For the veneration of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, during the middle week of Lent

1. The day that repeats every year has come for us, the most honorable and luminous middle week of Holy Lent, when the blessed and life-giving Cross of our Savior Jesus Christ is brought and offered for worship, and those who worship it with a pure heart and with immaculate lips are sanctified and made more zealous and more vigorous for their subsequent march in the field of holy Lent. Therefore, since today is the day set for the veneration of the Holy Cross, come here, friends, let us embrace it with fear and love. Emitting the rays of Christ's resurrection, he enlightens and sanctifies everyone with his gifts. Let us kiss him, rejoicing sincerely. Today 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. Today, the Church of Christ is becoming another paradise, publicly offering the all-holy tree of the Precious Cross and solemnly foreshadowing with the Cross the coming suffering of Christ and His resurrection. Today the prophetic saying has been fulfilled, saying: “Let us worship at the footstool of our God” (“let us worship in the place where His feet stand”) (Psalm 131:7). Rejoice and be glad, Church of Christ, bring your children, cleansed from passions by abstinence and fasting and shining with virtues shining with divine light, and rejoice with unspeakable joy. Just as once in the desert those who were bitten by a snake, looking at the copper serpent, were delivered from death, so now those who have completed half of the field of fasting, touching the Cross, kill the spiritual serpent and themselves receive immortality and, by their abstinence, showing themselves to be partakers of Christ’s sufferings, they become participants in Christ’s Resurrection. And not only having accomplished this, but courageously striving for what follows, they offer victorious hymns to God. 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 follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). And see how He speaks without forcing anyone. He did not say: “Whether you like it or not, you must experience this”; and as he said - “If anyone wants to follow Me.” I do not force, I do not force; but I make everyone the master of my choice, which is why I say: “If anyone wants to come after Me.” I call to what is beautiful and honest, and not to what is bad and hateful, not to punishment and torture, but to the heavenly kingdom and to heavenly life. After all, even the most natural features of a matter are powerful enough to attract people to themselves. If anyone wants to follow Me, be it a man or a woman, a leader or a subordinate, and if he wants to be saved, let him follow this path.” The three things spoken of are: self-denial, taking up the cross, and following. But first let us see what it means to deny oneself. Let us learn what it means to renounce another, and then we will learn what it means to renounce oneself. So what does it mean to renounce another? He who renounces another, for example, a brother or a friend, or a neighbor, or anyone else, even if he sees him scourged or imprisoned in chains, or suffering anything else, does not protect him, does not help, does not show compassion for him, does not experience any feeling of sorrow because of him. Once and for all he renounced him, as if he were a stranger. 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; that is, let a person have nothing for himself, but let him expose himself to dangers, competitions, and when another suffers, let him be disposed in the same way. And the Lord did not say: αρνησάσθω (let him deny himself), but απαρνησάσθω (let him deny himself), expressing the highest degree with this small addition. “And he will take up his cross.” Did you see how the heavenly King armed the warrior following Him? He did not give a shield, did not give a helmet, nor a bow, nor a shell, nor knee pads, nor any other of these, 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 shield, this is a shell, this is a helmet, this is knee pads, this is a reliable protection, this is a haven, this is a crown, this is a victorious reward, this is a treasury of all blessings, both real and ever to be. Just as someone, taking a strong weapon, gives it to his soldiers, so does Christ. He promised even more than that, saying: “He who believes in Me, the works that I do will he also do, and greater works than these will he do” (John 14:12). What does this saying mean: “take up your cross and follow Me”? Should each of us carry a tree? No way. What virtue is there in this? But 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 evening, as if we were undoubtedly destined to die. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul said: “I die every day” (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. 2. Such is grace that, due to the generosity of the Lord, who assigns crowns not only at the end of affairs, but also for the intentions of those competing, she turns the poverty that happens to her friends into great wealth. But what does “take” mean? “Let him be as ready to endure the slaughter and be crucified on the cross,” says the Lord, “as he who carries the cross on his shoulders is ready. Let him consider himself in such close proximity to death.” Before such a person, everyone is amazed, because we are not as afraid of those armed with countless human weapons and strong in courage as we are of a person gifted with such freedom. Nothing puts death to flight to such an extent as showing contempt for it. And so that no one would think that this alone is enough, that is, to be prepared for death (after all, such are robbers, sorcerers, and all murderers), then for this he added: “and follow Me.” “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. Have you seen the services of the cross, not only in relation to the Lord, but so strongly manifesting themselves in His servants? This made Peter the head; this made Paul the same. That’s why he said: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or danger, or a sword? (Rom. 8:35). This made those who abstain not only from food, but also from passions, courageous. Beloved, let us protect ourselves with the power of the cross and, armed with respect to the rest, let us approach fasting with greater zeal and treat all the sweets of life with contempt. Wealth, fame, power, love and everything like that are pleasant for the reason that we love our life excessively and, so to speak, are nailed to real life. When the latter is despised by us, then there is no meaning left for us in those baits. Real life is wonderful, beautiful and pleasant, since it is a gift from God; but when the future one appears, then the first one will rightly be neglected. So, let us not be ashamed of the holy symbols of our salvation and let us not push away from ourselves, indulging in intemperance, drunkenness and gluttony, the great foundation of 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: whether we need to be reborn - the cross appears, whether we need to eat that mysterious food, be ordained, or do something else - we have the sign of the cross everywhere. 