The erection of the Honest and Life-giving Cross of the Lord. Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and what the Shift means

For Orthodox people, the end of September is the time of the great holiday of the Movement (Exaltation of the Life-Giving, Precious Cross of the Lord). This was installed in memory of the fact that Saint Helena found the very Cross on which Jesus Christ was once crucified.

Holiday Shift. Description and legends

In 326, according to legend, excavations were carried out at the site where Golgotha ​​used to be. It was then that they found the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher, and very close to it there were three crosses. It was possible to determine which cross belonged to Jesus thanks to a sick woman. The unfortunate woman touched one of them, and her illness immediately disappeared. It was a real miracle.

There is another legend that says that a deceased person was carried past the crosses to carry out the burial ceremony, and his hand accidentally touched the cross. As soon as this happened, the deceased came to life, and so they were able to determine which cross belonged to the son of the Lord.

And the search for the Holy Cross was started by the ruler Constantine. Before this, Jesus Christ appeared to him in a dream and said that if he depicted a cross on his flags, then victory would be his. After Constantine won the battle, he vowed that he would spread Christianity throughout the world as much as possible. He sent Elena in search of the place where Golgotha ​​was, and it took her a lot of time to reach her goal. After the cross was found, the ruler ordered the construction of a temple with a piece of this cross. It has survived to this day and is considered one of the greatest shrines of Christianity.

Story

Shift - it is considered the last day of Indian summer. As soon as the peasants finish celebrating, the cold sets in and autumn comes into its own. legal rights, it is an integral part of nature. In the old days, it was believed that in honor of this holiday it was worth erecting a chapel or church, so Orthodox people often engaged in such constructions on September 27th.

In addition, in ancient times in Rus' roadside crosses were erected on this holiday. This custom is still maintained; it is believed that the cross erected on the Shift shows people’s gratitude to God for protecting them from evil and all misfortunes. In addition, in the future he will protect the village from evil forces and caused troubles.

Prayers

The movement is a church holiday, and at this time the Orthodox perform crusades, since legend says that such campaigns will help protect the people from misfortunes and troubles throughout the next year. Those believers who had their own fields and plots walked around them, holding icons in their hands, saying prayers for the future harvest, so that it would be good.

They also pray for the health of sick people on this day. It is believed that in honor of the holiday, the Lord will hear them and grant the sick person forgiveness, depriving him of all ailments. This is due to legends and beliefs about the healing power of the resurrection of the Life-Giving Cross. According to popular belief, on this day prayer can even lift you from your deathbed.

The battle of good and evil

The lore also states that during the Shift there is a battle between two forces, good and evil. And when the confrontation only gains momentum, dark forces begin to win. According to legend, the earth begins to shake, and the Holy Cross of the Lord appears from it, and good begins to defeat evil. It is believed that at this time the whole earth is flooded with heavenly light, cleansing it of evil spirits. The rays of light emanating from this cross burn out evil completely, saving the common people from the evil one. And everything that is righteous and pure gains victory. And every year this battle takes place as proof that all good will always defeat the dark forces. Many are interested in what holiday the Shift is celebrated on, in order to know exactly when this eternal struggle takes place.

This point is partially mystified in some villages. So, there is a belief that on this night it is necessary to close basements and cellars. During the battle, the light drives all evil spirits underground, and when the fight is still ongoing, the dark forces can take advantage human buildings and sit out the battle so that you can then climb out through them. Until now, in some villages, all places that can hide evil spirits from the bright light of the Cross are closed.

Cabbage plants

Since ancient times, people began to call the holiday of the Movement as cabbage festivals. Almost all statements of that time associated cabbage with the Shift. This vegetable has always been held in high esteem by the common people, as evidenced by many proverbs and sayings of that time. Also called skits were the holidays organized by young people in honor of the Movement. In ancient times in Rus', girls put on their brightest outfits and went to their neighbors, so to speak, to chop cabbage. At the same time, they sang merry songs and had fun, and in the houses where they entered, they were treated to beer, sweet honey and other dishes. In order to recreate old traditions, it is important for many to know which holiday the Shift should be celebrated on.

At the same time, all the young guys looked at the girls and looked for a future bride among them. Towards evening, when the ritual with cabbage was already completed, it all turned into festivities and celebrations. Often after such events, weddings took place, and on Pokrov, in mid-October.

The shift is a holiday (they are still interested in what date it occurs) and is very important. From the end of September until Intercession, cabbage parties were held. It is believed that the Vozdvizhensk skits are a girls' holiday. When the guys came together in the evening to look for brides, among the guests there was always someone who the girl already liked. There is even a special conspiracy that marriageable girls read seven times during the Shift, so that the guy they like will also appreciate the beauty of their chosen one.

Fast

Although the Movement is the twelfth holiday, on this day you still need to observe strict fasting. As the old sayings say, no matter what day of the week this festival falls on, there must be fast food all day. According to church regulations, those who do not fast on this day will receive what they deserve - seven sins will be charged to them. The whole point is that people fast in memory of the torment that Christ suffered during the crucifixion.

But all celebrations are dedicated to making people remember the finding of the Cross. Since the Shift (holiday) is still being celebrated, many Orthodox people are interested in what should not be done during this period. During fasting, it is prohibited to eat meat, fish, as well as any dairy products and eggs. Anyone who observes this fast can count on the forgiveness of all

According to the clergy, he called on the Orthodox to bear their Cross with humility. That is, accept all insults for Jesus, while not being surprised by the betrayal of your closest and dearest people, and calmly accepting troubles received from friends. At the same time, it is important to remain humble, not wish them harm in return or death, and sincerely pray. It is necessary that the frankness of prayer be equivalent to how Christ prayed on the cross. That is, the Apostle calls on everyone not to forget that everyone deserves forgiveness, for he does not know what he is doing. This is the whole essence of the described holiday.

What you cannot do on the Movement (holiday) is turn away from traditions; it is very important to find your own cross for each person. After all, taking into account the rhythm of our lives, we all fill up our personal crosses with garbage, and often they lie at the very bottom. We pollute our pure souls with everything that the evil one so mercifully presents to us, and therefore it is important to understand for ourselves what kind of cross we bear. Each of us fulfills our own special mission on earth, and we should not forget what it is. We need to open our souls to the world and do everything to fulfill our destiny. We must remember that the Lord helps us carry our cross, and if we do his will, he always makes the obstacles in our path easier.

Vigil

The churches have preserved an ancient tradition on the day of the Exaltation, which is called vigil and Liturgy. The difference from other celebrations is that you need to serve all night. The culmination of this event is considered to be the moment when the clergyman, dressed in a purple robe, carries out the Cross. Everyone who prays in the temple must kiss the holy object and then receive anointing with holy oil. After which the Cross is placed on the lectern, where it remains until the day of the Shift - October 4.

Beliefs

According to popular beliefs, you cannot go into the forest on this day, since it is during the Shift that snakes and other forest inhabitants prepare for winter. It is believed that the Shift is a holiday on the night of which Leshiy counts all the inhabitants of the thicket, and it is better for an ordinary person not to see this. Thus, it turns out that night walks can be extremely dangerous. It is also not recommended for righteous believers to begin significant undertakings, since all of them will not be completed and will go to waste. As you can see, the Shift (holiday) is of considerable importance. Is it possible to work on this day? The answer is yes, because harvesting cabbage is also work.

To protect against evil forces, in the old days a cross was painted on every door in the house. In addition, to protect livestock from harm, wooden crosses were placed in the manger. Those who did not prepare a special cross placed two branches of rowan, crossed and fastened together.

Cleaning the house of negativity

In addition to celebrating and fasting, very important point on the Shift (a holiday that everyone used to celebrate) is to cleanse the house of negativity and dark forces. To do this, since ancient times, three candles have been bought in the church and placed together, setting them on fire. After which they take holy water and sprinkle all the corners of the house in a cross-shaped motion. At this moment, you need to read the “Our Father” three times from a pure heart, hoping that the Lord will help cleanse the house of misfortunes and evil.

Signs

There are a huge number of signs regarding this holiday. Basically they are connected with the urgent affairs of the people. There are signs related to preparing cabbage for winter, indicating that a good owner will definitely have a cabbage pie on this day. The thing is that in the old days, everyone really prepared this vegetable for the winter precisely for the Shift, which is why there are so many traditions for this holiday.

There are also signs that relate to trips to the forest and snakes. They are mainly intended to warn people against rash decisions. The shift is a holiday containing many warnings. After all, snakes that are looking for a place to sleep are quite aggressive, they can harm a random traveler.

Signs also call for closing all doors in houses so that snakes and other insects do not enter your home for the winter.

And the last part of the signs refers to the approaching cold weather. The rise directly refers to the end of Indian summer, and after it frosts begin at night. Therefore, signs warn people that they should dress warmer in the mornings and evenings so as not to catch a cold.

On September 27, the Orthodox Church celebrates the great twelfth holiday - the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. It is dedicated to two important events associated with the Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. This is the discovery of the Cross, which occurred in the 4th century thanks to the efforts of Saint Helena (mother of Constantine the Great) and then, three centuries later, the deliverance of the shrine from “Persian captivity” by Emperor Heraclius.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross: traditions and customs of the day

People said: “ On Vozdvizhenie the heat will shift and the cold will move in. On Vozdvizhenie autumn is moving faster towards winter" And indeed, by this time, real autumn had arrived: the sun was shining, but no longer warmed with its warmth, a cold, gusty wind was blowing, birds were flying away to warmer climes, and people were taking warm things out of their chests. On this day, the third meeting of autumn takes place and Indian summer comes to an end.

According to popular legend, on September 27 there is a battle between " honor" And " wickedness“, two forces rise (“erect”) one upon the other: “holy” and “unholy,” truth and falsehood. With the help of the Holy Cross of the Lord rising from the bowels of the earth, truth wins. Since the Cross is a symbol of suffering, the day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord was considered fast by the people.

This day was also called “Stavrov’s day” (translated from Greek as “cross”). For a long time, on this church holiday, religious processions were held around villages in order to protect them from harm for a year. They served a prayer service and walked around the fields with icons, asking the Lord for the future harvest. They also prayed for the sick. They believed that if you pray with faith, the Life-Giving Cross will rise from your deathbed.

It was customary to raise crosses on churches under construction, to build chapels and small churches in honor of the holiday. Peasants placed crosses carved out of wood or simply rowan branches folded crosswise into the bins, bottom drains and mangers next to the cow. In the old days, in order to protect their home, livestock and harvest from harm, crosses were burned on the door lintel and barn gates.

There was a belief that on the Feast of the Exaltation one should not begin any important or significant work, because everything started on this day would either be useless and unsuccessful, or would end in complete failure.

Our ancestors noticed that on this holiday, reptiles go to some unknown warm region, and swallows fly away with them. For this reason, people carefully locked the gates, gates and doors throughout the day so that the reptiles crawling into the yowl would not mistakenly crawl into the yard, and they tried not to go into the forest for the Exaltation.

This day was dangerous for going into the forest, not only because of snakes, but also because of werewolves, goblin and other evil spirits. According to legend, goblins gathered animals under their control in one place for inspection before the coming winter. They could harm the person they met.

In addition to the goblin, this day was also important for the barn-keeper - the spirit that lives in the barn and takes the form of the owner of the house. On September 27, the “name day” was celebrated. It was not allowed to heat the barn on this day. The threshers didn't work either. If sheaves had already been placed in the barn, then the owner pretended to unload it by removing the top two sheaves. The housewives spread an embroidered towel on the barn window, and left treats for the barn owner at night.

The third meeting of autumn – “Cabbage”

From this date began a series of cheerful autumn parties - “cabbage parties”, “cabbage parties”, which lasted two weeks. They were celebrated not only by residents of villages and villages, but also by townspeople. The girls, dressed in colorful, elegant clothes, went from house to house to chop cabbage. Single men were looking for brides.

In the evening, when the cabbage was chopped, real fun began, which quite often led to weddings taking place on Pokrov. To win the heart of the guy they liked, girls read a special plot.

Neighbors and acquaintances were invited to such parties. The woman, entering the house, congratulated the owners on the cabbage harvest. Beer was brewed and pies were baked for the guests. The evening ended with songs and dances.

September 27: signs and beliefs

  1. If the geese fly high, there is a large flood, if they fly low, there is a small one.
  2. The north wind blows - the summer will be warm.
  3. If a snake bites a person on the Exaltation, it will not crawl away to warmer climes. She will have to freeze in the winter cold.
  4. Frosts in the morning - early winter.
  5. If the weather is clear and warm, then the cold will not come soon.
  6. It has become sharply cold - spring will be early.
  7. North wind - for a hot summer.
  8. When you see a flock of migratory birds, you need to ask them to say hello to your departed relatives.
  9. Girls are not allowed to go into the forest, because the devil might steal it.
  10. During the Exaltation, you cannot pass by places where a murder was once committed - the evil spirits can lead you astray.
  11. If you see strange tracks on the ground, you should not cross them. These traces may belong to forest evil spirits. Whoever crosses them will soon become seriously ill.
  12. A person who gets lost in the forest on this day must take off his clothes, shake them and read a prayer. It is believed that this will help him find his way faster and protect him from meeting the devil.

To the person born 27 September, given the ability to artistic creativity. He should wear an amethyst .

Exaltation of the Holy Cross - Orthodox holiday, which is celebrated on September 27, 2018. On this day, believers remember how in 326 they found the Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. We talk about the history and traditions of the holiday, whether there is fasting on this day and what not to do for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross 2018.

What is the meaning of the holiday of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross?

The Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord: this is the full name of the holiday of September 27th. On this day Orthodox Church recalls two events at once, reports the magazine “Foma”.

According to the Holy Scriptures, in 326, Emperor Constantine and his mother, Queen Helena, went on a campaign to the Holy Land to find a shrine. Not far from Golgotha ​​they found three crosses. According to legend, a sick man touched one of the crosses and recovered. This is how they found the same Cross on which Christ was crucified.

The holiday is called Exaltation because the Cross was raised and shown to people from an elevated place so that everyone could see it and pray.

In the 7th century, the celebration of the Exaltation of the Cross was combined with the memory of another event: in 628, the Cross of the Lord was returned to Jerusalem from Persia.

Now part of the Cross is kept in the altar of the Greek Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. It is not known exactly how the fate of the Christian shrine unfolded.

Exaltation of the Cross 2018: church and folk traditions

On the day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, believers go to a festive service in the temple, try to confess and receive communion.

Church and folk traditions of the holiday of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Rus' mixed.

  • On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, peasants painted crosses on the doors of their houses.
  • Wooden crosses were placed in the feeders of cows and horses.
  • It was believed that September 27 was the last day of Indian summer;
  • The young people organized “Kapustin evenings”, and they lasted two weeks;
  • The need to observe fasting is reflected in proverbs and sayings: “Even if the Exaltation comes on Sunday, everything on it is Friday-Wednesday, Lenten food!” or “Whoever fasts on the Exaltation will have seven sins forgiven.”

Is there fasting on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross?

Yes, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, a strict fast is established in the Orthodox Church.

What can you eat on September 27, 2018?

On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, fasting people should not eat meat and dairy products, fish and eggs. Food can be seasoned with vegetable oil.

Mikhail Vinokurtsev.

What should you not do on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross 2018?

  • You can’t get carried away by all sorts of superstitions. The church considers all signs that are associated with the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross to be superstitions. They have nothing to do with the Orthodox faith.
  • You should not think that on Orthodox holidays it is forbidden to work in the garden, sew or clean. This is wrong. It is recommended to devote the holiday to God and communication with loved ones. But if a person needs to work, this is not a sin.
  • On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, you cannot use foul language or swear with others.
  • The church advises on the Exaltation of the Cross 2018 (as well as on other days) to refrain from conspiracies, occult and magical rituals.
  • September 27, 2018 You should not abuse alcohol. On an Orthodox holiday, you need to go to church, pray, take part in church rituals, and not have a riotous holiday.

