REV. JOHN STEFFARO The cross stands tall as a sign of victory

Before the time of Christ, the cross was an instrument of punishment; it evoked fear and aversion. But after Christ's death on the cross it became the instrument of our salvation. Through the cross, Christ destroyed the devil; from the cross he descended into Hades and, having liberated those languishing there, led them into the Kingdom of Heaven.
In the Holy Orthodox Church we have twelve "major" feasts, which include Pascha, Pentecost, Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, and Exaltation of the Cross because they are related to our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ; the remaining feasts belong to the saints.
On Sunday, the Feast Day of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross, we reconfirm that we have inherited the victory of Christ -- we became victors with him.
Traditional hymn
We sing: "O Lord, save thy people and bless thine inheritance. Grant victories to Orthodox Christians over their adversaries, and by the virtue of thy cross, preserve thy habitation."
St. John Maximovitch explains this hymn beautifully. He states that the beginning of this prayer is taken from Psalm 27. In the Old Testament, the word "people" designated only those who confessed the true faith, people faithful to God. "Inheritance" referred to everything which properly belonged to God, which in the New Testament is the Church of Christ.
In praying for the salvation of God's people, the Christians, both from eternal torments and from earthly calamities, we beseech the Lord to bless us, to send down his grace and his good gifts upon the whole church, and inwardly strengthen her.
The petition for granting "victory to kings" (i.e.: to the bearers of supreme authority) has its basis in Psalm 143:10, and recalls the victories of King David achieved by God's power, and the victories granted Emperor Constantine through the cross of the Lord.
That appearance of the cross made emperors who had formerly persecuted Christians into defenders of the church from her external enemies, into "external bishops," to use the expression of the holy Emperor Constantine.
'City of God'
The church, inwardly strong by God's grace and protected outwardly, is for Orthodox Christians "the city of God." Heavenly Jerusalem has its beginning. Various calamities have shaken the world, entire peoples have disappeared, cities and states have perished, but the church, in spite of persecutions and even internal conflicts, stands invincible; for the gates of hell shall not prevail against her (Matt. 16:18). Today, when world leaders try in vain to establish order on earth, the only dependable instrument of peace is that about which the church sings:
"The cross is the guardian of the whole world; the cross is the beauty of the Church; the cross is the might of kings; the cross is the confirmation of the faithful; the cross is the glory of angels and the wounding of demons" (Exapostilarion of the Exaltation of the Cross).
Mark of distinction
Therefore, the cross is our joy. The cross is our mark of distinction by which we accept the death of the Master as the way to resurrection for deliverance from all sin. The baptism which we undertook was described by Paul as the participation with the Lord in his burial and in the Resurrection: "Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin" (Romans 6:6).
This is the center of our faith. This is our power.
When we place the cross on top of cupolas or steeples; on the iconostasis, a screen covered with icons that separates the church sanctuary from the nave; when we adorn ourselves with gold or silver crosses, we do so in order that the meaning of the new life shall stand before us.
We elevate ourselves to Jesus in heaven, we confirm our Christian faith, and we affirm that we are attached to Jesus so that we may forget all earthly cares. When we cross ourselves, we ask the Lord to send down upon us the power of salvation.
We cross ourselves over the face, chest and shoulders, so that we may feel the connection with Jesus Christ. The true glory descends upon us through the death of the Savior and through our faith in him. Let us pray:
"Rejoice, O life-bearing cross. The invincible weapon of godliness. The gate of paradise, the protection of the faithful. The cross is the might of the Church. ... The cross raises us from earth to heaven. The Cross is the enemy of Satan. ... The cross is the haven of salvation" (from the Vesper Service of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross).
XThe Rev. John Steffaro is pastor of St. John's Orthodox Church in Campbell.