Слово о том, что не должно стыдиться прославлять честный Крест, что крестом Христос спас нас, и что нам надлежит хвалиться им. Св. Иоанна Златоустого, архиепископа Константинопольского

Brothers! The Lord promised to grant a sign to everyone, saying: An evil generation and an adulterer seeks a sign: and no sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah (Matthew 12:39). The Lord meant death, burial and resurrection. And, again on another occasion, clarifying the power of the cross, He said: when you lift up the Son of Man, then you will understand that I am (John 8:28). “When you crucify Me,” He says, and think that you have defeated Me, then you will know My power most of all.” And in fact, after Christ was crucified, Jewish ritual institutions ceased, preaching flourished, the word about the Lord spread to the borders of the universe: the power of the Lord is always proclaimed by both the earth and the sea, and the inhabited and uninhabited parts of the world. Therefore, let no one be ashamed of the sacred symbols of our salvation and the foundation of blessings by which we live and thanks to which we exist: but let us wear the cross of Christ as if it were a crown. Everything that has to do with us is accomplished through the cross: if we need to receive rebirth, the cross appears; whether it is necessary to be fed by that mysterious food, or to be ordained to a certain church rank, or to do something else, everywhere is a symbol of our victory. Therefore, with great care we draw it in our homes, on the walls, on the doors, on the forehead, and in the mind. This is a sign of our salvation and universal freedom and proof of the mercy of our Lord: like a sheep led to the slaughter (Isa. 53:7). Therefore, when you protect yourself with the sign of the cross, then reflect in your mind on the whole meaning of the cross and quench your anger, as well as all other passions. When you protect yourself with the sign of the cross, fill your forehead with great boldness, make your spirit free. Know, in any case, what gives us freedom. Therefore, Paul, urging us to this very thing, that is, to the freedom that is due to us, instructs us in this way, reminding us of the cross and the blood of the Lord. Naturally, he says, they were bought with a price: do not become slaves to man (1 Cor. 7:23); "Think, he says, about the price that was paid for you, and you will not be the slave of any man." He calls the price shed on the cross. The cross should not just be imprinted with a finger, but first of all with the disposition of the heart with great faith; and when it is thus inscribed on your face, then not one of the unclean demons will be able to stand near you, seeing the sword with which he was stabbed, - seeing the knife, from which he received a mortal wound. And if we are horrified when we see those places where those condemned are subjected to the death penalty, then think what the devil will experience when he sees the weapon with which Christ destroyed all his strength and cut off the head of the dragon. So, do not be ashamed of such a great good, so that Christ will not be ashamed of you when He comes with His glory and when a sign appears before His face, shining more powerfully than a ray of sunshine. Then the cross will appear, which will speak with its outward appearance and, in the face of the entire universe, will begin to defend in favor of the Lord and prove that the Lord has not neglected anything related to the salvation of people. Even in the times of our ancestors, this sign opened closed doors, it extinguished the power of destructive poisons, it healed the bites of poisonous animals. If it opened the gates of hell and opened the vault of heaven; if it restored the entrance to paradise and crushed the fortress of the devil: then what is surprising if it overcomes destructive poisons, and animals, and the rest of the same? Therefore, inscribe it in your mind and embrace it - the salvation of our souls. This cross turned the universe to the true path, drove out error, returned truth, made the earth heaven, made people angels. Therefore, demons are no longer terrible, but despicable; and death is not death, but a dream. From here, everything that was at enmity with us was cast down to the ground and trampled under foot. Therefore, if someone says to you: “Do you worship the Crucified One"? - then answer with a clear voice and with a joyful face: “And I worship, and will never cease to worship." And if he mocks, mourn him in view of the fact that he is mad. Thank the Lord for the fact that He has surrounded us with such blessings, which no one can even comprehend without heavenly revelation. He laughs at for the reason that a spiritual person does not accept even the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:14); after all, children experience the same thing when they see something great and worthy of surprise. A child will laugh, even if you introduced him to the sacraments. The Greeks are like these children, it is better to say: they are more imperfect than even the latter, and therefore more unhappy, since they do not experience the same as children in their immature years, but in their perfect age, which is why they do not even deserve it. condescension. We will begin to proclaim and, even if all the Greeks were here, we will say with special boldness that the cross is the foundation of all good things, our boldness and every kind of crown. I would like to be able to say with Paul: peace has been crucified to me. and I am to the world (Galat. 