Слово на поклонение честному и животворящему Кресту. Св. Иоанна Златоустого, архиеп. Константинопольского

Now the blessed and life-giving Cross of our Savior Jesus Christ is brought and offered for veneration. Let us come and embrace him with fear and love. Emitting the rays of Christ's resurrection, the cross enlightens and sanctifies everyone with its gifts. Let us kiss him, rejoicing sincerely. Now there is joy in heaven and on earth, because the luminous and life-giving cross of Christ is offered to the world, by the power of which demons are driven away, diseases are driven out, gloomy darkness is removed and all the borders of the earth are illuminated. Now the prophetic saying has been fulfilled, saying: let us worship in the place where the nose of our God stands (Psalm 132:7). The Cross of the Lord is a weapon that delivers trophies and victories; he is the invincible weapon of kings, the horn of the Church, the destroyer of enemies and the salvation of the faithful; and indeed, blessed and blessed are those who are deemed worthy to embrace him with immaculate lips and pure lips. Truly, they actually fulfill what the Lord said: if anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and come after Me (Matthew 16:24). And see how the Lord speaks without forcing anyone. He did not say: “Whether you like it or not, you must experience it”; but what did he say? If anyone wants to follow Me. “I do not do violence, I do not force; but I make everyone the master of his choice: I call to what is beautiful and honest, and not to evil and hateful - not to punishment and torture, but to the heavenly kingdom and to heavenly life. Anyone who wants to follow Me go, whether it be a man or a woman, a boss or a subordinate, and if he wants to be saved, let him go this way.” someone else's So, therefore, God wants us not to value our body, so that we do not shy away, even if for His sake someone subjects us to scourging, or punishes, or persecutes, or inflicts something else on us; it means to renounce. And he will take up his cross. Did you see how the Heavenly King armed the warrior who followed Him? He did not give a shield, he did not give a helmet, or a breastplate, or knee pads, or anything else like that, but he gave something that is stronger than all this, the security that comes from the cross, a sign of victory over demons. This is a sword, this is a shell, this is a helmet, these are knee pads, this is reliable protection, this is a crown, this is a victorious reward, this is a treasury of all blessings, both present and ever to be. “Look,” says Christ, at what My cross has done: make you the same kind of weapon - and do what you want." And in another case, He promised even more than that, saying: believe in Me, the works that I do, he will do the same, and he will do greater things (John 14:12). What does this saying mean: he will take his cross and come after Me? - That we should be disposed to endure dangers, “carrying our blood in our souls,” ready to endure slaughter and daily death, doing everything as if we no longer hoped that our life would not fade away before the evening came, as if we were undoubtedly destined to die. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul said: I am dying all the days (1 Cor. 15:31). Isn’t this the only death given to you by nature? However, if you want, you can die countless times for your Lord. But what does it mean: let him be as ready to endure the slaughter and be crucified on the cross, says the Lord, as he is ready who carries the cross on his shoulders: let him consider himself in such close proximity to death. Before such a person, everyone comes to amazement, because we are not so afraid of those armed with countless human weapons and strong in courage, as nothing converts a person gifted with such freedom; death in flight, as a manifestation of contempt for her. And so that no one thinks that only this is enough, i.e. That is, to be ready for death (after all, such are robbers and all murderers), then for this he added: and after Me he will come. “I am not looking,” He says, “only for a courageous person, not only for one who is undaunted in view of the end of his life, but for someone who is honest, chaste, moderate, and full of every kind of virtue.” Let us protect ourselves, beloved, with the power of the cross and, armed in relation to the rest, let us not be ashamed of the holy symbols of our salvation and let us not push away from ourselves through intemperance the great foundation of the blessings by which we live and exist, but, as a crown, let us bear the cross of Christ, that is, let us mortify our passions. After all, everything with us is accomplished through him: if we need to be reborn, the cross appears; whether it is necessary to eat that mystical food, to be ordained, or to do something else, everywhere we have the sign of the cross. Therefore, with great zeal we inscribe it on our homes, on walls, on windows, on our foreheads and in our minds. This is a sign of our salvation, universal freedom and the mercy of the Lord. That is why it is called a seal, because with it, as if with some kind of royal seal and ring, we seal all God’s pledges, no matter what we receive; and nothing evil dares to approach. If we entrust someone with power over the people and if we elevate someone to the dignity of the priesthood, then, after we have performed countless prayers and called on the grace of the Spirit that then descended, we seal the chosen one with a cross, as if locking the given gift in a safe treasury. Thus, the cross is also used during sacred rites. The Cross of Christ is a sword and a tree on which Christ, slain by the deicide Jews, destroyed the works of the devil, nailing our sins on it (i.e., the tree). For this reason, the cross is used during sacred ceremonies, like a kind of sword and royal scourge, striking and driving away every demonic raid and satanic attack. Therefore, the divine and sacred teachers, like some spearmen, offering them the royal scourge, drive away every enemy and hostile army, devoting divine and royal gifts to those initiating the sacraments, and together with them paying veneration to the King Christ. Therefore, when you imprint yourself with the sign of the cross, imagine in your thoughts the whole meaning of the cross, and then you will extinguish your anger and all other passions. Every time you protect yourself with this sign, fill your forehead with great boldness: present your chest, eyes and every member as a sacrifice pleasing to God. This is what reasonable service to God consists of. Even in the times of our ancestors, this sign opened closed doors; it extinguished destructive poisons, but healed the bites of