Every year on September 27, the Orthodox Church remembers an event that happened many years ago in Jerusalem - the miraculous discovery of the Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross 2019 - what a holiday

The full name of the holiday is the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. On this day, Orthodox Christians remember two events.

As Holy Tradition writes, the Cross was found in 326 in Jerusalem. This happened near Mount Golgotha, where the Savior was crucified.

And the second event is the return of the Life-Giving Cross from Persia, where it was in captivity. In the 7th century, it was returned to Jerusalem by the Greek Emperor Heraclius.

Both events were united by the fact that the Cross was erected in front of the people, that is, raised. At the same time, they turned it to all directions of the world in turn, so that people could bow to it and share with each other the joy of finding a shrine.

The Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord is the twelfth holiday. The twelfth holidays are dogmatically closely connected with the events of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and are divided into the Lord's (dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ) and the Theotokos (dedicated to Mother of God). The Exaltation of the Cross is the Lord's holiday.

Traditions of the Exaltation of the Cross

Like any other church holiday, the main tradition for the Exaltation is visiting temples and churches, listening to divine liturgies. In many cities there is a procession of the cross. On this day they prayed for the healing of loved ones, for a rich harvest next year, and asked for deliverance from sins.

The cross is a special Orthodox relic that symbolizes suffering. Therefore, strict fasting should be observed on this day. Previously, it was believed that God punishes the one who neglects this tradition with seven sins, and removes seven sins from the one who did not taste the humble food.

It was believed that prayers on this day have special power. If you sincerely pray or ask for something on this day, it will definitely be fulfilled.

It was forbidden to serve any meat dishes on the table on this holiday. It was believed that a person who tasted the meat of a killed animal on this day killed all the prayers he said.

According to folk traditions, On September 27 it was forbidden to go into the forest. It was believed that on this day the Leshy walks through the forest and counts all the forest inhabitants, and if a person gets in his way, the traveler will not find the way back from the forest.

The cross symbolizes divine protection. In ancient times, those who wanted to protect their home and their loved ones painted a cross on the door of their home on September 27th. This tradition still exists today.

For peasants, this day was considered the final end of Indian summer and the onset of autumn. Already at this point, all matters relating to Agriculture, must be completed.

Folk signs on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

On September 27, it has long been customary to observe a strict fast: it is forbidden to eat meat and dairy products, as well as eggs and sweets. People believed that a person who fasts on this day is freed from sins and generational curses.

A snake in the house means trouble: according to legend, it is on the Exaltation of the Cross that snakes crawl into holes and fall into hibernation. A snake crawling into a house, in addition to the obvious danger, is considered a sign of an imminent and serious illness of someone living in this house.

If you go into the forest, you will be lost forever: according to popular belief, if you go into the forest on the day of the Exaltation of the Cross, you will not be able to return back. According to legend, the ban on visiting the forest was imposed by the King of the Forests - Leshy. On this day, from morning to night, he counts the animals in his forest, and a person who comes to such a meeting will forever get lost in the forest so that he cannot tell anyone about it.

It is forbidden to start any business on the Exaltation of the Cross: it is believed that luck does not accompany any undertakings on this day. It is better to complete all current affairs, but not take on new ones: there will be no success.

The cross on the dome is evil spirits from the village: this is what people thought in the past, and they turned out to be right: the cross, like prayers to saints, helps against evil spirits. On this day, it is customary to cleanse houses and apartments of negative energy.

A cat in the house - 7 years of happiness: according to superstition, if you take a stray cat into your house on September 27 and keep it, it will bring 7 years of happiness and prosperity.

A bird on the window is a greeting from deceased relatives: it is generally believed that on this day the souls of deceased people can fly freely in the world of the living, turning into birds, and watch their living relatives and loved ones.

Finding a cross on this day is a big disaster: The Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord presupposes the raising of the cross. A fallen cross is a symbol of decline, misfortune and grief. Raising the cross on this day means taking misfortune upon yourself.

Weather signs for Vozdvizhenie:


Prayers for the Exaltation of the Cross

September 27 is considered a strong day for prayers for unbelieving relatives, as well as for a change in fate and strengthening family life.

Any of these prayers require solitude, peace of mind and silence.

A good help in achieving the desired state will be a lamp or an ordinary candle. It is necessary to focus on the necessary prayer, feel its words and understand the meaning of the words that you will pronounce.

Prayer for family happiness and children

“Heavenly Father, eternal Shepherd and Intercessor! As the firmament of heaven is strong, as the hosts of Angels and Archangels are devoted to You and Your light, so may the small church, our family be strong until death and after it, so may my husband be devoted to me, and I be obedient to him. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen."

It is better to say this prayer to women, because they feel better in their hearts if they sincerely love their family and want to save it.

Prayer for change of fate

It happens that misfortunes and troubles have so filled life that it becomes unlovable. The opinion of psychics and practitioners on this matter is clear: small and large misfortunes and misfortunes suddenly appear - you need to look for damage or the evil eye.

But in addition to rituals and conspiracies, a strong orthodox prayer.

“Guardian Angel, staying nearby, accompanying me all my life! Take me, the foolish/foolish one, by the hand, guide me on the right path, cover me with your wings from all evil, lead me to happiness and the light of God! Amen."

How does the icon “The Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord” help?

What does the icon “Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord” look like? In the center of the composition is the Cross, which stands on a stepped dais and is supported by several clergy. Around the platform there are believers who rejoice at the return of the shrine. A temple is depicted in the background. In different images, some of these details may be missing, but only the Cross remains unchanged.

This image has enormous power, so it works wonders. Women who suffer from infertility, as well as people with serious illnesses, need to pray in front of the icon. The icon helps believers find peace and peace of mind in times of confusion and doubt.

There is a special prayer “Exaltation of the Holy Cross”:
“Save, Lord, Thy people and bless Your heritage, victories Orthodox Christian bestowing on the resistance and preserving Your residence through Your Cross.”

Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord

Historical content

On this day, the right-to-glorious Christ-sti-and-not-all-we-have two events. As the Holy Precept says, the Cross was found in 326 in Jerusalem. This happened near Mount Golgofa, where the Savior was crucified. And the second event is the return of the Living Cross from Persia, where he was in captivity. In the 7th century, he was returned to Jerusalem by the Greek emperor Irakli. Both events are united in the name of the holiday by the fact that the established Cross was raised in front of the people, that is, under -no-ma-li.

The Feast of the Voz-movement, dedicated to the Cross of Christ, expresses whether the Tur-gi-che-che (God-serves) ny) as-pect po-chi-ta-niya chri-sti-a-na-mi of the Gol-goff-sko-go-sta as an instrument of spa-se-niya of mankind. The name indicates the ceremonial lifting of the Cross up ("movement") after the cross -its in the ground. This is the only two-year holiday (i.e., one of the twenty greatest holidays of the year) th cycle), the historical basis for which not only new events appeared, but also later ones nie - from the field of church history.

The birth of Bo-go-ma-te-ri, the celebration of six days before, - before-the-ve-rie of the secrets of -the existence of God on earth, and the Cross proclaims His future sacrifice. That's why the holiday of the Cross is the same in the church of the year (September 14/27).

With the celebration of the Movement of the Cross of the Lord, the Right-glorious Church unites the good and the good a holy remembrance of the Cross itself, on which our Savior was crucified, and a joyful but sad remembrance -on-the-events about-the-re-th-of the-honest and-to-the-hundred-of-the-tree of this Cross of the State- under-nya.

On this day, the Right-glorious Church invites the faithful to render the blessed worship of Honest to the Living Cross, on which our Lord and Savior endured the greatest sufferings for the sake of our spa.

On this Cross, according to the words of the church songs, “death has died and now will not appear,” on it “with -de-la spa-se-nie Pre-eternal King in the middle of the earth” and they implement “eternal truth”; for us, the Cross of Christ is a divine ladder, “with it we ascend to heaven”; spa-si-tel-noe this tree - “weapon of the world, not-for-be-di-may-for-be-yes”, which “carries-not-se-us to the lane -your bliss, even before the enemy stole sweetness, drove us out of God’s co-creation,” and we are “the earth’s gods” and “everyone is attracted to God.” How can we not bless the Lord on this holiday by paying homage to the Cross of Christ, who revealed for us “beyond the perishable world” of our salvation, to which access to the kingdom of God is open for us, to to the heavenly bliss, through which we receive “immortal pi-shu”!