6:14), but, prevented by various passions, I cannot. Therefore, I advise both you and yourself before you to crucify the world and have nothing to do with the earth, but to nurture love for the heavenly fatherland, for the glory that we expect from there, and for eternal blessings. We are warriors of the King of Heaven and have put on ourselves spiritual weapons. The earthly king, of course, would not tolerate everyone being in the royal palace or everyone crowding around directly around him, but the Heavenly King wants everyone to be close to the royal throne. “But how is it possible, anyone will say, that we who are here stand next to that throne?” Perhaps because Paul, while on earth, was, however, where the seraphim and cherubim are, and he was closer to Christ than these shield-bearers were to their king. Therefore, if we wish, then it is possible for us too. If the Lord were separated from us by a place, then you would be thoroughly perplexed; and if He is present everywhere, then, therefore, He is close to the one who shows zeal and uses extreme efforts (in seeking Him). For this reason, the Prophet said: I will fear no evil, for You are with me (Psalm 22:4); and, in turn, God Himself said: I am a God who draws near, and not a God from afar (Jer. 23:23). Therefore, just as sins separate us from Him, so righteous deeds unite Him and us. And again I say to you, he says, I will say: behold, I have come (Ps. 58:9). What father could ever be so attentive to his children? What mother is so determined as to continually stand (waiting) to see if her children will one day call her? There is no one - neither father nor mother. And God stands, constantly waiting to see if one of His servants will ever call Him, and if we ever called Him properly, He never left our request unheeded. That is why he says: I am still speaking to you, that is, I am not waiting for you to finish your prayer, but I will immediately hear you. So let us call Him as He wants to be called. How does He want this? Allow, He says, every bond of unrighteousness, destroy the obligations of forced scriptures, tear apart every unrighteous scripture. Break your bread for the hungry, and bring the bloodless beggars into your house: if you see a naked person, clothe him, and do not despise those of your tribe. Then your light will open early, and your healing will quickly shine forth: and your righteousness will come before you, and the glory of God will embrace you. Then call to Me, and I will hear you, while I still say to you, I will say: behold, I have come (Ps. 58:6-9). “And who can do all this,” will anyone say? All this is not only possible, but also so easy that many have even gone beyond the limit, not only tearing up accounts that do not agree with the truth, but even stripping themselves of everything they had - not only welcoming the poor into their home and inviting them to their meals, but even working to the point of bodily sweat to feed them, benefiting not only relatives, but and enemies. If in your opinion this is difficult, then look at the rewards, and then everything will be easy for you. Just as kings place crowns and victorious awards before the competitors, so Christ places the victorious awards in the middle of the lists, holding them out as if with many hands, in the words of the Prophet. But with kings, like people, their abundance is exhausted, and the items they generously distribute are spent. Our King, on the contrary, having gathered everything together, since He is very rich and does not do anything for show, thus puts in the middle everything that is collected: otherwise it will be countless and will require many hands to take. And so that you understand this, consider each of God's promises with care. Then, He says, your light will open early. What does it mean: it will open up? This shows us speed and abundance and how much He desires our salvation, how concerned He is that the blessings themselves flow, and how hard He tries to achieve this. What does early mean? This means that not after you find yourself in temptations, and not after misfortunes visit you, but before all this appears. What kind of light are they talking about, and what kind of light is it? Not this sensual one, but another, in many ways better, who shows us heaven, angels, archangels, cherubim, seraphim, thrones, dominions, principalities, powers, all the hosts, royal cities, abodes. If you are worthy of that light and see what is said, then you will get rid of Gehenna, from the poisonous worm, from the gnashing of teeth, from painful bonds, from sorrow and suffering, from hopeless darkness and from places of torment, and you will retire to a place from which sorrow and sadness can escape. Where great joy, love, pleasure and joy reign, - where life is endless, glory is ineffable and beauty is indescribable, where the abodes are eternal, the glory of the King is ineffable. Oh, that we would all achieve it, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen 6. See Full. collection works of St. John Chrysostom, in Russian. translation St. Petersburg. 1897, vol. 3, pp. 916–921. In Curs. Compl. Patrolog. Migne this word is classified as Spuria. You might be interested in: