Metropolitan of Austria: Where the world sees an end God reveals to us a beginning

On Monday, September 14, 2026, Metropolitan Arsenios of Austria presided over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at the Holy Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Vienna. Concelebrating with the Metropolitan were Bishop Maximos of Aristi, as well as the Archdiocesan Vicar, Protopresbyter Ioannis Nikolitsis, and the Cross-bearer Oikonomos Aristeidis Ganosis.

In his sermon, the Metropolitan spoke of the triumphant message of the Holy Cross as a sign of glory and a proof of the loving-kindness of the Triune God, standing in opposition to human notions of pain, defeat, and death. He explained that where the world sees an end, God reveals to us a beginning, and that what is truly condemned is not Christ but sin itself. While the world sees the Giver of Life dying, in reality what dies and ceases to exist is death itself.

He called on the faithful to follow the words of the Apostle to the Nations, Paul, who urges us to glory in the Cross as the highest revelation of God’s love for humanity. He noted in particular: “The Son and Word of God emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and accepted the crown of thorns, the nails, the mockery,…