According to the words of one great father of the Church, “The cross is the head of our spa; The cross is the reason for countless blessings. Because of him, we, who were previously demon-glorious and rejected by God, are now among the sons of ; through this we no longer remain in error, but in the knowledge of the truth; through him, we, having previously kla-n-shi-e-sya de-re-vyam and stones, now know the Savior of everyone; through no-go we, former slaves of sin, are brought into the freedom of righteousness, through no-go earth , finally, became a non-bom.” The cross is “the stronghold of the saints, the light of the entire universe. As in a house engulfed in darkness, someone lit a lamp and, placing it on a higher level, muttered darkness, so also Christ in the universe, enveloped in darkness, holding up the Cross, like some kind of lamp, and lifting it up So-ko, dispelled all the darkness on the earth. And just as a lamp holds light above on its top, so the Cross above on its top did not have the s-i-ying Sun -tse is true” - na-she-spa-si-te-la.


“The movement of the Cross of the Lord”

This is what the Cross of Christ is for us, and we, holy and good, must read and honor it. Each of us sanctifies his entire life with a cross and the sign of the cross. From early childhood until my death, every Hri-sti-a-nin wears a cross on himself, on his chest, as a sign of Hri -stand for victory and for our defense and strength; We begin every task and end it with the sign of the cross, doing everything for the glory of Christ. As such for-the-shield and security, we put the sign of the cross on everything that is dear and holy to us, and on our own. their houses, and on the walls, and on the doors. With the sign of the cross we begin the day, and with the sign of the cross we go to sleep, ending -it's day.

Now the cross is our greatest holiness, our glory, our spiritual all-running sword, and so- the way Christ made it for us with his death and his passion on the Cross.

The Savior received on the Cross the greatest of executions, “the sins of ours are not carried on His Body on the tree.” (), “he humbled himself, being obedient even to the point of death, death on the cross” (). Some, in the most-re-sounding, most-excellent human-sightedness -more. “Behold,” the Church sings today, “the Lord of creation and the Lord of glory is nailed on the Cross and pro- bo-da-et-sya in the rib-ra; The sweetness of the Church tastes bile and ocet; Covering the sky about-la-ka-mi about-la-ga-et-sya with a ter-no-crown and dresses -ga-niya; With the hand of the man behind the perishable hand; Wearing the ne-bo about-la-ka-mi receives blows on the shoulders, receives p-ly-va-niya and wounds , but-she-nii and for-u-she-nii and endures everything for the sake of us, the condemned” (sti-hi-ra). How can we, who have suffered the death of the cross and the suffering of Spa-si-te-la, not bow down? in the blessed tr-pe-pe-te in front of the “re-required tree, on which Christ, the King and the Lord, is crucified”, not to honor the Holy Cross - our glory, our victory in Christ and with Christ.

Such a high and sacred meaning of the Cross of the Lord, naturally, is de-la-lo in the eyes of Christians. the very tree of the Cross of the Lord, the same wooden cross on which Spa was crucified -si-tel. But first of all, this Holy Cross was not preserved by Christ, it was not up to the level of faith , in those three hundred years it was not even known exactly where this Christian shrine was hidden . According to the Rabbi's pre-pi-sa-niy, “a stone on which someone was killed, de-re-vo, on which someone- because it was hung, a sword, with which someone was decapitated, and a rope, with which someone was killed , must be together with the Kaz-nen-us." But, not to mention the fact that the Savior was put to death for us by the Roman execution, this is the requirement of the rabbi -for-this could not have been used, but in relation to Christ's Cross also because it is pure Spa-si-te-la's body was like a ru-ka-mi of His disciples and friends. In any case, it is very likely that all three crosses (Spa-si-te-la and two times-fighters) were wives or buried close to the place of crucifixion and death of the Spa-si-te-la. The blessed memory of non-mediocre witnesses and eye-witnesses of the crucifixion of the Savior - His people of all the disciples and disciples, of course, the holy ones kept it place. None of the subsequent circumstances in the life of the first Christians, no matter how difficult these circumstances were for them could not, could not have forced them to forget the places sanctified by the events of life of the Spa-si-te- la. Subsequently, the storage of memories of the holy places of death and burial of the Savior whether the first bishops of Jerusalem and the subsequent Christians. Already St. Cyril of Jerusalem testifies that since the time of the Apostles, journeys to Jerusalem have begun for the purpose of worship -knowledge of places consecrated by the remembrance of various events in the earthly life of the Lord Ii-su-sa Hri - hundred. The taking and destruction of Jeru-sa-li-ma Ti-tom in a significant degree from many places -yes, -could-have-been-exposed to-my-self, for-sy-with-the-m-so-rum and-to-be-on-the-same-and-connected- Puppy places of crucifixion and death Spa-si-te-la. In addition, the historian of the 4th century. Ev-se-viy testifies that the enemies of the Christians - pagans - take no measures to hide and yes - to desecrate holy places for Christ; that wicked people with a na-ro-chi-mad goal are so-per-shen-but from-me-the-view of the place Gol-go-f and the Holy Sepulchre. They covered the holy cave with mud, they poured stones on top of it, and here they erected a large altar gi-ni sweet-to-passionate love. Other histories testify that they especially tried to desecrate all the holy places of demonic idols and sacrifice of the un-honorable im-per-ra-tor of the Roman Ad-ri-an (117-138 AD). Having moved the city to the place of ra-zo-ren-no-go Ti-tom Ieru-sa-li-ma, he ordered to fill the coffin of the Lord on the day of the earth and many stones, and on the mountain where the Savior was crucified (on the “rock of the Cross”), he built a temple of the language of the heavenly god of dis-travel Ve-ne-re and placed her idol, and above the Tomb of the Lord under-him stood the idol of Jupi-te-ra. But neither the destruction of Jeru-sa-li-ma by Ti-tom, nor the restoration of it by Ad-ri-a-nom could so change the clan and holy places, so that for the benefit of Christ, those who remember these places would not recognize them, could they find. And the aspirations of the dishonest and pagans to desecrate and hide these places until they achieve the opposite goal : their-and-mi-on-sy-py-mi and idol-mi-with-or-with-neither-me-they are firmly from-me-cha-these places, de-la-whether not -possible for their faith and even their own language. This is how the Lord destroys “you are worthless” and the very evil of man turns to the good of his Church !

