September: Day 14: Teaching 3:
Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord
(Mere outward veneration of the Cross of Christ, without inward veneration, is displeasing to the Lord who was crucified upon it.)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord
(Mere outward veneration of the Cross of Christ, without inward veneration, is displeasing to the Lord who was crucified upon it.)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
I. Today, brethren, we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. The Church has gathered us in the temple for its solemn veneration. And so, following her example and instruction, we fall on our knees before the Cross of the Lord, bow our heads before it, and kiss it with our lips. But is such an honoring of the Cross sufficient for true veneration of the Cross of the Lord?
Outward, bodily veneration before the Cross alone is not sufficient. The holy Cross is the visible representative of the invisible presence of the Lord who was crucified upon it; therefore, we must bow before it as before the very presence of Him who was crucified upon it. Man consists of body and soul; both his soul and body have alike been redeemed at the price of the blood of Christ; therefore, he must venerate the Redeemer who was lifted upon the Cross both with soul and body.
“Or do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your soul, which are God's” (1 Cor. 6:19–20), teaches the Apostle Paul.
He who was crucified upon the Cross is not merely a man, but also God, who searches the heart and the inward parts, who looks not at the face but at the heart; therefore, He cannot be satisfied with outward veneration alone. Thus, brethren, let us unite inward, spiritual veneration of the Cross of the Lord with our outward, bodily veneration of it.
II. In what, then, should inward veneration of the Cross of the Lord consist?
a) Inward, spiritual veneration of the Cross of the Lord consists, first, in submitting our reason to divine revelation—in confessing the dogmas of the faith as Christ, the heavenly Teacher who willingly ascended the Cross, taught us to confess them, both personally and through the God-enlightened Apostles and the God-wise pastors and teachers of the Church at the Ecumenical Councils.
But among us, is it not true that the greater part of Christians do not know the essence of the Christian faith, do not know its principal dogmas, and do not strive to learn them, considering such knowledge something peripheral, necessary only for clergy, as though it were not equally necessary for everyone without distinction; as though eternal life for all did not consist in knowing the one true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent, and in doing His all-holy will?
And others, even if they are acquainted with the truths of the faith, do they not remain indifferent in confessing them? For them, it makes no difference whether one believes this way or that, and therefore they easily incline toward the opposing side and adopt the opinions of non-Orthodox Christian confessions, as though Jesus Christ had descended from heaven to earth and taught in vain, as though He had sent the Apostles everywhere to preach in vain, as though the interpretation of Holy Scripture by an entire assembly of men renowned for the holiness of their lives and distinguished by the gift of working miracles were less worthy of trust than the interpretations of private individuals whose lives are suspect, who have been caught in deceit, and who have manifested no signs whatsoever of enlightenment from above.
Others, meanwhile, even doubt many matters of Gospel teaching and believe many things not at all. Will the veneration of such people before the Cross be pleasing to the Lord Jesus who was crucified upon it? Will it not resemble the veneration offered by Pilate's soldiers, who, while falling on their knees and prostrating themselves before Christ and saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”, at the same time spat upon Him and struck Him in the face and on the head with a staff?
b) Secondly, inward, spiritual veneration of the Cross of the Lord consists in submitting our will to the will of Christ—in conforming our life and our actions to the life and actions of Christ, the supreme Lawgiver who suffered for us upon the Cross, and in walking according to His divine commandments.
“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me” (John 12:26); “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15).
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (John 14:23), says the divine Redeemer Himself.
“He who says that he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6), teaches Christ's beloved disciple John.
But among us, the venerators of the Cross of the Lord, how many can actually be seen following in Christ's footsteps and living according to the law of the Gospel? Do we not almost all regard imitation of Christ in our manner of life and conduct as beyond our strength? Do we not leave the fulfillment of the Gospel law to God's chosen ones alone, the holy saints who pleased Christ, as though these chosen servants of God were unlike us; as though there were not one and the same path to the Kingdom of Heaven for everyone; and therefore do we not conduct ourselves like pagans, surrender ourselves to every kind of sensual pleasure, and allow our actions to be governed solely by vile passions and evil desires?
Will the Savior not regard the veneration of the Cross of the Lord offered by such people as equivalent to the honor given Him by the Jews, who first greeted Him with the hymn of praise, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel,” and afterward furiously cried out against Him, “Take Him, take Him, crucify Him! We have no king but Caesar!”?
c) Finally, thirdly, inward, spiritual veneration of the Cross of the Lord consists in the complete devotion of our heart, even unto self-denial, to the Savior who died for us upon the Cross—in our love for Him, a love that never falls away and from which nothing can separate us.
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, neither things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 14:7–9; 8:38–39), writes the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans.
But is our devotion to Christ, who laid down His life for us upon the Cross, of such a kind? No. It is so small in us that at the first temptation we encounter, we are ready to betray Him; for even the briefest sensual pleasure, we are ready to exchange Him for it; for the most insignificant material gain, for the sake of fleeting and vain glory and praise, we are ready to renounce Him; and in order to please the world—the sons of this age, often adulterous and sinful—we are even ready to mock Him. (See the sermon appended to the Manual for Rural Pastors, September 1890.)
III. Therefore, brethren, while venerating the Cross of the Lord with your bodies, bow before it also with your souls. That is, while bowing your heads before the Cross, at the same time bow your minds before the mysteries of Gospel teaching; while bending your knees before the image of the Crucifixion, at the same time incline your wills toward keeping the commandments of the Crucified One; while kissing with your lips the instrument of death, at the same time cleave with your hearts to Him who was put to death upon it, so that your veneration may be true and acceptable, and your kiss may not be a deceitful one. Amen.