poisonous animals. If it opened the gates of hell and opened the vault of heaven, restored the entrance to heaven and crushed the power of the devil, then is it surprising if it overcomes destructive poisons? Therefore, carve it in your mind and embrace it - the salvation of our souls. This cross saved the universe, drove away error, returned truth, made the earth heaven, made people angels. Thanks to him, demons are no longer terrible, but despicable, and death is not death, but sleep and wakefulness. Thanks to him, the carnal passions that are at war with those who fast are dried up. Therefore, if one of the Jews were to say to you: “Do you worship the Crucified One?”, then you would answer him in a clear and strong voice and with a joyful face: “Yes, and I worship, and I will not cease to worship.” And even if he begins to laugh, cry because he is mad and does not understand what he is saying; and thank the Lord Christ for showing us such benefits that no one can even comprehend without the help of heavenly revelation. After all, he laughs because, as a spiritual person, he does not accept the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:14). But what does the mad and rebellious Jew say? “If Christ is God, as you say, and the Son of God, and came to save people, then why was He crucified and died such a shameful death?” We will answer him in a few words, choosing them from the writings of the prophets. O lawless and ungrateful Jew! Christ had to be crucified, because the law and the prophets declared this: mankind had to receive salvation through Christ. First of all, they say - Moses: “You will see your belly hanging before your eyes, and you will not have faith in your life” (Deut. 28:66); Isaiah: like a sheep led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearers (Isa. 53:7); also Jeremiah: Come, let us put wood for his bread (Jer. 11:19) And that the crucified Christ is God, listen to Ezra, who says: “Blessed is the Lord, who stretched out His arms and saved Jerusalem before our eyes!” And when the snakes were killing the people, Moses, at the command of God, hanging the serpent on a tree, said: look to him, and you will not die (Num. 21:8-9). And again Jeremiah, as if on behalf of those who crucified the Lord, says: Come, and let us destroy him from the land of the living (Jer. 11:19); and, in turn, Christ, through the mouth of the same Prophet, says: I, like a gentle lamb, led to the slaughter, did not understand (Jer. 11:19). And also then, as if on behalf of Christ, they say: David, having dug my hands and my nose, and divided my garments for myself, and cast lots for my clothes (Psalm 21:17, 19); and again (Isaiah): I have stretched out my hands all day long to people who do not repent and speak against people, who do not walk in the true path, but follow their sins (Isa. 65:2). And that the cross of Christ and his image are venerable and admirable, the prophets also teach about this. David says: Thou hast given a sign to those who fear Thee, that they may flee from the sight of the bow (Psalm 59:6); and again: do a sign for me for good: and let those who hate me see and be ashamed (Psalm 85:17). And through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel, God says: give signs on the faces of men who groan and suffer because of all iniquities. And go, cut them off, and have no mercy. Beat the old man, and the young man, and the wives, and the babies who feed on their mother's milk for consumption: but do not touch anyone who has a sign on them (Ezek. 9:4-6). And Solomon says: bless the tree, wherein righteousness comes (Wis. Sol. 14:7). And Isaiah talks about where and what kind of trees were that made up the cross: cypress, and pine, and cedar, together to glorify the holy place (Ps. 60:13). Moses, throwing a piece of wood into Marah, made the bitter hearth sweet (Exodus 15:25), thereby prefiguring the cross of Christ, which sweetened the world, which was permeated with the bitterness of demons. And the rod of Moses, which divided the rock (Exodus 17:6), prefigured the cross of Christ, which opened human hearts and put into them the grace of the Holy Spirit. And this is truly the way of life, and all who remain on it live; those who leave him will receive death and endless punishment. Christ reigns over us: we worship His honest and life-giving Cross and treasure it as a valuable treasure. Is the Cross of the Lord really more brilliant and magnificent than any royal crown? Its brilliance surpasses even the sun's rays. In ancient times, crucifixion was a punishment for a vicious life and immoral deeds; now the cross is a symbol of a divine gift, a sign of spiritual nobility, a treasure that cannot be stolen, a gift that cannot be taken away, the foundation of holiness. We carry it with us on our bed, at meals, and everywhere we go. Just as many of the warriors neither dine nor sleep without weapons, so now we will hang a cross instead of a sword on our bed, instead of a bolt we will mark it on the doors, we will surround every house with it instead of a wall, we will use it to protect the interior and exterior. He crushed death, opened the heavens, made the earth pure, elevated our nature to the royal throne, and put an end to the tyranny of the devil. The image of the cross is twofold: one is made of substance: (or gold, or pearls, or precious stones), it is often stolen by barbarians or thieves; and the other is immaterial, because its essence (not from substance, but) is from faith, the material is from the inner mood of the one who makes the sign of the cross. The cross protects those who sleep, it brings safety to those who are awake, it saves those in danger; thanks to him, the war ends and peace is established. I glorify Yours, O Lord, for me, the sacrament of economy, filled with long-suffering and gentleness; I bow to Your honorable and life-giving Cross. Lord, I embrace Your passions, I kiss the nails and kiss the sores on the members of Your body; overly happy with the cane, copy and lip; Like a royal diadem, I put on a crown of thorns; Like shining stones, I am proud of the spitting, and, like the most magnificent decoration, I am proud of the blows. I confess that You are the true God, one of the persons of the Holy Trinity - Jesus Christ, who suffered for me, was wrapped in a shroud, subjected to ridicule by the lawless Jews, finally buried and resurrected on the third day and again coming to judge the living and the dead. Your glory and power, with the Father and Your All-Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen 10. See Full. collection created St. John Chrysostom, vol. 3, 1897, p. In Curs. Compl. Patrolog. Migne is a word classified as Spuria. You might be interested in: