Articles

(1) The emphasis of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross: Since the commencement of the Lord's ministry, during His teaching and prior to His crucifixion, He laid great emphasis on the cross. He says: "And he who does not take his cross and follow

after Me is not worthy of Me" (Matt. 10:38) and "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matt.16: 24); (Mark.8: 34). In His conversation with the rich young man, He said to him: `Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor... and come, take up the cross, and follow Me' (Mark.10: 21). He also says: "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple" (Lk.14: 27).

(2) The cross was the core of the ministry of the angels and the Apostles

An important point is that the angel who proclaimed the Lord's resurrection said to the women: "...you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said" (Matt.28: 5,6). Thus the angel called the Lord "who was crucified", although He had already resurrected. Thus the title `crucified' continued to be attributed to the Lord. Our fathers the Apostles emphasised the Lord's crucifixion in their preaching. In preaching to the Jews, St. Peter said: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts2: 36). St. Paul says: "..we preach Christ crucified" (1Cor.1: 23), although the Lord's crucifixion was considered "a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness". The Apostle considered the cross the essence of Christianity and says: "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1Cor.2: 2). He means that the cross is the only subject he wants to know.

(3) The cross was the object of the Apostles' glory St. Paul the Apostle says: "But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal.6: 14). If we ask him the secret behind these words, he will continue and say: "by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Gal.6: 14).

(4) When we make the sign of the cross, we remember many of its divine and spiritual meanings

We remember God's love for us, who for the sake of our salvation accepted to die for us: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Is.53: 6). When we make the sign of the cross, we remember "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John.1: 29), and that "He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world" (IJohn.2: 2).

(5) When we make the sign of the cross, we profess that we belong to the Crucified:

Those who take the cross only by its spiritual meaning inside the heart without showing any manifest sign do not reveal this belonging openly which we proclaim in making the sign of the cross, in wearing and kissing the cross in front of all, in engraving it on our wrists and in upraising it on our places of worship. By doing all these we are merely proclaiming our belief openly. We are not ashamed of Christ's cross in front of people but we glory in it, are called by it, celebrate its feasts and cling tort so that, even without us talking, our appearance professes our belief.

(6) Man is not only spirit and mind but he also has corporeal senses which should sense the cross through the above-mentioned means

Not all people are of the same spiritual level and do not need the senses for their spiritual contemplation. The senses are nourished by all the above-mentioned means and are not confined within themselves but they transfer the effects they receive to the mind and the spirit. The mind by itself might not remember the cross or might not remember it much. But when it perceives the cross before it, through the senses, it remembers all the divine and spiritual feelings connected with the cross and the Crucified. Thus we worship God spiritually, intellectually and physically. All these strengthen each other.

May God bless you all

Posted by Education sub committee of the Eritrean Orthodox Church in North America

Source: "Comparative Theology" by H. H. Pope Shenouda III. Translated by Mary & Amani Bassilli