders) the weight of our life's crosses, we must look carefully at the only saving Cross of Christ, so that in Christ we can recognize the truth of life, in order to understand its bright meaning.
And today, at the Cross of the Lord - the preached Holy Gospel and from the Cross of the Lord - the sight of the Divine Sufferer, they proclaim to us for our salvation the all-holy commandment: “...if anyone wants to walk after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and come after Me.” ().
Our friends, let us rise from the ground, look at the Cross of Christ, before us is an example of complete and true self-sacrifice. He, being the Son of God, came into the world in the form of a slave* (* image - appearance, image), humbled Himself and was obedient even to death, and death on the cross. He denied life itself to save us. The Lord Savior calls us to reject sin and death, which sin feeds for us.
The work of our salvation begins with the denial of ourselves and our sinfulness. We must reject everything that constitutes the essence of our fallen nature, and must extend to the rejection of life itself, surrendering it entirely to the will of God. God! You know everything; Do with me as you please.
We must recognize our everyday truth before God as the most cruel untruth, our reason as the most complete unreason.
Self-denial begins with a struggle with oneself. And victory over oneself is the most difficult of all victories due to the strength of the enemy, because I myself am my own enemy. And this struggle is the longest, because it ends only with the end of life.
The struggle with oneself, the struggle with sin will always remain a feat, which means it will be suffering. And she is ours internal struggle, gives rise to another, even more severe suffering, because in a world of evil and sin, a person who follows the path of righteousness will always be a stranger in the life of the world and will encounter hostility towards himself at every step. And every day the ascetic will more and more feel his dissimilarity with those around him and experience it painfully.
And self-sacrifice inevitably continues to demand that we begin to live in all its fullness for God, for people, for our neighbors, so that we consciously and uncomplainingly accept and submit to all sorrow, all mental and physical pain, so that we accept them as God’s permission for the benefit and salvation of souls ours. Self-sacrifice becomes part of our saving cross. And only through self-sacrifice can we raise our life-saving cross.
The cross is an instrument of execution. Criminals were crucified on it. And now the truth of God calls me to the cross as a criminal of the Law of God, because my carnal man, who loves peace and carelessness, my evil will, my criminal pride, my pride still resist the life-giving Law of God.
I myself, having recognized the power of the sin living in me and blaming myself, grasp at the sorrows of my life’s cross as a means of saving me from sinful death. The consciousness that only sorrows endured for the Lord will assimilate me to Christ, and I will become a participant in His earthly fate, and therefore in heaven, inspires me to feat and patience.
The cross of Christ, a nail, a spear, thorns, abandonment by God - these are the continuous, uneasy suffering of Golgotha. But the entire earthly life of the Savior from birth to the grave is the path to Golgotha. The path of Christ is from suffering to greater suffering, but with them also the ascension from strength to greater strength, His path to death, which swallows up death. “Where is your sting, death, where is your victory?”
The Cross of Christ is terrible. But I love him - he gave birth to the incomparable joy of Holy Easter for me. But I can only approach this joy with my cross. I must voluntarily take up my cross, I must love it, recognize myself as fully worthy of it, no matter how difficult and difficult it may be.
To take up the cross means to generously endure ridicule, reproach, persecution, and sorrow, with which the sinful world is not stingy to bestow upon the novice of Christ.
To take up the cross means to endure, without grumbling and complaining, hard work on oneself that is invisible to anyone, invisible languor and martyrdom of the soul for the sake of fulfilling the truths of the Gospel. This is also a fight against the spirits of evil, which will violently rise up against the one who desires to throw off the yoke of sin and submit to Christ.
To take up the cross is to voluntarily and diligently submit to the hardships and struggles that curb the flesh. While living in the flesh, we must learn to live for the spirit.
And we need to turn Special attention that each person has his own life path must lift up his own cross. There are countless crosses, but only mine heals my ulcers, only mine will be my salvation, and only mine will I bear with the help of God, for it was given to me by the Lord Himself. How not to make a mistake, how not to take the cross according to one’s own will, that arbitrariness that in the first place should be crucified on the cross of self-denial?! An unauthorized feat is a self-made cross, and bearing such a cross always ends in a great fall.
What does your cross mean? This means going through life along your own path, outlined for everyone by the Providence of God, and on this path to experience exactly those sorrows that the Lord allows (You took vows of monasticism - do not seek marriage, are bound by family - do not strive for freedom from your children and spouse). Do not look for greater sorrows and achievements than those on your path in life - pride will lead you astray. Do not seek liberation from those sorrows and labors that are sent to you - this self-pity takes you off the cross.