The good-go-go-vey-but keep-my-me in the memory of the faith-ru-yu-th and firmly marked-by-language-no-mi, although-tya desecrated by them, the holy place of the death of the Lord remained un-touched until the time of Tsar Kon -stan-ti-na Ve-li-ko-go. This Christ-loving im-per-ra-tor, still being outwardly not a pagan, but in fact appearing as Christ -an-skim go-su-da-rem, had the main purpose of especially honoring the Cross of Christ. This sign of Christ's victory, according to the Divine dispensation, served three times for Kon-stan-ti-na Ve -Do-I-know-anyone knows how to defeat his enemies. In 312, Kon-stan-tin fought against the same hundred Mac-sen-tius, who reigned in Rome, followed before you kill the Christian, about the wondrous ungodly life. According to the words of to-g-dash-no-isto-ri-ka (Ev-se-via), Mak-sen-tiy, getting ready to fight with Kon-stan-ti-n, ran to various sorceries and superstitious rituals; Kon-stan-tin, not quite at ease with the strength of his army, felt a lack of support for the supernatural. he wanted help over the enemy, but he was thinking about which God he should pray to for this help. In this difficult moment, Kon-stan-tin remembered that his father, Kon-stan-tsiy, who had provided sti-a-us, use-so-val-sya b-go-so-sto-I-n-e-em, then-yes-how did the chri-sti-an have trouble- the right end, - and for some reason I decided to address the prayer to God. the supreme being. And so, when he gave himself up to zealous prayer, then about mid-day he saw a radiant cross in the sky, s-appearing stronger than the sun's light, with an over-writing on it: “Sim po-be-di-shi.” This is a miraculous sign of vi-de-li and vo-i-ny, among whom was Pol-ko-vo-dect Ar-te-miy, subsequently for-martyr-ny (under Yuli-and-not From-step-no-ke) for Christ. Struck by an unusually heavenly vision, Kon-stan-tin fell into a deep sleep, and Spa himself appeared to him in a dream -si-tel, again showed him the same sign of the cross, ordered him to use the image of the cross as a sign in howl-s-kah, and promised him victory not only over Mak-sen-ti-em, but also over all the enemies. Having woken up, Kon-stan-tin ordered to make the Cross of the State, according to the knowledge he had seen, from the stone -valuable stones, and also to draw the image of the cross on banners, on weapons, helmets and shields in-and- new Since then, the Kon-stan-ti-na army has been marching, having as its sign the cross, united with the first -mi letters-va-mi name Spa-si-te-la. In the battle on the Melvian bridge (across the Tiber), Kon-stan-tin won a brilliant victory over Mac-sen-ti-em (October 28, 312). Mak-sen-tiy himself drowned with many of his warriors in the river, and Konstantin entered Rome without fail. After this, he erected a statue of himself in Rome, holding a cross in his right hand, and on top of the statue there was a Yes, over Mak-sen-ti-em there was a “spa-si-tel-no-sign” of the cross. Also, in the war with Vi-zan-tiy-tsa-mi and ski-fa-mi, two more times Kon-stan-tin saw in the sky a miraculous sign of the Cre -a hundred, which brought him victory over his enemies.

It’s easy to understand how good it was to the Cross of the Lord, but after these events the hearts -tse hri-sto-lu-bi-vo-go tsar Kon-stan-ti-na. And this im-per-ra-tor, “not without inspiration from above, but awakened by the Spirit of the Spa-si-te-la” re -wanted not only to find the venerable tree of the Cross of the Lord, to pay homage to it, but also the “holy place of spa -tel-no-th resurrection in Jeru-sa-li-me to make all-common good -ta-niya” - build a temple over it. The fulfillment of all the blessings of his mother, the blessed woman, appeared to him -ri-tsa Elena, on-sto-I-n-yam-sa-mo-go im-per-ra-to-ra accepted Christianity, from-li-chav -I am blessed and ardently zealous for the faith of Christ. In 326, Elena set off for the holy land with the goal of finding and visiting places consecrated by the main co-being with life Spa-si-te-la. Arriving in Jerusalem, using the full blessing of the desire to find the cave of the grave of the Lord and honor the new tree of the Cross, she zealously began to look for them. Pat-ri-ar-khom in Ieru-sa-li-me was at that time Ma-ka-riy, who met the tsar-ri-tsu with the po-do-ba-yu-schi-mi -honestly and helped her in her holy deed.

In the fullness of blissful joy and spirit, the tsar and all those who were with her worship and ceremonies to the Cross. And since, due to the multitude of people, not everyone could venerate the tree of the Holy Cross and even not everyone could see him, then Pat-ri-arch Ma-kariy, standing in a high place, under no-small, erected the hall of St. The cross, as if calling it out. The people bowed down to the Cross, shouting: “Lord, have mercy!” This is where the holiday of the Honest and Life-Creative Movement got its origin and name Kre-sta Gos-pod-nya. This is the co-existence of the Honest Cross of the Lord and the Chu-de-sa, who co-led it, produced -is there any impression not only on Christianity, but also on the Jews. And yes, so not-so-wanted-but-to-indicate the presence of holy places, along with many ev-re-me in Christ and was baptized, receiving the name Ki-ri-a-ka in holy baptism. Subsequently, he was the pat-ri-ar-khom of Jerusalem and suffered a tormented end under him. re Yuli-a-not From-step-no-ke. Kon-stan-tin himself subsequently, in a letter to Jerusalem pat-ri-ar-kh Ma-kar-riu, wrote about the ob-re-te-nii Honestly, the Cross of the Lord: “there are no words for a complete description of this miracle. The sign of holy passions, hidden underground for so long and remaining in the unknown sti-e in those whole centuries, finally re-s-si-i-lo.” Holy Queen Elena, with the mighty cooperation of her son, King Kon-stan-ti-na, on-cha-la-stroy -to build churches in Jerusalem and throughout Pa-le-sti in places consecrated by events from the life of the Savior la. And before everything happened, by the will of the tsar and the tsar, the foundation and approach to the construction on the site of the Gro-ba of the State and the re-re-te-niya of St. The cross of the church of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the consecration of which was at its peak -but on September 13, 335. After that, the blessed king ordered to build a temple in Geth-si-ma-nii on the place where the coffin of the Most Holy God was located, in the name of Her Dormition and, in addition, seventeen churches in different places of the holy land.

What about the fate of the saint? El-honest tree of the Cross of the Lord, then, unfortunately, it cannot be indicated exactly and completely defined -de-len-but. This tree of the Cross of the Lord has become such a great sanctuary for Christianity that Christ-a-not, already at the We are aware of it in large quantities throughout Jerusalem, not only in -to him, but, if possible, and succeed, to receive a piece from him. Indeed, St. Cyril of Jerusalem (IV century) testifies that already in his time small parts of the Living Cross there were spread across countries all over the earth. And St. John of the Evil Mouth (IV century) testifies that “many, both men and wives, received a small part- tsu this tree and surround it with gold, hang it around your neck.”

But not all the wood of the cross was taken from Ieru-sa-li-ma. Part of the re-ten-no-go-tree of the Cross and nails from the king Elena sla-la to her son Kon-stan-ti -well, the rest was locked in a silver ark and lied before Jerusalem A church with a pre-storage for future generations.

And St. Cyril of Jerusalem confirms that the honorable tree of the Cross of the Lord was kept in his time and, as va-elk na-ro-du in Ieru-sa-li-me. And in the description of the divine service of the Great Friday in Jerusalem, done by a certain noble pa- scrap 4th century (Sylvie-ey, or Ete-ri-ey), we are looking for an in-the-res-new description of the s-m-o-ry-y-y of the clo-ne-dre- vu of the Cross of the Lord with an indication of those measures that were taken against the destruction of the holy tree blah-che-sti-you-mi pa-lom-ni-ka-mi. “On Gol-go-fe,” it says in this description, “behind the Cross, i.e. behind the church in honor of St. Cross, even before six hundred o'clock in the morning the bishop of the ca-fedral is installed. The bishop sits on this lectern, in front of him there is a table covered with a scarf, around the table there are dia-cons and accessories -there is a silver-golden ark in which the holy tree of the Cross is housed; it opens and you don't; put on the table both the tree of the Cross and the cheekbone (titulus). So, when it’s on the table, the bishop is sitting, holding the ends of the holy tree with his hands. va; Dia-ko-ns, who are standing around, are guarding. It is protected in such a way that there is a custom, according to which the whole people, approaching one by one at night, ke, both the faithful and the public, lean to the table, grab the holy tree and walk. And since, they say, I don’t know when, someone gnawed and stole a part of the holy de-re-va, then this -now the dia-cons standing around are guarding so that no one under-walking dares to do that -wow. And so the whole people come up at night, all bowing and touching first with their heads, then with their eyes. a hundred and cheeks and, round the Cross, they pass; no one is trying to hand-pull for touching.” The presence of parts of the tree of the Cross of the Lord in Jerusalem is confirmed and other histories ski-mi dan-ny-mi. In the 7th century in the kingdom of Byzantine im-per-ra-to-ra Fo-ki (602-610), this great Christian saint -nya for a while in the hands of per-sov. Khoz-roy, the king of Per-Sid, entered into a war with Fo-ka, conquered Egypt, Af-ri-ku and Pa-lesti-nu, and took Jeru-sa -lim, robbed him of his treasures and, among these treasures, took from Ieru-sa-li-ma and the tree of Life-creation- of the Cross of the Lord and took him to Persia. But the Lord did not allow the unfaithful to have possession of the Christian holy place for long. Pre-em-nick Fo-ki imp. Irakliy for some time could not defeat Khoz-roy, and then he turned to God with a prayer for help. -mighty cabbage soup. He ordered all the believers of his kingdom to perform prayers, services to God and fasts, that If only the Lord would get us out of the enemy. The Lord granted Irak-liah victory over Khoz-ro-em, who himself was killed by his son. After this, Irak-liy took away from the Persians the many-valuable holy Christian - the honorable tree of the Cross of the Lord and re -shil-re-not-tied him solemnly-but again to Jerusalem. In 628, the emperor Irak-liy, having reached Jeru-sa-li-ma, brought St. tree on his shoulders, carried it, dressed in his royal clothes. But suddenly, at the gate that had gone to the Execution, he unexpectedly stopped and could not go further - not a step. And then Za-kha-rii, pat-ri-ar-hu kon-stan-ti-no-Polish-mu, came out together with the living-te-la-mi Ieru -sa-li-ma at-the-meeting of the Tsar, it was from the light-nose of the an-ge-la that it was not possible - something that Christ carried in a state of un- ity, not in royal robes. Then the king dressed himself in simple and poor clothes and, with bare feet, brought the saint in. the tree was taken to the church at the place where it was located before it was taken by Khoz-ro. Here the honorable tree of the Cross of the Lord was kept in the future. At least, in the beginning of the 9th century. Among the clergy of the Church of the Resurrection there were two priests, whose responsibilities -to protect St. Cross and su-da-riy. At the cross-nose of St. the same tree, not-with-m-nen-but, came to Ieru-sa-li-me and more than once served as a rim and protection Noah their howl in battles with infidels. However, the further fate of the honorable tree of the Holy Cross is not exactly known. It is very likely that over time, gradually decreasing in its volume, due to the -why-would-you-want to have different abodes and monasteries to have parts of St. tree, it was completely divided into separate parts, which indicate those -per in many temples and monasteries. In particular, in Rome, in the ba-zi-li-ke of the Holy Cross, a de-re-vian-naya to the cheek is kept. you-y-y-you for that up-to-cheek, titulus, which-heaven-was-a-over-the-head Spa-si-te-la and after-na-de-na St. Barely lying away from the Cross.

