Sunday of the Holy Cross
March 22, 2020
Beloved brothers and sisters, children of God, and those who are signed by the sign of the cross of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. What a time has come upon us and our nation! A great pestilence sweeps like an invisible tsunami across the earth and fear and consternation take hold of our souls.
Sudden death rears its ugly head, and we find ourselves amidst a great test of character. Yet now is the time for courage and responsible action. Now merely by frivolous acts of will and misuse of freedom we can perpetuate harm to our neighbor. Now we must corral our selfish tendencies out of respect for our fellow citizens. Now we must confine our restless spirits and face the obedience’s that are asked of us for the good of all. A time of introspection of soul has been ordained, much like that which is exercised by the venerable monastics during the sarakosti or Lenten season, and those who are wise will submit to this opportunity to take account of our works and deeds as suddenly our life is found hanging in the balance.
Are we indeed ready to stand before our Lords fearful judgement seat and to pass through the scrutiny of accusing spirits as we pass from this world. On this Sunday of the holy lent the gospel cries out απαρνισθασθο! Deny your self! This threefold command which encapsulates the medicine for the sick and weary soul, tired from many capricious winding paths which have gotten us nowhere, from a thrall of mind exacerbated by constant stimuli of entertainments and media which like a foreign land alienate us from our true self. While meanwhile the melodious harp of our Lord calls, drowned out as it were by the din of a cluttered mind.
If anyone would come after me.....
See brothers and sisters we are not compelled, we are not ordered, we are invited by the King to the marriage feast. Not a marriage of flesh of our flesh but of the union of our soul, tossed about in the sea of life, to the serene embrace and sanctuary of our creator. We were separated, by the disobedience of our first parents. We are separated but the door of Christ’s love is opened unto us if only we could decide.
Deny yourself.......
Say no to yourself. Tame the inner self. Weed the garden of the soul from fruitless ways. Find the pure stream of a conscious mind free of frivolous distractions. Use the Jesus prayer to retrain the will. Throw out from the house of the soul the clutter of useless items which enslave us to a nostalgic addiction to our old self. Say within ourselves the words of David divine “create in me a clean heart O God and put a new and upright spirit within me”. Confess your sins before the Lord and the priest and thus be rid of them.
Take up your cross.....
Who can find in all the words, proverbs, and sayings of advise a more potent admonition such as this? Our Lord has given the example Himself. Our Lord Is not a Lord who gives an order as men do, but do not lift a finger themselves, but run to find someone else to do their dirty work. No our Lord in His voluntary passion death and resurrection, which reopened the gates of paradise, beckons to us to follow His example in a way entirely personal to each individual and thus become a sharer in the divine work of mans redemption. Christians! Sign yourself again and again with the sign of the cross and thus affirm your allegiance with Christ and with the divine plan of our salvation.
And follow me.....
The chief shepherd now leads His sheep, the church, which has been purchased with His Holy blood. Here is the obedience to the command, do this in remembrance of me. Here is the mystical sacrifice and the perpetual oblation preformed upon the altar which brings the mercy of Gods good favor, and the light of His countenance, and the peace which surpasses all understanding down to the holy of holies to be distributed to His faithful flock as He commanded St Peter, feed my sheep. How frightened I was my brothers and sisters when it was circulated that the churches would be closed. My spirit drained away and I was appalled at the thought.
I said within myself, shall we remove now the mystical supper from its place my Lord? That which stays the hand of Gods wrath from the face of the earth? Is it that Thou canst no longer look upon the multitude of our sins and hypocrisies which are ever before Thee? Oh you who are not unaware of the teardrops or even a portion of a teardrop that has fallen before this altar, set as it was like a jewel in the mountains? Are you grown weary of thy servant and the words coming from a duplicitous mouth?
Shall You silence the words of Chrysostom and Great Basil on account of the sins and disintrest of this generation gone astray like foolish sheep? Yet when the Archbishop spoke that we would continue in service by reduced form I was greatly relieved. We will find a way.
We will turn the speakers of the church on outside and from our cars we can listen a little for even a moment of the service is as an eternity. We will leave the antidoron in plastic bags out in the narthex or foyer where the faithful come to place a candle. For even one piece of antidoron waved as it were before the fire of the consecration is as imbued with the presence of Christ himself. We will process outside with the chalice if anyone wishes to receive or even just to touch your forehead to the Holy chalice. We will pray and kneel before the Lord and make sacrifices of fasting and self denial, And the Lord, if He pleases, will look down from heaven at the perpetual sacrifice of His Son and forgive the iniquities of His people.
This I pray. Let us lift up the cross children of the cross and cry out σοσόν ο θεός τον λαοv σου. Save o Lord thy people and bless thine inheritance.