Your own cross means being content with what is within your bodily strength. The spirit of conceit and self-delusion will call you to the unbearable. Don't trust the flatterer.
How diverse are the sorrows and temptations in life that the Lord sends to us for our healing, what is the difference among people in their physical strength and health, how varied are our sinful infirmities.
Yes, every person has his own cross. And every Christian is commanded to accept this cross with selflessness and follow Christ. And to follow Christ is to study the Holy Gospel so that only it becomes an active leader in carrying our life’s cross. The mind, heart and body with all their movements and actions, obvious and secret, must serve and express the saving truths of Christ’s teaching. And all this means that I deeply and sincerely recognize the healing power of the cross and justify God’s judgment over me. And then my cross becomes the Cross of the Lord.
“Lord, in bearing my cross, sent down to me by Your right hand, strengthen me, who is completely exhausted,” my heart prays. The heart prays and grieves, but it already rejoices in sweet submission to God and its participation in the sufferings of Christ. And this carrying of one’s cross without grumbling with repentance and glorification of the Lord is great power the mysterious confession of Christ not only in mind and heart, but in deed and life itself.
And, my dears, it begins so inconspicuously in us new life, when “...it is not I who live, but Christ lives in me” (). A miracle incomprehensible to the carnal mind occurs in the world - peace and heavenly bliss are established where only groans and tears were expected. The most sorrowful life praises the Lord and rejects from itself every thought of complaint and grumbling.
The cross itself, accepted as a gift from God, gives rise to gratitude for the precious fate of being Christ’s, imitating His suffering, and gives birth to incorruptible joy for the suffering body, for the yearning heart, for the soul that seeks and finds.
The cross is the shortest path to heaven. Christ Himself passed through them.
The cross is a fully tested path, for all the saints have traversed it.
The cross is the surest path, for the cross and suffering are the lot of the elect, these are the narrow gates through which they enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
My dears, today we worship the Cross of the Lord in body and spirit, let us graft our small crosses to His great Cross, so that His life-giving powers nourish us with their juices to continue the exploits of Great Lent, so that fulfilling the commandments of Christ becomes the only goal and joy of our lives.
Honoring the Honest Cross of Christ today, with submission to the will of God, let us thank Him for our small crosses and exclaim: “Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom.” Amen.
We worship Your Cross, Master, and we glorify Your Holy Resurrection.
Our cathedral contains a particle of the true Cross of the Lord, but it is very small. This particle comes from the Holy City of Jerusalem, precisely from the ark where the remaining part of the Cross is kept. The Ark containing part of the Holy Cross was captured when Jerusalem was captured by the Persians in 614. In 624, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius defeated the Persians and returned this shrine to Jerusalem, where it has remained continuously since then. In 2002, Archbishop Mark received from the Jerusalem Patriarchate this small piece of the Holy Cross, which had broken off during the cleaning of the ark. The particle is immersed in wax under glass in the center of a carved cross (see photo). Church holidays with the removal of the Cross
The origin of the honest trees of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.
Feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos.
On August 1 (and according to the new style, August 14), the strict Assumption Fast begins. On the first day of the Dormition Fast, the Orthodox Church celebrates the removal, or the so-called “Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.” Russian name of the holiday "origin" means a solemn ceremony, procession or briefly - “wear and tear” (according to exact value Greek word). From the time the Son of God sanctified the Cross with His suffering, the Cross was granted extraordinary miraculous power. The history of the holiday testifies to its manifestation.
The cross began to be carried around in Constantinople during the epidemic of the disease, and then, in memory of the healing, from year to year on August 1, the life-giving cross of the Lord was carried out from the royal palace to the church of St. Sofia. The blessing of water was performed there, and then, for two weeks (coinciding with the time of the Dormition Fast), the Holy Cross was carried around the city. On August 14, and according to the new style on August 27, the Life-Giving Tree of the Cross returned to the royal chambers. Following the example of the Church of Constantinople, this celebration was introduced in Rus'. Here it is combined with the memory of the Baptism of Rus' on August 1, 988.
According to the rite now accepted in the Russian Church, on this day, at Matins after the Great Doxology, the solemn carrying (descent) of the Holy Cross into the middle of the temple for kissing is performed and worship is performed according to the rite of the Week of the Cross, and after the liturgy - the rite of the small consecration of water. Along with the consecration of water, according to custom, the consecration of honey from the new harvest is performed (see: Menaion-August. Part 1, pp. 21–31). People call August 14 Honey Spas, and the Transfiguration - the Apple Savior. The consecration of honey and fruits has nothing to do with the theological meaning of the holidays, but these are our centuries-old folk traditions, and the Church blessed them. It is good to consecrate both the first honey and the first fruits. If only this does not cover the main, spiritual essence of holidays and fasts - repentance and mercy. From the very beginning of Christianity in Rus', Russian people knew the power of fervent prayers, sincere repentance and deeds of piety, as well as the commandment of mercy, which the believing people tried to make their law of life. Let us follow this bright path, and may the merciful Heavenly Father grant us victory over passions and eternal bliss, through prayers Holy Mother of God, the All-Merciful Savior and the power of the Honest Life-Giving Cross.
3rd Sunday of Great Lent, Worship of the Cross 03/11/2018.
In the middle of Lent on Saturday evening, at the all-night vigil, the Cross is solemnly carried into the middle of the church and laid on it in order to inspire and strengthen those who fast to continue with the reminder of the suffering and death of the Lord. Worship of the Cross continues in the fourth week of Lent - until Friday, because the entire fourth week is called the Worship of the Cross and liturgical texts are determined by the theme of the Cross. This week marks the middle of the Lenten season.
The meaning of the holiday is that Orthodox Christians, making a spiritual journey to Heavenly Jerusalem - to the Passover of the Lord, find in the middle of the path the “Tree of the Cross” in order to gain strength under its shade for the further journey. And the Cross of the Lord precedes Christ’s victory over death - the Bright Resurrection. In order to further inspire us to be patient in our struggles, St. The Church today comfortingly reminds us of the approaching Easter, chanting the suffering of the Savior together with His joyful Resurrection: “We worship Your Cross, Master, and glorify Your Holy Resurrection.”
Divine service The Week of the Cross (3rd Sunday of Lent) is similar to the service on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and the Origin (destruction) of the venerable trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord (August 14). According to tradition, it is customary to wear vestments in churches on this day. purple. The evening before, an all-night vigil is held. According to the rules, this all-night vigil must include small vespers. At Little Vespers, the Cross is transferred from the altar to the throne. However, now the celebration of Little Vespers can be found only in rare monasteries. For this reason, in parish churches the Cross is placed on the altar before the start of the service (the Gospel is placed behind the antimension). At Matins, the Gospel is read in the altar, after reading the Gospel, “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ” is sung, regardless of the day of the week. Kissing the Gospel and anointing with oil after reading the Gospel are not performed. Before the Great Doxology, the rector puts on full vestments. During the Great Doxology, while singing the Trisagion, the clergyman censes three times around the throne with a cross placed on it, after which, holding the Cross on his head, preceded by a deacon with a candle, constantly censing the Cross, carries out the Cross through the northern door. Stopping at the pulpit, the priest says “Wisdom, forgive”, then, while singing the troparion “Lord, save Thy people and bless Thy inheritance, victories Orthodox Christian bestowing on the resistance, and preserving Your residence by Your Cross,” he transfers the Cross to the middle of the temple and places it on the lectern. During the general veneration of the Cross, another troparion is sung: “We worship Your Cross, O Master, and we glorify Your holy resurrection,” during which we perform three prostrations and special stichera are sung, during which the priest anoints with oil. This is followed by a special litany and the usual end of the all-night vigil with the first hour.
The Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord is September 14/27, the celebration of the holiday is September 21/October 4.
At the end of the all-night vigil on September 26 (according to the present day), the rite of the Exaltation of the Cross is performed on this day. just like how it happened in those distant times in Jerusalem, when, through the care of St. Queen Helena received the Cross of Christ. With a huge crowd of people, it was not possible for everyone to come up and venerate the Cross. Therefore, Patriarch Macarius raised the Cross so that everyone could see it (that is, he erected it - glory.) The people worshiped the Cross and prayed: “Lord have mercy!”
When he entered the kingdom Equal to the Apostles Constantine The Great (306 - 337), the first of the Roman emperors to recognize the Christian religion, he, together with his pious mother Queen Helena, decided to renew the city of Jerusalem and re-consecrate the places associated with the memory of the Savior. Blessed Queen Helena went to Jerusalem. Arriving in the Holy City, Holy Queen Helen destroyed the idol temples and cleansed the city of pagan idols. The buried Holy Sepulcher and the Place of Execution were discovered. During excavations on Golgotha, three crosses were found and thanks to the miracle that took place, through touching the True Tree, the Cross of the Savior was recognized and identified...
Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord - Sermon by Bishop Agapit in the Cathedral in Munich"...(Queen Helen) - where did she get the confidence that she could find such a shrine of Christ? This is a mystery that will remain forever - how can such a person be courageous, so that against the backdrop of pagans, a pagan state where pagans predominated , where for three hundred years the pagans oppressed Christians and tried to keep them in social conditions lower all the time - here suddenly a woman finds herself in power, who in Rome did not at all have the honor that she would later receive in Byzantine times, the woman stands and only guesses, not knowing with certainty whether she will find, whether she will gain this Cross. And the Lord did not disgrace her hopes and the Life-Giving Cross was found..."
In the greatest joy, the Blessed Queen Elena and Patriarch Macarius raised the Life-Giving Cross high and showed it to all the standing people. Immediately after the most historical event, the acquisition of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord by the pious Empress Helena, ancient Church The Rite of the Exaltation was determined and has since been an integral part of the service of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
After finding St. After the Cross, Emperor Constantine began the construction of a number of churches, where services were to be performed with the solemnity befitting the Holy City. Ten years later, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ on Calvary was completed. Hierarchs took part in the consecration of the temple on September 13, 335 Christian Church from many countries. On the same day the entire city of Jerusalem was consecrated. The choice of September 13 and 14 as the date of the Feast of Renewal (i.e., consecration) could be due both to the very fact of consecration on these days, and to a conscious choice. According to a number of researchers, the Feast of Renewal has become a Christian analogue of the Old Testament Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), one of the 3 main holidays of Old Testament worship (Lev 34.33–36), especially since the consecration of Solomon’s Temple also took place during Tabernacles. The Day of Renewal of the Martyrium, as well as the Rotunda of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulcher) and other buildings at the site of the crucifixion and resurrection of the Savior began to be celebrated annually with great solemnity, and on September 14, the remembrance of the discovery of the Honorable Cross, which was found here, with the ceremony of raising the Cross for viewing by all worshipers , was included in the festive celebration in honor of the consecration of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. In the ancient monthlies this holiday was called “The Worldwide Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.” The temple was consecrated on September 13, 335. The next day, September 14 (old style), it was established to celebrate the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross. It was then that a wonderful chant arose, connecting the Cross and the Resurrection: “We worship Your Cross, O Master, and we glorify Your holy Resurrection.”
Initially, the Exaltation was established as an additional holiday accompanying the main celebration in honor of the Renewal; subsequently, the holiday of the Renewal of the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection, although preserved in liturgical books until the present day, became the pre-holiday day before the Exaltation, and the Exaltation became the main holiday. Especially after the victory of Emperor Heraclius over the Persians and the triumphal return of St. The Cross from Captivity in March 631, the holiday became widespread in the East. This event is also associated with the establishment of calendar commemorations of the Cross on March 6 and on the Cross Worship Week of Lent.
Believers should perceive this holiday, of course, not only as a remembrance of the greatest historical event that took place more than one and a half thousand years ago. The holiday has the deepest significance in the destinies of the whole world. The cross is directly related to the second coming of the Savior, for according to the true word of the Savior, Last Judgment will be preceded by the appearance of a sign - this will be the second erection of the Cross of the Lord.
It is when we clearly see the sea of evil and all the cruelty of this world that it should be clear to us that Christ on the Cross takes this attack of evil upon Himself at the very center, in its very essence, and with His presence reveals a completely new meaning to what is happening. Here is the victory of love, which seeks to absorb us into itself with the fullness of a transformed life - infinite goodness. This is what we are called to do in complete freedom: To listen to such an unheard of event. Silence reveals this depth.
