September: Day 14: Teaching 2:
Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord
(What the Cross of the Lord, Carried by the Church for our Salvation, Inspires In Us)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord
(What the Cross of the Lord, Carried by the Church for our Salvation, Inspires In Us)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
I. On this great day the cross, solemnly brought forth to the church for our veneration and edification, itself teaches us the truths of salvation. Therefore I consider it useful to draw your attention to this cross and to explain somewhat what it inspires in us.
II. a) Whose cross is this? Who is depicted on it? What does it signify? This is the cross of Christ, on which the Only-begotten Son of God in the flesh is depicted; this is the great instrument with which God our Savior defeated the devil, our primordial enemy, destroyed his hellish kingdom, broke the bonds in which the human race enslaved by him was held, and opened for us the entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. This means that the cross of Christ is the greatest relic, for which we must have in our hearts and express outwardly the most sincere and deep respect. Therefore, those who look upon the holy cross without due reverence, bow down before it without a feeling of gratitude for the salvation granted to us through it, and depict it on themselves carelessly and without attention, act very badly and impiously. An ancient prophet once said: "Cursed is the man that does the work of the Lord carelessly" (Jer. 48:10). This threatening saying also applies to those of us who do not revere the cross of the Lord and treat it disrespectfully: for although the cross of Christ is externally, materially, constructed by human hands, in its essence, spiritually, it is the greatest work of the Wisdom and Providence of God.
b) Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, the Holiest of Holies, had not the slightest sin on Himself. Why then was He crucified on the cross? "Christ died for our sins," says the Apostle (1 Cor. 15:3). His most pure head is wounded with prickly thorns for our impure thoughts, deceit, malice, hatred, slander, condemnation of our neighbors, deceptions and other mental sins. His lips are filled with bitter vinegar for our seductions, lies, foul language and other unworthy speeches. His hands are pierced with a nail for our thefts, extortion, murder and other evil deeds. His side and heart are pierced with a spear for our wicked desires, lust, drunkenness and other sins of intemperance. His legs are broken and his feet are nailed because of our sensual movements, evil deeds and various untruths committed on all paths of our life. This, brethren, is why Jesus Christ was crucified! Let us carefully guard ourselves from the sins for which He died, and let us not crucify Him a second time with them. He has already suffered much for us! But if we do not avoid sins and begin to indulge in them, then woe to us! "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth," says the Apostle, "there remains no sacrifice for sins" (Heb. 10:26); and we will be subjected to terrible punishment not only for our sins, but also for the fact that we have trampled upon the blood of the Son of God poured out for them and have neglected the grace of the Spirit that sanctified us at holy baptism (Heb. 10:29).
c) Why did the Son of God deign to be crucified for our sins? Out of compassion, because of His love for us – people. He saw that we ourselves, due to our spiritual weakness, are in no way able to refrain from sins and cleanse them before God. He also saw that in the whole world there is no being who could deliver us from sins and satisfy God’s justice for them. The Son of God saw all this and, being merciful, could not look at our terribly unfortunate situation without compassion. Then His love said to Him: "Go, save the perishing man – Your creation, do not let him perish!" And so, He came down from heaven to earth, took upon Himself our flesh, and with it all our sins, and offered Himself for them as a sacrifice to God’s justice. "He was wounded for our transgressions," says the Prophet, "and bruised for our iniquities; but by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
III. See how the Son of God loves us and what an ineffable benefit He has shown us by His death on the cross! Let us be grateful to Him and repay His love for us with love for Him. Let us love Him with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our thoughts, as our God and Savior. And let us express such love for Him not only in word but also in deed – by fulfilling His holy commandments. This He Himself desires, saying to us in the persons of the Apostles: "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).
Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