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 no longer anything 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 God-killing Jews, destroyed the works of the devil and overthrew the devil himself, 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. 3. So, when you seal 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 that sign, fill your forehead with great boldness; Present your breasts, 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, it paralyzed the power of the poisonous hemlock plant, it 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 said to you: “Do you worship the Crucified One?” - then you answer him in a clear and strong voice and with a joyful face: “Yes, I worship, and I will not stop worshiping.” 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 natural man, he does not receive the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:14). But what does the crazy, ungrateful 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 so; humanity was to receive salvation through Christ. First of all, Moses says: “You will see your life hanging before you, and you will not have faith in your life” (Deut. 28:66). And Isaiah: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearers is silent” (Is. 53:7). Likewise Jeremiah: “Come, let us put wood into his bread” (Jeremiah 11:19). And “they took... His price, and gave... for the potter’s ground, as the Lord said to me” (Matthew 27:9–10). 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 at him, and you will not die” (Num. 21:9). 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” (Jeremiah 11:19). And, in turn, Christ, through the mouth of the same prophet, says: “But I, like a meek lamb led to the slaughter, did not know” (ibid.). And then David, as if on behalf of Christ, says: “They pierced my hands and my feet, and they divided my garments among themselves and cast lots for my clothing” (Psalm 21:17, 19). And again Isaiah: “Every day I stretched out My hands to a disobedient people, who walked in evil ways, according to their own thoughts” (“I stretched out My hands all day long to a people who do not repent and speak against people, who do not walk in the true way, but follow their sins”) (Isaiah 65:2). And that the cross of Christ and his image are venerable and admirable, the prophets also teach about this. David says: “Give to those who fear You a banner, so that they may lift it up for the sake of the truth” (“Thou hast given to those who fear You a sign, so that they may flee from the sight of the bow”) (Psalm 59:6). And again: “show me a sign for good, so that those who hate me will see and be ashamed” (Psalm 85:17). And through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel, God says: “On the foreheads of people who mourn, sighing for all abominations, ... make a sign. And go, ...and strike, ...and do not spare. Beat the old man, the young man and the maiden, and the little children who feed on their mother’s milk to death, but do not touch a single person who has a mark on him” (Ezek. 9:4-6). And Solomon says: “Bless the tree through which righteousness comes!” (Wis.14:7). And Isaiah speaks about where and what kind of trees were that made up the cross: “With cypress and pine and cedar together you will glorify the place of My sanctuary” (Is. 60:13). Moses, by throwing a piece of wood into Marah, made the bitter waters sweet, 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, thereby prefigured the Cross of Christ, which opened human hearts and put into them the grace of the Holy Spirit. 4. And this is truly the path of life, and all who remain on it live. Those who leave him will receive death and endless punishment. The Law and the Prophets proclaim the Holy Trinity. And truly, proclaimed by the prophets and the law, coming in the name of the Lord - the Lord Jesus Christ, He is no other than the one born in Bethlehem of Judea from the Virgin and Mother of God Mary under Caesar Augustus. He who does not accept Him and does not believe in Him is an apostate from God, and let him be anathema. Therefore, Isaiah, speaking about you who have fallen into error, exclaims: “My people will go into captivity because they do not look at the works of the Lord and do not think about the work of His hands” (“My people were taken captive, because they did not know the Lord”) (Is. 5:12-13). From the time that Christ came, the strength of your army, the Jews, has been destroyed, the priesthood has been taken away, and you have been scattered by the Romans. About those who crucified Christ, Isaiah says: “For our sins God has turned His face away from us, and those who remain among us are in sins” (Is. 59:2-3). If it were not for Christ Himself - the One who was born of Mary, Who was chosen by God and is His true Son, Who was proclaimed by the law and the prophets, then your Jewish people would be glorified, would be able to rise and reign as the one who killed the atheist and the seducer. But since the cross was erected, and Christ was crucified on it by your fathers, from that time until today your people have been doomed to destruction and dishonor, and God has been more angry with you than during the Babylonian captivity. Then, after seventy years, God took pity and called you back. And now He has completely pushed you away from Himself; Your father, the prophet and patriarch Jacob said the truth - all your legal institutions have fallen, you are expelled from Judea, your country, scattered to various places and serve as an object of contempt and reproach throughout the entire universe - from the east to the last edge of the earth. And our Christian affairs are flourishing, growing and strengthening every day, and the preaching of our pious faith has spread throughout the entire universe; Christ reigns over us; we worship His Honest and Life-giving Cross and treasure it as a valuable treasure. The Cross of the Lord is, indeed, more brilliant and magnificent than any royal crown. But what am I saying - a 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 clean, 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: either gold, or pearls, or precious stones; he is often kidnapped by barbarians or thieves; and the other is immaterial, because its essence is not from matter, but it 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 it, 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, O Lord; I embrace Your sufferings, I kiss the nails and kiss the sores on the members of Your body; I am overly pleased with the cane, the copy and the 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, wrapped in a shroud, mocked by the lawless Jews, finally buried and resurrected on the third day and coming again 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. Doubtful works (Spuria) attributed to St. John Chrysostom.