Rite of the Exaltation of the Cross
In modern Russian practice Orthodox Church On the day of the Exaltation, fasting is observed. The Rite of the Exaltation of the Cross is performed at the All-Night Vigil (i.e. September 26) only on cathedrals, in parish churches, on the day of the Exaltation of the Cross, the cross is placed in the middle of the church, and there it is relied on by analogy, then the veneration of the Cross follows, as on the Sunday of the Cross (3rd Sunday of Lent). In the Jerusalem Rule, from the earliest editions to modern editions, the rite of the Exaltation of the Cross retains the features known from studio monuments: it is performed after the great doxology and singing of the troparion of the Cross, consists of 5 times overshadowing the Cross and raising it to the four cardinal points. Before raising the Cross, the bishop must bow to the ground so that his head is a span from the ground. A change in the Russian Orthodox Church compared to the Studite monuments is the addition of 5 deacon petitions to the rank. After each petition, the repeated “Lord, have mercy” is sung. The bishop, while singing “Lord have mercy,” raises the Cross to the east, west, south, north, and last time once again to the east. The cross is again placed on the lectern and all those praying kiss the cross decorated with fresh flowers and fragrant herbs. The clergyman anoints it with holy oil. The cross lies on the lectern until October 4 - the day of the Exaltation. To be given at the end of the liturgy after the prayer behind the pulpit, while singing the troparion and kontakion to the Cross, the Cross is carried by the priest to the altar through the Royal Doors.
Limburg Stavroteka
In memory of the finding of the Cross of the Lord, St. Queen Helen Equal to the Apostles, mother of Emperor Constantine, places the Cross in the middle of churches at the end of the all-night vigil. Bows are placed in front of him while singing: “We bow to Your Cross, Master, and we glorify Your holy resurrection!”
In Germany, a Byzantine stavrotheque (gr. stavros - cross), which contains two large pieces of the Savior's Cross (see photo), is kept in the city of Limburg on the Lahn River. Around these two cross-shaped pieces there are small doors above the compartments for various relics. The Stavrotheque was taken with them by the crusaders, who in 1204 ravaged Constantinople and captured a large number of shrines. The Stavrotheque is exhibited in the diocesan museum of Limburg Cathedral. Film about the Limburg Stavrothek with details and commentary in German.
Every Wednesday and Friday the Cross is chanted at Church services.
Troparion to the Cross: O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thy inheritance, granting victories to Orthodox Christians against resistance, and preserving Thy life through Thy Cross.
Kontakion to the Cross: Having ascended to the Cross by will, grant to Your namesake new residence Your bounty, O Christ God; make us glad in Thy power, giving us victories as adversaries, aid to those who have Thy, weapons of peace, invincible victory.
Magnification:
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor Your Holy Cross,
You also saved us from the work of the enemy.
Involved - Cross: The light of Your countenance shines upon us, O Lord.
The word about the cross...for us who are being saved is the power of God.
1 Cor. 1, 18
On Sunday of the third week of Great Lent, at the all-night vigil, the Life-Giving Cross is brought into the center of the church, which the believers worship throughout the week.
Like a traveler tired of long journey, rests under a spreading tree, so Orthodox Christians, making a spiritual journey to Heavenly Jerusalem - for the Easter of the Lord, find in the middle of the path the “Tree of the Cross”, so that under its shade they can gain strength for the further journey. Or just as before the arrival of a king returning with victory, his banners and scepters march first, so the Cross of the Lord precedes Christ’s victory over death - the Bright Resurrection.
During this worship the song is sung:
We bow to Your Cross, Master, and we glorify Your Holy Resurrection.
In the middle of Lent, the Church exposes the Cross to believers in order to, by reminding them of the sufferings of the Lord’s death, inspire and strengthen those who fast to continue the feat of fasting. The veneration of the Cross continues in the fourth week of Lent - until Friday, and therefore the entire fourth week is called the veneration of the Cross.
“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 strengthening of believers, the cross is the glory of angels and the plague of demons.” This is how one of the church hymns explains the meaning of the cross for the whole world. “With the reed of the cross, having dipped it in the red ink of Your blood, You, Lord, royally signed for us the forgiveness of sins,” says one of the stichera of the holiday.
About the Worship of the Cross
... “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). For the spiritual one judges everything, and soulful person does not receive the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:15, 14). For this is madness for those who do not accept with faith and do not think about the Goodness and Omnipotence of God, but investigate divine affairs through human and natural reasoning, for everything that belongs to God is above nature and reason and thought. And if someone begins to weigh: how God brought everything from non-existence into existence and for what purpose, and if he wanted to comprehend this through natural reasoning, then he will not comprehend. For this knowledge is spiritual and demonic. If someone, guided by faith, takes into account that the deity is good and omnipotent, and true and wise and righteous, then he will find everything smooth and even and the path straight. For without faith it is impossible to be saved, because everything, both human and spiritual, is based on faith. For without faith, neither the farmer cuts the furrows of the earth, nor the merchant on a small tree entrusts his soul to the raging abyss of the sea; neither marriages nor anything else in life happens. By faith we understand that everything is brought from non-existence into existence by the power of God; By faith we do all things correctly, both divine and human. Faith, further, is uncurious approval.