And now, on the day of the celebration of the Resurrection of the Honest and Living Cross of the Lord, we, the Christians -no, we can only mentally pay tribute to the honorable tree of the Cross, on some- Our Savior was crucified. But this Cross is not inscribed on our blessed hearts, but its real image is in front of in the temple and on us - on our chest, in our dwellings.

“Be-and-di-those, ver-nii, the living-tree is clown, on it is Christ, the King of glory, in- I’m laying hands on the ras-pro-ster, bringing us to our first bliss!” (sti-hi-ra sa-mo-chl.).

The meaning of the celebration of the rise of the Holy Cross

Being one-of-a-kind by united re-birth with the seed of the passions of Christ, on-hundred this holiday according to ha-rak-te-ru is so-ver-shen-but from-whether from those who are the key ones in the year according to the mind -tel-no-sti and great days - days for which one rightly receives the title of “holy and great” to their". Those are the days of crying over the Divine Sufferer; this is a day of rejoicing about the consequences of His passion, about the fruits of redemption. This is a holiday precisely in honor of the purchase itself in the person of the main weapon, the sign and bringing it to us .

The weapon is a worth-standing-but-so-ho-st-va-niya, the very-sto-st-of-celebration in honor of him not only because the meaning it had in the act of purchase itself, not only in view of the importance it with that time, not in the life of Christ, but also in terms of what it was for Christ himself. hundred. “The cross has the glory of Christ and you with Christ,” says St. Andrew of Crete (word on the Exaltation), referring in confirmation of the first thought to and the second to John 12:32 : “Even if I am not in the air, I will be away from the earth...”. “If the Cross of Christ constitutes the glory of Christ, then on this day the cross is raised for the purpose of -Christ would be glorified. It is not Christ who rises up so that the Cross may be glorified, but the Cross that rises up so that Christ may be glorified.” .

Being Christ's, His glory and exaltation, this Cross is too close to us already in its original idea. He, in fact, is our Cross. Christ “carried on his shoulders the same cross on which he was crucified, as if he had taken it upon himself , defined so-sin-shim"; He “carried the cross above us” (St. Cyril of Aleksandriya on John, book 12).

From here are those innumerable blessings that you brought upon us with the Cross. “This kind feeder, having fed our entire life to the fullest extent and having killed it, has given us eternal life in the future.” (St. Ephraim the Syrian, sermon on the Holy Cross). “By the Cross we escaped from enmity, and by the Cross we established ourselves in friendship with God. The cross united people with the face of angels, making them by nature alien to all perishable things and to-sta-living they have the opportunity to lead an incorruptible life" (word on the Voz-dvi-zhe-nie of Va-sily Se-lev-kiysky, pri-pi-sy-va -e-mine and St. John-to-the-evil-mouth). “He made the earth pure, elevated our nature to the royal throne” (St. John of the Evil-mouth, word on the clo-ne -nie Kre-stu). “This Cross turned the whole world to the true path, drove out error, returned the truth, made the earth heaven” ( word about the Cross, to St. John of the Evil Mouth). “He put an end to the lawless deeds of the world, stopped its godless teachings, and the world no longer pleases -Volsky for-us and is not bound by the bonds of death; (The Cross) affirmed the whole-wisdom and wasted sweetness; sanctified the rule of the dominion and the lower-lived dominion according to his wishes. In the matter itself, what kind of goodness is there in the Kre-sta? Which of the blessings is given to us, but not through the Cross? Through the Cross we learned goodness and knowledge of the power of the Divine nature; through the Cross we hurra-zu-me the truth of God and by-sti-ga-em the goodness of whole-wisdom; through the Cross we knew each other; through the Cross we knew the power of love and do not dare die for each other; thanks to the Cross, we have despised all the blessings of the world and counted them for nothing, expecting future blessings and not seeing them. mine is like mine, as you see it. The cross spreads - and the truth spreads throughout the entire universe, and the kingdom of heaven is a blessing -rya-et-sya (the word for the Voi-movement of Va-si-lia Se-lev-kiysky or Io-an-na of Evil-u-sta).

By creating these highest spiritual blessings for mankind, the Cross from ancient times began to manifest spa-si -his bodily strength and in the pure needs of life as a Christian. “This is a sign in the time of our ancestors,” testifies St. Evil-mouth or contemporary writer to him, - from-the-closed-doors, it uga-sha-lo gu-bi-tel poisons, cured the bites of poisonous animals. If it opened the gates of hell and opened the vault of heaven, it restored the entrance to heaven and created the power of dia “Wow, what’s surprising, if it overcomes destructive poisons?” (a word on the veneration of the Cross, to the Holy Evil's mouth).

Along with this, so to speak, ta-in-stvenny, mystical meaning for Christ, a cross in the middle -I had a purely moral meaning for him. He became a rim and support for him in the difficulties of personal baptism. “Look,” Christ seems to be saying, “at what My Cross has accomplished; make the same kind of weapon, and do what you want. Let (the successor of Christ) be so ready to endure the sacrifice and be crucified on the cross. Hey, says the Lord, how ready is he who does not carry the cross on his shoulders; let him consider himself in such close proximity to death. In front of such a person, everyone comes into amazement, because we are not so afraid of armed demons -len-ny-mi che-lo-ve-che-ski-mi oru-di-ya-mi and strong courage, like a che-lo-ve-ka, oda-ren-no-go with such power" (a word on the worship of the Cross, in-pi-sy-va-e-my Evil-mouth).

“Looking at the cross inhales courage and gives rise to fear” (St. Andrew of Crete’s word on the Ascension ).

Finally, the cross received for chri-sti-a-ni-na and es-ha-to-lo-gi-che-che-meaning. “So, yes, it was said, the sign of the cross will appear in the sky. Ko-g-da “to-g-da”? When the heavenly forces begin to move. That-yes-decorated-with-me-n-church, having acquired for themselves this much-valuable bi-ser, good-ro-sho- having preserved this image and continued, the sun-hi-sche-nys will be on the ob-la-kah” (Pan-to-lei, Presbyter of Vizantium , reading on Voz-dvi-zhe-nie).

