For the Orthodox believer every object that was touched by our Lord is holy and venerable. The Holy Cross on which His body was crucified and His life giving precious blood flowed down is the most adorable of all. By its physical appearance and its power of enlightenment, for a believer, it stands for everything positive:
Light over darkness
Life over death
Endurance over affliction
Salvation over slavery
Truth over falsehood
Verity over vanity
Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
As we celebrate the Festival of the Holy Cross on September 14th to commemorate the recovery of the Holy Cross by Empress St. Helen, Mother of St. Constantine in the 4th century AD, here is a collection of what the Bible and Holy Fathers say about the 'Living and Life Giving Holy Cross'.
Bible
The Tree of Life that was in the garden of Eden foreshadowed the Holy Cross
The Tree that provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac foretold the salvation of mankind by the Holy Cross.
The rod in Moses' hand that parted the Red Sea and brought about the redemption of Israelites from bondage symbolically represented the redemptive power of the Holy Cross. The same rod when struck the rock of flint, waters gushed out. On the Cross the 'Rock of Ages' was cleft and Living Waters came forth.
The serpent of brass that Moses erected to heal the Israelites bitten by the fiery serpent illustrated the forgiveness of sins through the Holy Cross. Those bitten by the fiery serpent of lust are healed when they look to the Holy Cross.
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18
"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Galatians 6:14
"And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:" Ephesians 2:16
"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Philippians 2:8
"And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." Colossians 1:20
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;" Colossians 2:14
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2
Orthodox Tradition
Emperor Constantine had a vision in the sky in which he saw the words 'en touto Nika' (In this Sign Conquer) etched on a brilliant cross of Jesus Christ. He ordered that all the shields of his army bear the sign of the Cross. Constantine went on to subdue the enemies of the state and to establish the Christian faith. After his victory over his enemies he sent his mother Queen Helen, to recover the cross of Christ. By then nearly three hundred years had elapsed since the Crucifixion. After months of diligent search, painstakingly following every historic clue as to its whereabouts, Helen and her dedicated group of searchers discovered the Cross on 14 September 325 AD in the vicinity of Golgotha, where it had been buried under the earth for three centuries.
On Good Friday during the Veneration of the Holy Cross we pray, "We kneel down before the Holy Cross by which our souls attained salvation, We beseech Thee Messiah, our Lord like the thief at Thy right side to remember us during Thy glorious second coming."
Our homes, churches and other buildings are blessed by the sign of the Holy Cross. During the blessing of a house the priest draws the sign of the Cross on all door posts and prays, "By the sign of the living and life giving Holy Cross this house is being sealed and sanctified, in the name of the Father, the Son and the living Holy Spirit."
On September 14th, 1924 late H. G. Pathrose Mar Osthathios (Mookencheril Thirumeni) Metropolitan of the Malabar Diocese founded the "Sleeba Dasa Samooham" (Order of the Servants of the Holy Cross) in our church for carrying out missionary activities.
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