Every act and miracle-working of Christ, of course, is very great and divine and amazing, but most amazing of all is His Honorable Cross. For death has been overthrown, ancestral sin has been destroyed, hell has been robbed, the Resurrection has been given, we have been given the power to despise the present and even death itself, the original bliss has been returned, the gates of heaven have been opened, our nature has sat at the right hand of God, we have become children of God and heirs not through anything else, but through the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. For all this was arranged through the Cross: “all of us who were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ,” says the apostle, “were baptized into His death” (Gal. 3:27). And further: Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24). Here is the death of Christ or the Cross, which clothed us in the hypostatic wisdom and Power of God. The power of God is the word of the cross, either because through it the power of God was revealed to us, that is, victory over death, or because, just as the four ends of the Cross, united in the center, the height, and depth, and length, and latitude, that is, all visible and invisible creation.
The cross was given to us as a sign on the forehead, just as circumcision was given to Israel. For through him we, the faithful, are distinguished from the unbelievers and are known. He is a shield and a weapon, and a monument to victory over the devil. He is a seal so that the Destroyer will not touch us, as Scripture says (Ex. 12, 12, 29). He is the rebellion of those who lie down, the support of those who stand, the staff of the weak, the staff of the shepherd, the returning guide, the prosperous path to perfection, the salvation of souls and bodies, the deviation from all evils, the author of all good things, the destruction of sin, the sprout of resurrection, the tree of Eternal Life.
So, the tree itself, precious in truth and venerable, on which Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, as consecrated by the touch of both the Holy Body and the Holy Blood, should naturally be venerated; in the same way - and nails, a spear, clothes and His holy dwellings - a manger, a den, Golgotha, the saving life-giving tomb, Zion - the head of the Churches, and the like, as the Godfather David says: “Let us go to His dwelling, let us worship at the footstool of His feet.” And what he means by the Cross is shown by what is said: “Become, O Lord, to the place of Your rest” (Ps. 131: 7-8). For the Cross is followed by the Resurrection. For if the house and bed and clothing of those whom we love are desirable, how much more is that which belongs to God and the Savior, through which we are saved!
We also worship the image of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, even if it were made of a different substance; We worship, honoring not the substance (let it not be!), but the image, as a symbol of Christ. For He, making a testament to His disciples, said: “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven” (Matthew 24:30), of course the Cross. Therefore, the Angel of the Resurrection said to the wives: “Seek Jesus of Nazareth, crucified” (1 Cor. 1:23). Although there are many Christs and Jesuses, there is only one - the Crucified One. He did not say, “pierced with a spear,” but, “crucified.” Therefore the sign of Christ must be worshiped. For where the sign is, there He Himself will be. The substance from which the image of the Cross consists, even if it were gold or gems, after the destruction of the image, if this happened, should not be worshiped. So, we worship everything that is dedicated to God, paying respect to Him Himself.
The Tree of Life, planted by God in Paradise, prefigured this Honest Cross. For since death entered through the tree, it was necessary that Life and Resurrection should be given through the tree. The first Jacob, bowing to the end of Joseph's Rod, indicated the Cross by means of an image, and, blessing his sons with alternating hands (Gen. 48:14), he very clearly inscribed the sign of the Cross. The same thing was indicated by the rod of Moses, which struck the sea in a cross shape and saved Israel, and drowned Pharaoh; hands stretched out crosswise and putting Amalek to flight; bitter water that is sweetened by the tree, and a rock that is torn and pours forth springs; the rod that gives Aaron the dignity of the clergy; the serpent on the tree, lifted up as a trophy, as if it had been put to death, when the tree healed those who looked with faith on the dead enemy, just as Christ, in the flesh that knew no sin, was nailed for sin. The great Moses says: you will see that your life will hang on a tree before you (Deut. 28:66). Isaiah: “I stretched out My hands all day long to a disobedient people, who walked in an evil way, according to their own thoughts” (Isaiah 65:2). Oh, that we who worship him (that is, the Cross) would receive our inheritance in Christ, Who was crucified!
Venerable John of Damascus,
Exact statement Orthodox faith book 4