Saints Cyril & Methodius
Bulgarian Orthodox Mission
(web address: www.bocdc.org)
Meeting
at St. Luke Orthodox Church
6801
Georgetown Pike, PO Box 1015
Mc Lean, VA 22101
Elevation of
the Cross
(celebrated on September 14)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH
Orthodox Church in America
Diocese of Washington
Commemoration
of the Elevation of the Cross
The Elevation of the Venerable and Life-Creating Cross of
the Lord: The pagan Roman emperors tried to completely eradicate from human
memory the holy places where our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and was resurrected
for mankind. The Emperor Hadrian (117-138) gave orders to cover over the ground
of Golgotha and the Sepulchre of the Lord, and to build a temple of the pagan
goddess Venus and a statue of Jupiter.
Pagans gathered at this place and
offered sacrifice to idols there. Eventually after 300 years, by Divine
Providence, the great Christian sacred remains, the Sepulchre of the Lord and
the Life-Creating Cross were again discovered and opened for veneration. This
took place under the Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337) after his victory
in the year 312 over Maxentius, ruler of the Western part of the Roman empire,
and over Licinius, ruler of its Eastern part. In the year 323 Constantine
became the sole ruler of the vast Roman Empire.
In 313 he had issued the Edict of
Milan, by which the Christian religion was legalized and the persecutions
against Christians in the Western half of the empire were stopped. The ruler
Licinius, although he had signed the Edict of Milan to oblige Constantine,
still fanatically continued the persecutions against Christians. Only after his
conclusive defeat did the 313 Edict of toleration extend also to the Eastern
part of the empire. The Holy Equal of the Apostles Emperor Constantine, having
gained victory over his enemies in three wars with God's assistance, had seen
in the heavens the Sign of the Cross, and written beneath: "By this you
shall conquer."
Ardently desiring to find the
Cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, St Constantine sent his
mother, the pious Empress Helen (May 21), to Jerusalem, providing her with a
letter to St Macarius, Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Although the holy empress Helen
was already in her declining years, she set about completing the task with
enthusiasm. The empress gave orders to destroy the pagan temple and the statues
in Jerusalem. Searching for the Life-Creating Cross, she made inquiry of
Christians and Jews, but for a long time her search remained unsuccessful.
Finally, they directed her to a
certain elderly Hebrew by the name of Jude who stated that the Cross was buried
where the temple of Venus stood. They demolished the pagan temple and, after
praying, they began to excavate the ground. Soon the Tomb of the Lord was
uncovered. Not far from it were three crosses, a board with the inscription
ordered by Pilate, and four nails which had pierced the Lord's Body (March 6).
In order to discern on which of
the three crosses the Savior was crucified, Patriarch Macarius alternately
touched the crosses to a corpse. When the Cross of the Lord touched the dead
one, he came to life. Having beheld the raising of the dead man, everyone was
convinced that the Life-Creating Cross was found.
Christians came in a huge throng
to venerate the Holy Cross, beseeching St Macarius to elevate the Cross, so
that even those far off might reverently contemplate it. Then the Patriarch and
other spiritual leaders raised up the Holy Cross, and the people, saying
"Lord have mercy," reverently prostrated before the Venerable Wood.
This solemn event occurred in the year 326.
During the discovery of the
Life-Creating Cross another miracle took place: a grievously sick woman,
beneath the shadow of the Holy Cross, was healed instantly. The elder Jude and
other Jews there believed in Christ and accepted Holy Baptism. Jude received
the name Cyriacus and afterwards was consecrated Bishop of Jerusalem.
During the reign of Julian the
Apostate (361-363) he accepted a martyr's death for Christ (see October 28).
The holy empress Helen journeyed to the holy places connected with the earthly
life of the Savior, building more than 80 churches, at Bethlehem the birthplace
of Christ, and on the Mount of Olives where the Lord ascended to Heaven, and at
Gethsemane where the Savior prayed before His sufferings and where the Mother
of God was buried after her death.
St Helen took part of the
Life-Creating Wood and nails with her to Constantinople. The holy emperor
Constantine gave orders to build at Jerusalem a majestic and spacious church in
honor of the Resurrection of Christ, also including under its roof the
Life-Giving Tomb of the Lord and Golgotha. The temple was constructed in about
ten years. St Helen did not survive until the dedication of the temple, she
died in the year 327. The church was consecrated on September 13, 335. On the
following day, September 14, the festal celebration of the Exaltation of the
Venerable and Life-Creating Cross was established.
Another event connected to the
Cross of the Lord is remembered also on this day: its return to Jerusalem from
Persia after a fourteen year captivity. During the reign of the Byzantine
emperor Phocas (602-610) the Persian emperor Khozroes II in a war against the
Greeks defeated the Greek army, plundered Jerusalem and captured both the
Life-Creating Cross of the Lord and the Holy Patriarch Zachariah (609-633).
The Cross remained in Persia for
fourteen years and only under the emperor Heraclius (610-641), who with the
help of God defeated Khozroes and concluded peace with his successor and son
Syroes, was the Cross of the Lord returned to the Christians.
With great solemnity the
Life-creating Cross was transferred to Jerusalem. Emperor Heraclius in imperial
crown and royal purple carried the Cross of Christ into the temple of the Resurrection.
With the emperor went Patriarch Zacharios. At the gates by which they ascended
Golgotha, the emperor suddenly stopped and was not able to proceed farther. The
holy Patriarch explained to the emperor that an angel of the Lord was blocking
his way. The emperor was told to remove his royal trappings and to walk
barefoot, since He Who bore the Cross for the salvation of the world from sin
had made His way to Golgotha in all humility. Then Heraclius donned plain garb,
and without further hindrance, carried the Cross of Christ into the church.
In a sermon on the Exaltation of
the Cross, St Andrew of Crete (July 4) says: "The Cross is exalted, and
everything true gathers together, the Cross is exalted, and the city makes
solemn, and the people celebrate the feast".
Memorial Service for the Victims of Communism
Yesterday, September 12 a memorial was served in Washington, DC at the
monument for all victims of Communism.
May their memory be eternal!
Saints
Commemorated Today
Saturday Before the Elevation of the Cross. Forefeast of the
Elevation of the Cross. Commemoration
of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulcher) at Jerusalem
(335 A.D.). Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion (1st c.). Martyrs
Chronides, Leontius and Serapion, of Alexandria (237). Martyrs Seleucus in
Scythia, and Stratonicus (3rd c.). Martyrs Macrobius and Gordian at
Tomi in Romania (4th c.). Hieromartyr Julian of Galatia (4th c.).
Martyrs Elias, Zoticus, Lucian, and Valerian 4th c.). St. Peter of
Atroë (9th c.). Great Martyr Ketevan, Queen of Georgia (1624). Ven.
Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron (Mt. Athos—1745).
† May
Their Memory Be Eternal †
The
newly departed servant George; Archbishop GREGORY; Priests Peter, Ishmael, Leo,
Homer, Victor, and Thomas; Matushki Mary, Platonida, and Barbara; Readers John,
Philemon, John, and Robert Michael; Alexander, Sophia, Shafik, Michael, Steven,
Christo, Radka, Anna, Dale, Mary, Carmel, Thomas, Vasili, Mary Ellen, Andrew,
Irene, Stamatia, Peter, Steven, Vera, George, Marianthe, Panaigioti,
Christophor, Rada, & Julia; and all who were victims of communism.
Those Who Are In Need of Prayer
Priests Milorad,
Photius, Anthony, and Joseph; Presbyteras Marie, Miriam, Artemis, & Marie; Magdelena,
Stephen, Matthew, Oliver, Zell, Charlie, Theresa, Catherine, Yonka, &
Bojanka.
2009 DIOCESAN ASSEMBLY