It is not surprising that the cross has become a sign of Christ. “The cross was given to us as a sign on the forehead in exactly the same way as Iz-ra-i-lu about-re-za-nie; for through this we are the faithful, and we are distinguished from the unfaithful” (St. John Da-maskin, words -on the day of the Cross).

By-ste-pen-but Christianity appreciates all the meaning for him of this sign, this trophy of Christ’s victory -sto-howl. And then pro-thought came to the aid of the Church through its own indirect action - from the Cross from the depths of the earth and reality -le-ni-eat it in the sky. “The Lord would not have allowed him to remain in the earth, but he took him out and carried him up to heaven; He will come with him at His second coming.” (St. John of Evil-mouth, a word about the Cross and crucifixion). He is re-tenant with im-per-ra-to-rahs who believe in Christ, re-tenant by the power of the divine and artless -noy, the only strength and firmness of faith. When God gave Christ the royal sceptres, it was at this time that He pleased to reveal the Cross through a woman I’m blessed, I’m the Tsar, I’m decorating you with royal wisdom, I’m making you wise, let’s say so, by the divine god-wise, so that she, partly using the power of the word, characteristic of a royal person , tried everything that could move the unyielding heart of the Jews” (St. Andrew of Crete, word on Voz- movement). “From the treasuries of the earth came the sign of the Lord, the sign that shook the hellish caves free the souls contained in them. A spiritual pearl came forth for the faithful, confirmed in the crown of Christ, in order to illuminate the whole universe. He appeared in order to be raised up, and rises up in order to appear (so that he can be seen). They put him under him many times and call him to the people, just not shouting: “that’s about it.” -en-noe so-cre-vi-sche-spa-se-niya” (St. Andrew of Crete, word on the Voz-dvi-zhe-nie).

Established in memory of the re-re-te-ment and appearance of the Cross, the holiday, of course, has been in the souls of Christians for a long time already prepared soil, was in response to the long-standing request of their spirit. But he, having immediately received a wide-spread of fear and great solemnity, without hesitation, increased his love. go to the Cross and read it. The cross now acquires a special meaning in the struggle of Christ with the enemies we do not see his spa- se-niya, especially in the hands of movers. Now they appreciate and all the significance of it not only in the deed of our salvation, the consummation of Christ, but also in the world -ho-za-vet-nom in the preparation of this spa-session, explaining here a lot of it, so to speak, by a return action.

Published according to: Ska-ball-la-no-vich M.N. The rise of the Honest and Living Cross of the Lord.
Kyiv. Ed. "Prologue". 2004 pp. 7-18, 45-46, 232-236, 249-250.

Liturgical (liturgical) features

The evening before, an all-night vigil is held. See in.

Audio:

Kontakion 1

Come, people of Christ, let us praise the Honest Cross, on which Christ, the King of Glory, stretched out his hand, leading us to the first bliss, from which we fell through the deception of the serpent. But you, O Most Holy Cross, as having the inherent power of the Crucified Christ, save and preserve from all troubles those who lovingly call you:

Ikos 1

The faces of angels, like God’s servants, glorify the Cross in reality, the free passion of Christ the Giver of Life. We, having been delivered from eternal death by His suffering, imitating the powers above, joyfully cry out:

Rejoice, Cross, for on you Christ our God, with His will, His hand spread out, created our salvation; Rejoice, for by Christ, who laid upon you the crime of Adam and Eve, who stretched out their hands to the forbidden tree, has been abolished.

Rejoice, for the ancient oath that was against us has been taken away from the Lawgiver, who was raised against you, like a criminal; Rejoice, for by the strange sacrament that has been performed on you, the human race has been freed from mortal aphids.

Rejoice, for the sting of death has been broken upon you by those who suffered and died; Rejoice, for the sake of suffering, God is reconciled with people.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, a joyful sign of our redemption.

Kontakion 2

Seeing fallen men, O Lord, You became human, and You freely endured the cross and death in your flesh for our race, so that You might deliver from eternal death those who confess Thee, the Son of God, and cry out to Thee: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

The human mind is exhausted in comprehending the great mystery of Your incarnation and free suffering for us: how You, this impassive God, endured the passion of the cross as a man and made this instrument of Your death a source of life and salvation for all who piously believe in You and those who sing praises:

Rejoice, O Cross, on which the sacrament, predestined from the ages, was performed; Rejoice, for in you our redemption has been accomplished, presented in many forms and symbols.

Rejoice, for the Giver of Life died on you, flowing blood and water, in the image of which our sins are washed away; Rejoice, for with drops of His most holy blood the sinful scabs of our souls are cleansed.

Rejoice, O Cross, like the living tree that is in the midst of God's paradise, longed for by Christians; Rejoice, who intelligently nourishes us with the fruits of immortality and encourages our cowardice with the hope of eternal life.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, all-joyful sign of our redemption.

Kontakion 3

Thy Cross, even though the tree is apparently a being, but is clothed with the Divine power, and the sensory world is revealed intelligently, works wonders for our salvation, striving to sing to You: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

Having the Most Holy Cross before our eyes, with holy veneration we honor the Savior Christ crucified on it for the sake of it, and we call out with a kiss:

Rejoice, O Cross, glorified by the obedience and suffering of Christ; Rejoice, exalted by the exaltation of the Son of God upon you, Who raised up the whole world from the fall of Adam.

Rejoice, for the terrible mystery that came to pass upon you made the earth horrified and tremble, as if it wanted to devour the lawbreakers; Rejoice, for I will slay the Lamb of God upon you; the veil of the temple will be rent and the sacrifice of the Old Testament will be abolished.

Rejoice, O Cross, for under thee I was crushed to pieces, the stony-hearted Jews who gave birth to unbelief fell away from God, and were deprived of the grace of the priesthood and the kingdom; Rejoice, for having been darkened by the sun in the passion of Christ, the night of polytheism has passed away and the light of faith has risen.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, all-joyful sign of our redemption.

Kontakion 4

Breathing in a storm of malice and driven by envy, the high priestess of Judaism hid Your Cross in the ground, O Christ God, may their madness not be a reproof; but to that one, like a precious treasure, arose from the bowels of the earth, acquired through the diligence of the pious Queen Helen and revealed to the joy of the whole world, with the red song of God: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

Having seen then the Christian people finding the honorable Cross, they glorified Christ God crucified on it, crying “Lord, have mercy.” Now, imitating them, we glorify His Holy Cross with titanic praises:

Rejoice, Cross, who sanctified our earthly nature into the hidden earth and desecrated by sins; Rejoice, having disgraced the incarnation and divinity of Christ by your appearance from the depths of the earth.

Rejoice, for He who suffered in your flesh has received all power in Heaven and on earth, so that He may lead everyone and everything to God the Father; Rejoice, for He who died on you as a man, by the power of His Divinity, broke the rivets of hell and brought out the souls of the righteous from there.

Rejoice, O Cross, as a prudent thief, who was crucified with Christ, who confessed Him, through you, like a ladder, ascended to Heaven; Rejoice, for by cutting off the passions of Christ, you have raised them all into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, all-joyful sign of our redemption.

Kontakion 5

Lord, under Moses, sometimes the prophet, we show the image of Your Cross, victorious against Your enemies, now we have Your very Cross, we ask for help: strengthen Your Church and grant it victories over its enemies, so that all Your enemies, not crying out to You, may be scattered: Alleluia.

Ikos 5

Of the Honest Cross, Christ, having prefigured the action of Moses, defeat Amalek in the desert of Sinai: for when people stretched out their hands and created an image of the cross, they became stronger; now all things have come into being in us: today the Cross is erected, and demons are running away, today all creation is freed from aphids, as if all the gifts of the Cross have risen up for us. Moreover, we rejoice and cry:

Rejoice, Cross, the terrible weapon of Christ, whose demons tremble; Rejoice, for by the power of the Crucified Christ upon you, the hordes of demons are driven far away.

