|
Not long after the Nativity of the
Most-Holy Theotokos, the Church celebrates the Exaltation of the Most-Precious
Cross of the Lord. The Savior Himself had spoken of His death on the Cross,
saying: As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of
man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. For God
so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:14-16). This was
accomplished on Holy Friday when the Lord was “crucified under Pontius Pilate,
suffered and was buried,” as the Creed proclaims. And just before He died He
proclaimed It is finished (John 19:30)!
Truly, the Nativity of the Theotokos
was seen as the beginning of our salvation, and the Cross is seen as the
culmination of our salvation. By Christ's death on It, our salvation was accomplished.
Mary is also closely associated with the Cross, for she was the “mystical
paradise” in whom the Tree of Life sprouted; this Tree of Life, Christ our Savior,
then “planted on earth the life-creating Tree of the Cross” (from the Feast).
And as He suffered and died on the Life-giving Tree of the Cross, so too we are
called upon to take up our own crosses on our shoulders and to die daily for
the sake of Him Who died for us.
The Feast itself came about because
of certain historical events. After the voluntary suffering and death on the
Cross of the Lord, the sacred place of His suffering was scorned by the pagans.
When the Roman Emperor Titus, in 70 A.D. conquered Jerusalem, he destroyed the
city and leveled the Temple on Mt. Moriah, not leaving even a stone upon a
stone, as had been foretold by the Savior in a dialogue with His disciples
(Mark 13:1-2).
The Emperor Hadrian (117-138), a
backward, zealous pagan, constructed in place of the Jerusalem destroyed
by Titus a new city, which he named Helio-Hadrianopolis. Further, it was forbidden for
this city to be called by its previous name of Jerusalem. He
commanded that the Holy Grave of the Lord be covered with earth and stones,
raising on it an idol. On Golgotha, where the Savior was crucified, in 119 he erected a temple
dedicated to the goddess Venus. Sacrifices were offered before the statue and
pagan rites were celebrated, accompanied by prostitution. In Bethlehem, in the
place where the Savior had been born of the Most-Pure Virgin, the impious monarch
erected an idol to Adonis. All of this he did intending that the people
completely forget about Christ the Savior and nevermore recollect the place
where He lived, taught, suffered and arose with glory.
When Constantine the Great,
Equal-to-the-Apostles (306-337) ascended the throne (being the first of the
Roman Emperors to recognize Christianity) , he, together with his pious mother,
Queen Helena, decided to restore the city of Jerusalem, and in the place of the
suffering and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to erect a new church, to
cleanse all of the places connected with the memory of Jesus from the pagan
cult, and again to consecrate all of them. The Orthodox Queen Helena left for Jerusalem with a
great quantity of gold, and the Emperor sent a letter to Patriarch Macarius I
(313-323) in which he asked every kind of aid in the holy task of restoring the
Christian holy places.
Having arrived in Jerusalem, the
pious Queen destroyed all the idols and cleansed the city of pagan cult
objects, consecrating the defiled places. She burned with the desire to raise
up the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ; and so she commanded that digging
proceed at the place where the Temple of Venus had
stood. There the covered Grave of the Lord was discovered, as well as the place
of execution, not far from which were found three crosses and four nails, as
well as the sign board which had been nailed over His head.
In order to determine which of the
three crosses belonged to the Savior, Patriarch Macarius ordered that the
crosses, in turn, be placed on a dead person who was being brought to a place
of burial. When the Cross of Christ touched the dead one, he immediately came
to life. With great joy, the Orthodox Queen and the Patriarch together lifted
up the Life-Creating Cross and showed it to all the people standing by. Later
the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was constructed on the site, enclosing within
its walls the place of the crucifixion of the Savior, as well as His tomb, and
a Feast was instituted for September 14, commemorating the glorious Exaltation
of the Cross.
Troparion of the Feast
(Tone 1).
O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine
inheritance. Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries;
and by virtue of Thy Cross, preserve Thy habitation.
Kontakion of the Feast
(Tone 4).
As Thou wast voluntarily crucified for
our sake, grant mercy to those who are called by Thy Name; make all Orthodox
Christians glad by Thy power, granting them victories over their adversaries,
by bestowing on them the invincible trophy, Thy weapon of peace.
|