Feast of the cross
Thursday, September 24, 2009
This Sunday, 27th September 2009, the Church
will celebrate the Glorious Feast of the Cross.
“Your were not redeemed with
corruptible things like silver and gold”, says St. Peter,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without
blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
It is with love, devotion, reverence and thanksgiving
we do the sign of the Cross daily, expressing our deep
love, gratitude and honour to
the crucified Christ who sacrificed His precious blood
for my salvation. In living the words of the Apostle
Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ. It
is no longer I who lives but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians
2:20).
The early Church Fathers contemplated on the power
of the sign of the Cross as follows:
1. Tertullian (160-225) – “In all our travels and journeys, in our going
out and coming in, when we put on our clothes or take
off, when we wake up or go to bed, in our sitting down
and rising up, at the table and in all our works, we cross
ourselves with the sign of the Cross.”
2. Origen (185-254)
–
“The letter ‘T’ looks like the Cross and the ‘Key of life’
used by the ancient Egyptians, the same mark, which the
Christians make on their foreheads both before praying
and reading the Holy Books.
3. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386)– “We should not
be ashamed to confess Christ crucified and make the sign
of the Cross courageously with our fingers as a seal on
our foreheads and on everything, on the bread we eat and
the cup of water we drink, when we go out and come in,
wake up or sleep on our way and at home.”
4. St. Augustine of
Hippo (354-430) – “We know the members of
Christ’s body by the sign of the Cross. For this
reason, the Lord Himself confirms the power of the Cross
on our foreheads that the sign which was previously a
sign of shame became now for pride.”
5. St. Athanasius the
Apostolic (295-373) – “By the Cross
man can drive away all the deception of the demons, and
he who wants to experience that practically let him/her
come and see how the work of Satan and his false divination
and the wonders of magic are destroyed by just making
the sign of the cross and how the demons flee away.”
6. St. Cyprian of Carthage
(195-259) –
Used to encourage the martyrs to endure torture saying,
“Make your faces be sanctified by the Cross and let the
sign of God be kept prevailing.”
7. St. Ambrose of Milan
(340-397) – “We make the sign of the
Cross on our foreheads to declare Christ openly, and make
it on our hearts to reveal that we love Him, and make
it on our arms to consecrate our work for Him.”
8. St. John Chrysostom
(347-407) – wrote wonderful
articles on the sign of the Cross. Here are some
excerpts from them:
“The sign of the Cross which was previously scary to all
men, now everyone is competing to own it until it became
in every place, among governors and people, men and women,
married and unmarried and virgins. People cannot
stop making it during every honourable
matter; they carry it inscribed on their foreheads as
if it were a flag of victory.”
He also says, “The face that is sanctified with the mark
of God does not bow down to the devil but keeps itself
to the crown of the Lord. For the days of our forefathers
until present, this great holy sign abolished the power
of poison and healed from the poisonous bits of the beasts.
It is a medicine for human shortcomings, anger and lusts.”
The sign of the Cross gives us protection, strength
and victory as it appeared to Emperor Constantine in battle
and heard a voice from heaven saying, “By this sign you
prevail” and it became a turning point in history confirmed
by what is written in Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame
him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb.”
Wishing you a blessed and joyous Feast of the Cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ who said to us, “If anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his Cross and follow Me.”
(Matthew 16:24). “And he who does not take his Cross
and follow after Me is not worthy
of Me.” (Matthew 10:38).
Please remember us in your prayers.
COYA Servants