Rejoice, for by the power of the Divine grace acting in you, victories against those who resist are granted to Christ-loving people; Rejoice, for from you, as from the tall and fruitful tree of Christ, suffering on you, the fruits of life and salvation grow for us.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, all-joyful sign of our redemption.

Kontakion 6

The life-giving tree of the Cross sometimes appeared as a preacher of the power and Divinity of Christ, when with your touch you raised the dead and raised him to life, having seen many of them from the Jews and the tongue learned the great mystery of piety: for the sake of human salvation, God appeared in the flesh and endured the passion of the cross, yes He will save those who cry to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

Like the great tree of paradise, the honorable Cross of Christ rose on Calvary, from which the mental branches of grace spread throughout the entire universe and were crucified on it: under its canopy they find the coolness of the palimia with the heat of passions and those who want to live piously in Christ Jesus. Likewise, we, partakers of His grace, cheerfully cry out:

Rejoice, Holy Cross, tree of life, planted in Eden for Adam's sake, symbolized; Rejoice, new Adam, who stretched out his hand on you and revealed himself to the world.

Rejoice, for under the canopy of your blessed protection all the faithful come running; Rejoice, for through the mercy of the One who has given us to you, repentant sinners escape the fire of Gehenna.

Rejoice, Cross, our consolation in sorrows and sorrows; Rejoice, life-giving consolation and help to those who are exhausted in the fight against the temptations of passions, the world and the devil.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, all-joyful sign of our redemption.

Kontakion 7

Although You have shown the unsearchable abyss of Your goodness and mercy to the human race, Your Cross, O Lord, has given us a strong guardian and drive away demons. In the same way, all of us who believe in You glorify the greatness of Your passion, singing gratefully to You: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

Thou hast revealed wondrous deeds, O Lord, by Thy venerable Cross: for I have crucified myself upon Thy flesh, the whole creation has changed: the sun has hidden its rays, the foundations of the earth have shaken, hell has been crushed by the power of Thy power, and the hostiles have been brought forth, even as they have been for centuries. For this reason, let us tie these song flowers:

Rejoice, Cross, for all creation has compassion for those who suffered on You, as their Creator and Master; Rejoice, for the sun bears witness to His power and Divinity through darkness and the earth through shaking.

Rejoice, for the One who died on you was not kept dead, but, having destroyed the power of death, rose again on the third day; Rejoice, for I have resurrected the preaching of the Gospel, which began from the face of the Apostle, and has gone forth to all the ends of the earth.

Rejoice, O Cross, for through you idolatry and pagan polytheism have been abolished; Rejoice, for for your sake the right faith in the One God, glorified in the Trinity, has been established throughout the entire earth.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, all-joyful sign of our redemption.

Kontakion 8

It is strange that God became human and was crucified on the Cross, having mentally seen, we will withdraw from the vanity of the world, we will transfer our mind to Heaven. For this reason, God descended to the earth and ascended to the Cross, so that, like a ladder, he would lead to Heaven those who cry to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 8

Today Adam and Eve rejoice, present seeing the Cross, he was struck down by the adversary, who of old in paradise by eating the forbidden fruit of those deceiving and creating captives for himself. In the same way, we, rejoicing at our forefathers about the deliverance from our spiritual captivity, reverently sing:

Rejoice, Cross, for upon you is the Good Shepherd, who laid down His soul for His sheep and even went down to hell, looking for the lost; Rejoice, for He did not despise the work of His hand, Adam and Eve, but with the other I snatched the righteous from hell, like from the jaws of a mighty beast, and installed them in paradise.

Rejoice, for upon you, who was nailed to Christ, has a flaming weapon of braids, and the Cherub, who guards the Eden, retreat from the tree of life; Rejoice, for we, now through Baptism of rebirth, new people in Christ, partake without restraint of the food of heaven.

Rejoice, Cross, rod of the power of Christ, sent from Zion, by whom we feed in the pastures of the gospel teachings; Rejoice, for through you we are preserved unharmed from the murderous wolves, who roar like lions and seek whom to devour.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, all-joyful sign of our redemption.

Kontakion 9

Deliver us from all troubles and snares of the enemy, blessed on the Cross, for we have received grace and power from Christ nailed to you; to Him, as our God and Savior, we sing with gratitude and praise: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

The Vetianism of all earthly beings is not sufficient for the glorification of Thy Cross, O Lord, on which Thou hast made our salvation; At the same time, perplexed to praise her according to her heritage, we cry out to her:

Rejoice, Cross, for as the Savior of the world, lifted up on you, has called many people into His knowledge and continues to call them to this day; Rejoice, for having shone on you, like on a candlestick, the true Light illuminates all the ends of the earth with the light of the knowledge of God.

Rejoice, for now the East and West glorify the One who suffered in you; Rejoice, for you, as the footstool of Christ, are glorified by all the faithful, elevating.

Rejoice, for from you, as from the inexhaustible source of Christ, people will draw an abundance of eternal blessings.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, all-joyful sign of our redemption.

Kontakion 10

For those who want to be saved and come running under the shadow of your protection, be your helper, the Most Holy Cross, preserving us from all evils by the power of the Crucified Christ upon you, to Him, as to our God and Savior, we sing with gratitude and laudation: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

You are the wall that protects us from troubles and misfortunes, the all-honorable Cross, and a strong pillar against the face of the enemy; the invisible fighters do not dare to approach them, afraid to look at Your power. For this reason, with faith, we are protected by your holy sign and cheerfully sing:

Rejoice, most honorable Cross of Christ, protect us from the attacks of spirits of evil; Rejoice, keep us safe from various arrows.

Rejoice, for from your sign, which we do piously with faith, all the powers of hell, like smoke from the wind, disappear; Rejoice, for through you all their strength, like wax before the fire, melts away.

Rejoice, as a holy martyr, protected by your sign and calling on the name of Christ, everyone bravely endured the sight of torment; Rejoice, for the reverend fathers, with the help of the power of the Divine, inherent in your sign, have overcome demonic fears and passions of rebellion.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, all-joyful sign of our redemption.

Kontakion 11

We offer all-contrite singing to Thee, O all-honorable Cross, and we humbly pray to Christ our God crucified on you, Who has given us joy and consolation in sorrow, that through His passion He will deliver us from harmful passions and teach us to faithfully chant to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

With the light of the grace of God, inherent in the mysteries, enlighten our spiritual feelings, the Holy Cross, so that we are illuminated and instructed, so that we may not stumble over the stone of temptation, but may be able to follow the path of God’s commandments throughout our entire life, singing to this face:

Rejoice, messenger of Christ’s unceasing miracles and preacher of His mercy to the human race; rejoice. The Cross, the renewal of the human race and the New Testament of Christ is the seal and confirmation.

Rejoice, triumph of the Christian faith and trustworthy anchor of our hope; Rejoice, decoration of the holy temples of God and protection of the houses of the pious.

Rejoice, blessing of the fields and vertograds; Rejoice in the sanctification of all elements.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, all-joyful sign of our redemption.

Kontakion 12

Grant us Your all-powerful grace, O Lord, so that we may follow You, our Master, taking up our cross, not nailed down to it, but through labor, abstinence and humility, so that we may be partakers of Your sufferings, from which flow the sweat of Eternal Life, soldering all the faithful, piously singing Ti: Hallelujah.

Ikos 12

Singing your greatness, all-honored Cross, we all praise you, like the victorious scepter of the Heavenly King, an all-joyful sign of our salvation, and we also cry out:

Rejoice, Cross, the power of Orthodox Christians and their indestructible defense; Rejoice, adornment of the saints and strength and reinforcement of all ascetics of faith and piety.

Rejoice, Cross, protect us from the cradle to the grave on all the paths of life, and after death in the air ordeals protect us from the spirits of evil; Rejoice, for under your sign those who rest, who died in faith and piety, will rise on the last day to eternal life.

Rejoice, O Cross, who by your appearance in Heaven preceded the glorious Second Coming of Christ; Rejoice, for those who have crucified Christ and all the unfaithful will then see you and the mountaineers will weep, but those who love the Lord, seeing you, will rejoice greatly.

Rejoice, Honest Cross, all-joyful sign of our redemption.

Elder Cleopas (Elijah)

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