(Compiled according to the sources indicated.)
Outward, bodily veneration before the Cross alone is not sufficient. The holy Cross is the visible representative of the invisible presence of the Lord who was crucified upon it; therefore, we must bow before it as before the very presence of Him who was crucified upon it. Man consists of body and soul; both his soul and body have alike been redeemed at the price of the blood of Christ; therefore, he must venerate the Redeemer who was lifted upon the Cross both with soul and body.
“Or do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your soul, which are God's” (1 Cor. 6:19–20), teaches the Apostle Paul.
He who was crucified upon the Cross is not merely a man, but also God, who searches the heart and the inward parts, who looks not at the face but at the heart; therefore, He cannot be satisfied with outward veneration alone. Thus, brethren, let us unite inward, spiritual veneration of the Cross of the Lord with our outward, bodily veneration of it.
II. In what, then, should inward veneration of the Cross of the Lord consist?
a) Inward, spiritual veneration of the Cross of the Lord consists, first, in submitting our reason to divine revelation—in confessing the dogmas of the faith as Christ, the heavenly Teacher who willingly ascended the Cross, taught us to confess them, both personally and through the God-enlightened Apostles and the God-wise pastors and teachers of the Church at the Ecumenical Councils.
But among us, is it not true that the greater part of Christians do not know the essence of the Christian faith, do not know its principal dogmas, and do not strive to learn them, considering such knowledge something peripheral, necessary only for clergy, as though it were not equally necessary for everyone without distinction; as though eternal life for all did not consist in knowing the one true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent, and in doing His all-holy will?
And others, even if they are acquainted with the truths of the faith, do they not remain indifferent in confessing them? For them, it makes no difference whether one believes this way or that, and therefore they easily incline toward the opposing side and adopt the opinions of non-Orthodox Christian confessions, as though Jesus Christ had descended from heaven to earth and taught in vain, as though He had sent the Apostles everywhere to preach in vain, as though the interpretation of Holy Scripture by an entire assembly of men renowned for the holiness of their lives and distinguished by the gift of working miracles were less worthy of trust than the interpretations of private individuals whose lives are suspect, who have been caught in deceit, and who have manifested no signs whatsoever of enlightenment from above.
Others, meanwhile, even doubt many matters of Gospel teaching and believe many things not at all. Will the veneration of such people before the Cross be pleasing to the Lord Jesus who was crucified upon it? Will it not resemble the veneration offered by Pilate's soldiers, who, while falling on their knees and prostrating themselves before Christ and saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”, at the same time spat upon Him and struck Him in the face and on the head with a staff?
b) Secondly, inward, spiritual veneration of the Cross of the Lord consists in submitting our will to the will of Christ—in conforming our life and our actions to the life and actions of Christ, the supreme Lawgiver who suffered for us upon the Cross, and in walking according to His divine commandments.
“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me” (John 12:26); “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15).
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (John 14:23), says the divine Redeemer Himself.
“He who says that he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6), teaches Christ's beloved disciple John.
But among us, the venerators of the Cross of the Lord, how many can actually be seen following in Christ's footsteps and living according to the law of the Gospel? Do we not almost all regard imitation of Christ in our manner of life and conduct as beyond our strength? Do we not leave the fulfillment of the Gospel law to God's chosen ones alone, the holy saints who pleased Christ, as though these chosen servants of God were unlike us; as though there were not one and the same path to the Kingdom of Heaven for everyone; and therefore do we not conduct ourselves like pagans, surrender ourselves to every kind of sensual pleasure, and allow our actions to be governed solely by vile passions and evil desires?
Will the Savior not regard the veneration of the Cross of the Lord offered by such people as equivalent to the honor given Him by the Jews, who first greeted Him with the hymn of praise, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel,” and afterward furiously cried out against Him, “Take Him, take Him, crucify Him! We have no king but Caesar!”?
c) Finally, thirdly, inward, spiritual veneration of the Cross of the Lord consists in the complete devotion of our heart, even unto self-denial, to the Savior who died for us upon the Cross—in our love for Him, a love that never falls away and from which nothing can separate us.
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, neither things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 14:7–9; 8:38–39), writes the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans.
But is our devotion to Christ, who laid down His life for us upon the Cross, of such a kind? No. It is so small in us that at the first temptation we encounter, we are ready to betray Him; for even the briefest sensual pleasure, we are ready to exchange Him for it; for the most insignificant material gain, for the sake of fleeting and vain glory and praise, we are ready to renounce Him; and in order to please the world—the sons of this age, often adulterous and sinful—we are even ready to mock Him. (See the sermon appended to the Manual for Rural Pastors, September 1890.)
III. Therefore, brethren, while venerating the Cross of the Lord with your bodies, bow before it also with your souls. That is, while bowing your heads before the Cross, at the same time bow your minds before the mysteries of Gospel teaching; while bending your knees before the image of the Crucifixion, at the same time incline your wills toward keeping the commandments of the Crucified One; while kissing with your lips the instrument of death, at the same time cleave with your hearts to Him who was put to death upon it, so that your veneration may be true and acceptable, and your kiss may not be a deceitful one. Amen.
(Compiled according to the sources indicated.)
Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
