Today is a day of joy and gladness, for the sign of joy stands before us. Songs of praise and confession [are fitting today], for the Most Holy Wood is revealed. O, most honourable gift! O, what beauty in this revelation! It has no form in which good and evil are mingled, like the tree of old in Eden, but is entirely beautiful and good, both to behold and to partake of. For it is a tree that brings life, not death; it enlightens, not darkens; and it welcomes us, rather than driving us out of Eden. By ascending this Wood, Christ, like a king in his chariot, destroyed the devil, who held dominion over death, thus freeing the human race from the tyrant’s bondage. On this Wood, the Lord, struck like a valiant warrior in battle—in His hands, feet and side of His divine body—healed our nature, wounded by the evil dragon, from the wounds of sin. And, if I am to offer praise, the blood of the Lord flowing from this wood has brought forth an invincible power, by which the demons are consumed and through which the world is illuminated.
Who, then, will not hasten to behold this long-awaited manifestation? Who will not yearn to embrace the divine Offspring? Come, gather together, all peoples and tongues, all nations and ages, all the worthy, all cities, priests and kings, rulers and subjects. Since the feast is perfected in a divine manner, it seems to me that even the Angels have come to the feast with great joy [and that] the Apostles are dancing in unison, [as are] the assembly of the Prophets, the host of the Martyrs and the assembly of all the Righteous. For, since through this sign of victory, following Christ, they have overcome the opposing power and have been crowned with heavenly glory, how could they not all rejoice together at its manifestation? I believe that even the inanimate objects rejoice, perhaps, together [with us]—I mean the earth, which has brought forth such fruit as a mother from her womb; all the trees of the forest, which are honoured by the same name, the ever-the sun, the light-giver; the moon, with its many splendours; the twinkling stars; and the vast and manifold heavens themselves, since they have been wholly transformed for the better through the Passion on the Cross.
Let David, then, take up his spiritual psalter, singing those [words] entirely fitting for the present time: Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool, for He is holy (Ps. 98:5). Let Solomon, unsurpassed in wisdom, sing along with him: ‘Bless the wood through which salvation is wrought’ (Sol. XIV, 7). Today, then, the Church reveals herself to be Paradise, bringing into her midst the Wood of Life, in which there is no deceitful devil, the deceiver of Eve, but the Angel of the Almighty Lord, who greets with kindness those who draw near. Today the Most Holy Cross is venerated and the Resurrection of Christ is proclaimed. Today the life-giving Wood is venerated and the whole world is called to offer praise. Today the Three-Part Cross is venerated, and the four corners of the earth rejoice. ‘How beautiful,’ he says, ‘are the feet of those who bring the good news of peace, of those who bring good tidings!’ (Rom. 10:15; cf. Isa. 52:7). But blessed, I would say, are also the eyes of those who behold the sign of victory for the peace of the whole world, and the lips of those who kiss this most blessed creation. Without envy, eternal grace is set before all—the spring that pours forth holiness, excluding no one in any way from its abundant goodness, purifying the one who draws near, freeing them from the impurities that defile them, humbling the proud, enlightening the slow of heart, strengthening the feeble, and taming the wayward. But let each one draw near with the resolve to amend his ways, and let him not approach the divine with boldness and arrogance, for these receive the humble, but repel all the more those who behave otherwise.
The sight of this Life-giving Wood has healed our eyes, which had been bewitched by the sight of the alluring wood in Paradise. By touching this Life-giving Wood with our lips and eyes, we are freed from partaking of the tree that brings death. O, what a great gift is set before us! O, thrice-blessed happiness! Since we died before through a tree, through a Tree we have also found immortality. Having been deceived before by a tree, through a Tree we have driven away the deceiving serpent. O, what an unheard-of change! Instead of death, life; instead of corruption, incorruption; instead of shame, glory! Rightly, then, did the Apostle cry out: ‘But far be it from me to boast, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world is crucified to me, and I to the world!’ (Gal. 6:14). For in the Cross, where all-wise wisdom blossoms, the vain glories of the world’s wisdom have been laid bare as folly. In the Cross, where the image of all that is good bears fruit, the shoots of wickedness have been cut off. And the 1 representations of this Wood are among the most marvellous, for from time immemorial there have been many signs [of it].
The sight of this life-giving Wood has healed our eyes, which had been bewitched by the sight of the alluring wood in Paradise... Having previously been deceived by a tree, through a Tree we have driven out the deceiving serpent. O, what an unheard-of change! Instead of death, life; instead of corruption, incorruptibility; instead of shame, glory!
Behold, then, lover of learning: was it not through a small piece of wood that Noah, together with his sons and their wives and all the kinds of living creatures, escaped, after God’s judgement, from the destruction of the Flood? Did not Jacob place peeled logs in the watering troughs at the time of the sheep’s conception, and take the beautiful lambs for himself (cf. Gen. 30:37–42)? And Joseph’s staff, at the tip of which Jacob bowed down (cf. Gen. 47:31), what is it but a sign of the life-giving Wood to which we bow down today? What, again, is the staff of Moses? Is it not a2e image of the Cross? How it turned water into blood, how it swallowed up the serpents bearing the false names of the sorcerers (cf. Isa. 7:11–13)? How did it part the sea as soon as it struck it, and, turning back, bring the waters together again, casting the enemies into the sea and saving the true children? Aaron’s rod, which blossomed on that very day and confirmed his priesthood (cf. Num. 17), is also a figure of the Cross. And it would seem I am rambling if I were to list all the manifestations of the figure of the Cross. [The image of the Cross was revealed] when Abraham, having bound his son Isaac, laid him upon the wood (cf. Gen. XXII:9). Likewise, when Jacob, whilst blessing Joseph’s sons, laid his hands in the shape of a cross (cf. Gen. XLVIII, 14–16). Take Moses himself, who defeated Amalek by stretching out his hands (cf. Exodus 17:8–16). Here too is Elisha, who, by casting the piece of wood into the water, drew the iron axe-head from the depths (cf. 4 Kings 6:5–6). Many are the miracles of this image, not only in the Old Testament but also in the grace of God: victories over barbarians, the casting out of demons, deliverances from sickness, and all the others too numerous to mention.
See how much power lies in the image of the Cross, O Most Good One? If there is so much power in this, how much more is there in the image of Christ Crucified? For it is evident that, the more resplendent the initial images are 3, the more remarkable are those that follow them 4. And who, one might ask, has been revealed as an image of Christ in what has been said before? This is what I seek to understand. And I say: It is precisely those who symbolised the Cross. For just as Moses’ outstretched hands symbolised the Cross, so Moses himself symbolised the Crucified Christ, by defeating the unseen Amalek. And in the other examples the same must be considered, each image being represented through someone else. But there, he says, the image is animated. Why then do you speak of an inanimate [image]? Because even in the image of the Cross – when the visible object, in and through which miracles take place, is inanimate – in the same way, in the likeness of the icon of the Cross, the icon bearing the image of Christ is accustomed to performing miracles in both animate and inanimate things, as one which bears within itself the likeness and image of the archetype and enjoys the same honour and worship, as well as the same name, as is evident to all. Even if we have digressed somewhat in explaining these matters, yet [let it be said] for the shame and refutation of the iconoclastic heresy, which misinterprets the mystery of Christ’s oikonomia. For whoever rejects the icon certainly rejects, too, the original image.
But [now] we must turn to the Cross and, one might say, delight in the remembrance of its name. The Cross, a treasure more precious than all treasures; the Cross, the most sure refuge of Christians; the Cross, the lightest of burdens; The Cross, the swift and soothing comfort of broken souls; the Cross, the sure guidance on the path to heaven; the height and breadth of the Cross extend further than the heavenly grid5; the strength and power of the Cross – the destruction of all opposing power; the image 6 and appearance of the Cross – a sight more beautiful than all images. The rays and radiance of the Cross – a brilliance brighter than the sun. The grace and glory of the Cross – a gift more delightful than all graces. The Cross is the reconciliation between heaven and earth. The name of the Cross is sanctification, all the more so when it is spoken and entrusted to the ear. Through the Cross, death was vanquished and Adam was raised to life. Through the Cross, all the Apostles are glorified, the Martyrs are crowned, and the Saints are sanctified. Through the Cross, we clothe ourselves in Christ and put off the old man. Through the Cross we have been numbered among Christ’s flock and have found our dwelling in the heavenly fold. Through the Cross we strike down our enemies and raise the horn of salvation. Through the Cross we overcome our passions and choose life above the world. He who bears the Cross upon his shoulders becomes a follower of Christ and is glorified together with Christ. At the sight of the Cross, the angels are adorned, whilst the demons are put to shame. The thief, upon seeing the Cross, entered Paradise and, instead of his crime, gained the Kingdom. He who makes the sign of the Cross easily dispels fears and attains peace. Whoever has the Cross as their guardian remains safe and is kept unharmed. Whoever loves the Cross hates the world and becomes a lover of Christ. Cross of Christ, the much-praised glory of Christians; Cross of Christ, the most blessed proclamation of the Apostles; Cross of Christ, the royal crown of the Martyrs; Cross of Christ, the most honoured adornment of the Prophets; Cross of Christ, the most radiant splendour of the ends of the earth; Cross of Christ – and I speak to you as to a living vision – cover those who sing of you with the warmth of the heart, save those who embrace you in faith, guide your servants in peace and good faith, bring to all the joy of Christ’s Resurrection, protecting the hierarchs and rulers, all monks and laypeople, in Christ Jesus, our Lord, to whom be glory and power, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
