“The Supporters of Christ should
always bear The Cross around their neck as a sign of their Christian Orthodoxy
and to prevent all evil.” (Nikodimos Agioritou, “Christostithia”, Thessaloniki
1974, pgs 406-407).
The symbol of The Cross is performed with the
right hand by uniting the thumb, middle and pointing fingers such that the tips
of these fingers are touching one another. These three fingers remain united
throughout the performance of The Cross. The united fingers firstly are brought
over to touch the forehead while whispering “In the name of The Father”. In
turn, the right hand is lowered to the “belly-button” area while whispering
“…and of The Son”. From this position the right hand is brought over to touch
the right arm while whispering “…and of The Holy Spirit”. Finally, The right
hand is brought over to touch the left arm while whispering “Amen”.
We, the Christian Orthodox perform these
simple steps many times per day. However, what does The Cross mean?
On the whole, The
Cross symbolizes the self-sacrifice of Christ our savior. He who spread his
palms out upon it for us and for our salvation, (Βίοι καί
Θαύματα Των Αγίων Της Εκκλησίας, Εκδ. Οίκος Σπυρ. Δαρεμά. Αθήναι, σελ. 8).
He who conquered death and showed us that
death is not the end of life but simply the beginning of eternal life. Before
Christ’s crucifixion The Cross was looked upon as a weapon of death because it
was used as a form of execution. However, when Jesus Christ was crucified on The
Cross he was risen after three days and showed that He is the true giver of
life. Therefore, The Cross is no longer a symbol of death, but rather, it is a
symbol of life because through our Lord’s crucifixion we were granted eternal
life.
Therefore, The Cross is the one symbol that
represents not only Christ’s triumph over death but, through Him as our creator
and giver of life, ours as well. For this reason, The Cross is the single most
important symbol of Christianity. The one most important and most powerful
symbol of all symbols.
But, in performing The Cross, why do we
repetitiously perform the steps in the form and order described above when we
could just as easily carry a Cross around our neck?
Because God’s word has such power and such
importance to our salvation, so it is that every aspect, every symbol, every
tradition, every way of life of the Christian Orthodox is done so that The
Lord’s word is brought forward.
The same is so for The Cross. Therefore, when
we, as Orthodox Christians, perform The Cross with the right hand by uniting
three fingers we are, in essence, symbolizing the unity of The Holy Trinity
which is composed of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. By raising our
right hand over to our forehead we admit that God is the ruler of the highest
and is glorified by His word along with the Holy Spirit.
By lowering our right hand to our belly we
symbolize the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, who was incarnated by
The Holy Spirit and by the Most Holy Theotokos and became man. And descended
deeper still into the catacombs of the earth, to a place called hades so as to
free us from sin.
By raising our right hand over to our right
shoulder we symbolize the resurrection of our Lord from the dead who ascended
into heaven and sat at the right hand of our Father. The right hand symbolizes
good. Therefore, by moving our right hand to our left shoulder we show that The
Cross has such power that it alone can move aside all evil from our right or
good side. This also symbolizes Christ’s triumphant victory over evil since his
resurrection pushed aside the evil or sin from our shoulders and cleansed our
soul. In addition, this right-left motion symbolizes that, just as our Lord
Jesus Christ came down from heaven to save us, He will come again to judge the
living and the dead; and those who are just among men will be placed to His
right while those who are not will be cast aside. As such, we ask that he show
mercy upon us so that we may be placed on His right.
Upon finishing the symbol of The Cross our
right hand once again descends down and rests at our right side verifying once
more that just as our Lord Jesus Christ descended into hades to free us from our
captivity in sin, He will come once more to judge the living and the dead while
we hope and pray that we He shows mercy on us so that we may be placed at His
right.
The Cross is performed three (3) times to
symbolize, not only the Holy Trinity, but also our Lord’s Holy Sacrament of Holy
Communion through his suffering and crucifixion for the salvation of our souls.
Therefore, there is
never a “bad” time to perform The Cross. Whether we are entering, exiting,
traveling, eating, sleeping or just doing nothing at all, The Cross is a stamp
who's power is unparallel and unimaginable indeed. However, The Cross must be
performed with much devoutness and faith. “For he who has the symbol of
The Cross at heart will fall into the category of people with priceless
benefits. Especially so for those who do so out of the utmost devoutness and
faith in the crucifixion of Christ our Lord for our salvation, which in Him
originates”, (Αρχαί καί Χαρακτήρ της Χριστ. Λατρείας, Π.Ν,
Γρεμπέλος, Εκδοση Β, Αθήνα 1933, σελ. 84).
Damaskinus, the sub deacon said,
“When we stamp ourselves with the power of The Cross it is easier to fast and
avoid temptation because The Cross is the power and solidification of all good.
