Every year, on September 14, the Orthodox Christians celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This year, on the feast day, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral. The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church concelebrated with His Grace Varlaam Ploiesteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch, assisted by a group of priests and deacons.
After reading the Evangelical parable, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church delivered a sermon for the numerous believers present in the Patriarchal Cathedral.
The sign of the Holy Cross has become a sign of Christian identity
His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, has also spoken about the veneration of the Holy Cross, pointing out that it has been an uninterrupted act in the Church of the first centuries, since the time of the Holy Apostles until today.
“The sign of the Holy Cross has become a sign of Christian identity. This is why the Holy Cross has been venerated in its spiritual meaning ever since the time of the Holy Apostles. In this regard, Saint Paul the Apostle says in the Epistle to Galatians 6:14: “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”. This awareness of the mysterious relationship between Christ’s cross and His person is spiritually expressed by the same Saint Paul the Apostle through the words: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”. Thus, speaking of the cross, about Christ’s crucifixion on the cross similar to a criminal, meant foolishness for pagans, for those who did not believe in Christ; it was hard to accept that an Almighty God humbles Himself so much and dies on the cross like a malefactor. But the Apostle declares: “To us who are being saved it is the power of God”, His Beatitude said.
Uncovering of the wood of the Holy Cross by Saint Empress Helen
The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church remembered Saint Helen’s uncovering of the wooden Holy Cross on which Jesus Christ, our Saviour, was crucified.
”In 326, Saint Helen the Empress went to Jerusalem to look for the wood of the Holy Cross. After much effort and digging, at which Saint Helen was present and offered golden coins to the workers who dag in order to encourage them, three crosses were found. These crosses had been buried quite deep in the ground, but nobody knew which of those three was the cross on which our Saviour Jesus Christ had been crucified. Then, they brought a sick woman, even dead according to some, and touched the three crosses with her body. When the sick woman was touched against the wood of the Cross of the Saviour she was healed, and according to another version, she was resurrected because she was dead”, His Beatitude said.
The Origin of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel explained the origin of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
“In 335, a church was built on the place of the tomb of our Saviour Jesus Christ, a place of worship called the “Church of the Resurrection”. It was consecrated in 335, on September 13, and on September 14, Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem elevated the Cross in the new church, on a pulpit, and this was the beginning of the yearly celebration of the “Exaltation of the Holy Cross” as a feast, in Jerusalem. Afterwards, the feast extended over other parts of the Christian world”, the Patriarch of Romania explained.
Christ our Lord showed forgiving, humble, patient, and sacrificial love on the Cross
“On this day of the feast of the “Exaltation of the Holy Cross” the light of the Holy Cross calls us to strengthen our faith and grow in the sacrificial, humble and merciful love which Christ showed on the cross”, His Beatitude said underlining that the power of the cross is the power of the merciful love of Christ, which is stronger than death.
“Christ our Lord showed forgiving, humble, patient, and sacrificial love on the Cross, because even though He was Almighty, He did not destroy His enemies, but prayed for those who crucified Him saying “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”. This is the power of the Holy Cross. It is the power of Christ which is stronger than death, because Christ, who was devoted unto death, conquered death by His death and Resurrection”, the Patriarch of Romania also explained.
The glory of Christ’s Cross is revealed through His Resurrection
The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church spoke to those present about the relationship beyond human understanding that unites the mystery of the cross and the mystery of the Resurrection of Christ.
“We sing “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life” and on the Easter night the priest puts together the cross and the candle of the resurrection, elevates them in everybody’s sight and declares “Christ is risen!”, and the faithful answer “He is risen indeed!” What do we understand from this? We learn that the power of the Resurrection of Christ is hidden in the Holy Cross because it is the power of the sacrificial love, and the glory of the Cross of Christ is shown through His Resurrection. This inseparable binding, this strong connection, a connection beyond human understanding which unites the mystery of the cross and the mystery of the Resurrection of Christ is also observed in the fact that Christ, although risen from the dead, bears in eternity the signs of the Cross on His body, the signs of the nails that were used when He was crucified. This means that Christ embodied the mystery of the Cross and that the Cross can never be separated from His Resurrection and His Resurrection from His Cross, because both indicate the mystery of the devoted love of Christ, which is stronger than death”, the Patriarch of Romania also said.
Through Jesus’ humbleness the Cross is a weapon against demons
His Beatitude has also mentioned that according to the faith of the Romanian people, the power of God manifested through the Cross is the power of love of the crucified and risen Christ.
“The Cross is a weapon against the demons, through Jesus’ humbleness, because demons cannot humble themselves nor love. They only envy and hate. They are neither humble nor loving humans and this is why they are frightened when they see the sign of the Holy Cross, because they see Christ working in the Holy Cross through His humble and victorious love over sin, hell and death. Thus, we bear the sign of the cross not only as a sign of suffering, but also as a sign of victory through the Resurrection. The Cross is both the sign of suffering and victory, the sign of the Crucifixion and of Resurrection. Thus, in the faith of the Romanian people, the power of God in the cross is the power of the love of the crucified and risen Christ”, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church said.
Unlike other royal feasts, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated by fasting, because it reminds us of the Passions and the Death of the Saviour.
