Trickeios Chrysostomos: "Above the Cross, Christ did not conquer with violence, but with self-sacrificial love"translated

The Cross invites us to crucify selfishness, evil, bitterness, and hardness of heart, Metropolitan Trickeios Garidikiou and Pyliou Chrysostomos writes in his Pastoral Encyclical on the feast of the Lifting of the Precious Cross. "He calls us to reconcile with those we have injured, forgive those who wronged us, support the person suffering, and be a presence of love and encouragement for those around us," he adds.

In his detailed Encyclical, Metropolitan Trickeios writes:

Today, the Church raises in the center of her Holy Churches the Venerable and Life-giving Cross. She holds up before us the greatest sign of God's love for man. The Cross of Christ is not a sign of defeat and despair. It is the tree of life, the source of forgiveness, the power of hope, and the path that leads to Resurrection.

Above the Cross, Christ did not conquer with violence, but with self-sacrificial love. He did not retaliate with hatred, but with forgiveness. He did not condemn those who crucified Him, but prayed for them. He opened His arms above the Cross and embraced the entire humanity.

Thus, He taught us that true power lies in the ability to...