From it all Holy Sacraments end, with It we marry, with It we receive blessings.
When priests and bishops are ordained, it is with this Holy Cross that all the
dues are paid. This is why, when traveling, let It be a guide and companion.
When at home, let It be your force of security. When resting, let It be your
safe keeper for It is never out of reach. The Cross is not far from any
Christian, so as its symbol is not performed naively or with a lack of faith as
is the case most of the time for The Cross is the just for all Christians”, (Θυσαυρός
Δαμασκινού, Του Υποδιακόνου καί Στουδίτου, Οίκος Μιχ. Ι. Σαλιβέρου, Αθήνα, σελ.
409).
In conclusion, the powerful role
that The Cross has in the religious life of the faithful is exemplified by the
saying of the Pidalion which states, “…and we believe that we become sanctified
by our worship and stamping of our forehead with It”, (ΠΗΔΑΛΙΟΝ,
Εκδ. Οίκος ΑΣΤΗΡ, σελ. 319).
Source:
<<ΠΡΟΣΕΥΧΗΤΑΡΙΟΝ>>,
Εκδόσεις ΑΣΤΗΡ, 1996
Translated by Demetrios Gianniris
SUNDAY GOSPEL READING
Christ must be followed.
Frequent notice is taken of the great
flocking there was to Christ for help in various cases. All are
concerned to know this, if they expect him to heal their souls.
They must not indulge the ease of the body. As the happiness of
heaven with Christ, is enough to make up for the loss of life
itself for him, so the gain of all the world in sin, will not
make up for the ruin of the soul by sin. And there is a day
coming, when the cause of Christ will appear as glorious, as
some now think it mean and contemptible. May we think of that
season, and view every earthly object as we shall do at that
great day.
The Gospel Reading:
Mark 8: 34-38 9:1
And
when he had called the people unto him with his disciples
also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For
whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever
shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same
shall save it.
For
what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul?
Or
what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words
in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall
the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of
his Father with the holy angels.
SUNDAY EPISTLE READING
A comparison between the priesthood of
Melchizedec and that of Christ.
Observe the end
proposed: rest spiritual and eternal; the rest of grace here,
and glory hereafter; in Christ on earth, with Christ in heaven.
After due and diligent labour, sweet and satisfying rest shall
follow; and labour now, will make that rest more pleasant when
it comes. Let us labour, and quicken each other to be diligent
in duty. The Holy Scriptures are the word of God. When God sets
it home by his Spirit, it convinces powerfully, converts
powerfully, and comforts powerfully. It makes a soul that has
long been proud, to be humble; and a perverse spirit, to be meek
and obedient. Sinful habits, that are become as it were natural
to the soul, and rooted deeply in it, are separated and cut off
by this sword. It will discover to men their thoughts and
purposes, the vileness of many, the bad principles they are
moved by, the sinful ends they act to. The word will show the
sinner all that is in his heart. Let us hold fast the doctrines
of Christian faith in our heads, its enlivening principles in
our hearts, the open profession of it in our lips, and be
subject to it in our lives. Christ executed one part of his
priesthood on earth, in dying for us; the other he executes in
heaven, pleading the cause, and presenting the offerings of his
people. In the sight of Infinite Wisdom, it was needful that the
Saviour of men should be one who has the fellow-feeling which no
being but a fellow-creature could possibly have; and therefore
it was necessary he should actual experience of all the effects
of sin that could be separated from its actual guilt. God sent
his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, Ro 8:3; but the
more holy and pure he was, the more he must have been unwilling
in his nature to sin, and must have had deeper impression of its
evil; consequently the more must he be concerned to deliver his
people from its guilt and power. We should encourage ourselves
by the excellence of our High Priest, to come boldly to the
throne of grace. Mercy and grace are the things we want; mercy
to pardon all our sins, and grace to purify our souls. Besides
our daily dependence upon God for present supplies, there are
seasons for which we should provide in our prayers; times of
temptation, either by adversity or prosperity, and especially
our dying time. We are to come with reverence and godly fear,
yet not as if dragged to the seat of justice, but as kindly
invited to the mercy-seat, where grace reigns. We have boldness
to enter into the holiest only by the blood of Jesus; he is our
Advocate, and has purchased all our souls want or can desire.
The Epistle Reading:
Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:1-6
Seeing then that we have a great high
priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold
fast our profession.
For we have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need.
For every high priest taken from among
men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both
gifts and sacrifices for sins:
Who can have compassion on the ignorant,
and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed
with infirmity.
And by reason hereof he ought, as for the
people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
And no man taketh
this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
So also Christ glorified not himself to
be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day
have I begotten thee.
As he saith also
in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
