Слово на поклонение животворящему Кресту. Св. Иосифа, архиепископа Фессалоникийского 17

Now the celebration of the Cross is being celebrated: let the angelic face rejoice! The spectacle of the Cross is coming: let the host of mortals bow down! The Divine power of the Cross rejoices: may the armies of demons flee far away! Oh, Divine Cross, ineffable contemplation of angels, praise of earthly beings, scepter of kings! As if I were alive, I want to speak with you, the source of joy and the victorious weapon of our salvation. Through you the closed gates of paradise are opened, through you the power of death is crushed, through you hell is deprived of its spoils, through you the dead receive life, through you the thief rejoices in paradise, through you the heavenly was combined with the earthly, through you the knowledge of the truth was sent down, by you the bath of rebirth was granted, by you the remission of sins was acquired for the earthly, the gift was sealed by you Holy Spirit, the churches marked by you are called houses of God, through you we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, through you we are worthy to be sons of God and heirs of the kingdom of heaven, through you annual celebrations are celebrated and our triumphs are enlightened. But what language can depict how many blessings and what kind Christ God has given to the human race through you? Knowing all this, let us look with pure eyes at the revered and life-giving tree on which Christ our God was nailed and His holy hands were pierced with nails, on which the deicides pierced His divine ribs with a spear, and brought vinegar mixed with bile for drinking - at which those walking by nodded their heads and said in amazement: wow, you saved yourself, can’t He? save (Mark 15:29, 31)? If the Son is God, let him now come down from the cross, and we believe in Him (Matthew 27:40, 42). This was said by the wicked and blind crowd of Jews, delighted by the benefits of His Divine miracles! We, the faithful, will sing about the life-giving passion of the Lord, nailing to the cross, His burial, the three-day rising from the dead, in order to be co-resurrected with Him and glorified with Him, if we are compassionate, as the chosen vessel, the divine Paul, predicted (Rom. 8:17). and how, finally, the Holy Cross, whose feast we now celebrate, invites us to this. So, if we want this cross to be a faithful guard and help in our salvation, we will always want to carry His sign with us, so as not to offend it with bad and unclean deeds, shameful and nasty words, as a result of which the author and inventor of evil acts more freely and boldly and with greater strength draws us into the abyss of destruction. But, strengthened by the power of the Life-giving Cross, with all diligence we will drive away him, the author of evil. Truly, I must again turn my word to you, to whom this day is dedicated. Rejoice, Cross, glory to the ends of the earth and joy to the whole universe: in you, truly, do the ends of the earth rejoice and the gatherings of the faithful rejoice. Rejoice, Cross - the power of kings and irresistible weapons: for those who fully trust in your help, having defeated the barbarian regiments, erect trophies with joy. Rejoice, Cross - the indestructible power of leaders: strengthened by your sign, they are glorified before those who do not recognize you and do not submit to your rule. Rejoice, O Cross, who shames and crushes the heads of wicked rulers and scatters the crowd of infidels. Rejoice, Cross, leader and companion of travelers, strengthening and making their feet straight and with your strength dispersing the armies of demons. Rejoice, Cross, sweetness and renewal of the living: your sign for them is pleasant food; a sweet dream, a solid beginning on the path of life. Rejoice, Cross, fulfillment of the desires of those who hope for your help; they are never disappointed in their hope. Rejoice, Cross, peace and protection of those floating: from your image and sign, the raging excitement, resounding with terrible noise and swollen by mountains, subsides and calms down. Rejoice, Cross, wisdom of the helmsmen: under your guidance and protection, with little skill they steer ships loaded with many goods and land at the harbor. Rejoice, Cross, ruler and peace of travelers: with you, having cast aside all fear, they prepare to depart for foreign lands. Rejoice, Cross, protection and consolation of the monks: placing their trust in you, they calmly separate from their parents and friends and, being in solitude, learn to live with the one God. Rejoice, the Cross is the resting place of ascetics who mortify the flesh, so that they may achieve eternal life and shine like a light. Rejoice, the Cross is the only refuge and abode of the living, awakening those who honor and love you, and also revealing earthly angels who expel demons. Rejoice, Cross, who adds honor and adornment to the dignity of the priests: through you they ordain the wicked, enlighten the unenlightened with light, attract the worthy to the accomplishment of grace. Rejoice, the Cross is the purification of deacons and priests, for through you, having achieved this ministry, they separate everything unclean and disorderly from the pure people. Rejoice, the Cross is the weapon of the martyrs: with you they crushed the terrible machinations of the devil, and through you they remained in the ranks as conquerors of such a powerful enemy. Rejoice, Cross, a crown woven in the sky, surpassing the rays of the sun, given in honor and decoration to the revered heads of the celestials. Rejoice, Cross, the assembly and proclamation of the prophets, the announcement and glory of the apostles: by your virtue they taught and united all tribes into one faith and harmony. Rejoice, the Cross is the strength and refuge of all: for through you everyone who is faithful and pious will escape all harm. But, O blessed Cross! what proclamations and praises do you deliver to those who have established your celebration! O holy and all-holy tree! Who will sing your praises according to your heritage? O root of life and life-giving! Who will touch your shrine with pure and worthy lips? Which of the faithful, in order to avoid danger, will not overshadow himself with your great sign? Who would not print your image for his decoration and purification? Who, before every movement and undertaking, does not depict your sign and seal with your finger, so that all his steps are guided by the Divine mind? Oh, how great is your power and how many are your names! You are called the scepter, the rod of righteousness, the rod of the kingdom, the seal, the sign, the hope, the armor, the sword, the shield, the spear, the faith, the bow, the wall, the entrance to the city on high. Through you, Cross, we came to know the Trinity, in order to believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - the Father without beginning and origin, the Son proceeding from the Father not without a beginning (because according to reason He has no beginning in time); finally, the Spirit seated on a seat equal to both and with equal honor. Therefore, let Arius and Sabellius and the wicked persecutor of the Spirit, Macedonius, depart from the divine palace: this is the three-headed dragon: equal in dishonesty and insolence, they have already been struck by the sword of truth. And also those who at the present time (the last in time turned out to be the first in madness!) seem to have jumped out of some pit of error, and who are beautifully (of course, for their heresy and teaching) called iconoclasts and desecrators of Christians. They blaspheme Christ with dishonor and contempt for the veneration of the image itself, and Christians are accused of having allegedly given themselves over to idols - they are accused on the grounds that Christians give honor and worship to divine images. Defenders of this kind of teaching and teachers of debauchery have no honor or lot in the Church of God. We, the sacred congregation, will now brightly offer veneration to the Cross. We will constantly carry His love and joy in our hearts and will never move away from us. And it is removed through negligence, carelessness, laziness, inaction and other shameful deeds in which the shrine of the Cross does not want to remain. And if we establish a meeting of this kind, then, truly, we will gather in Christ and arrange a festival that will unite and preserve us and make us worthy of becoming partakers of His life-giving suffering, as well as of the luminous resurrection - and there is no time to take part in the future resurrection, where there is a dwelling place for all who rejoice in the Lord. To Him Himself and His beginningless Father and the good and life-giving Spirit befits glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen 18. See Biblioth. Patr. Concionator. Parisiis, 1662 ann., vol. VIII, pag. 136–137. You might be interested in: