In the middle of the Great Lent, our Orthodox Church raises before the spiritual vision of the faithful the Christ’s Cross — the sign of the greatest sacrifice and the greatest victory in human history. In churches during this week, the Crucifixion of Christ is brought out for veneration and placed in the center of the church as a living testimony of God’s love for humanity and as a quiet yet powerful call to every Christian to take up his path of repentance and hope. Then the inspired words of the church hymn are heard once again: “No longer does the flaming sword guard the gate of Eden, for a marvelous quenching is come upon it, even the Tree of the Cross. The sting has been taken from death, and the victory from Hades. And, You, my Saviour, has appeared unto those in Hades saying: Enter again into Paradise”. The Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross is a spiritual oasis on the road to Christ’s Pascha — a time when the faithful are strengthened under the gracious shadow of the Holy Cross in order to continue their journey toward the Resurrection. We talk with His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of Western and Central Europe about the meaning of Christ’s Cross in the life of man, about the trials that each person bears as his own cross, and about the spiritual path of the Christian toward the light of the Resurrection.
Your Eminence, how should we understand the symbolism of the Holy Cross outside the church – in everyday difficulties, choices, and trials?
The Holy Cross is a weapon of peace and a banner of invincibility, as the Church sings praises to it. It accompanies every Christian from his spiritual birth in the holy sacrament of Baptism until the last moment of his earthly path, when the cross crowns his grave. Our Saviour, Lord Jesus Christ, says: “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34).
Bearing the cross is the fundamental ascetic labour of every Christian throughout his life’s journey, and God lays upon each of us a cross in accordance with the measure of our spiritual strength. Sometimes, because of human weaknesses, infirmities and sins, this burden is felt much more heavily. That is why it is necessary for us to participate actively in the gracious sacraments of the Church — in the Holy Eucharist through repentance — so that we can make it possible our strength to be restored and we may once again bear our cross, as we ascend our personal Calvary. The Holy Cross of Christ marks the days and the years of our life’s path as Christians, from morning until evening. Before we leave our homes to carry out our daily tasks, we make the sign of the Cross. We cross ourselves when we sit at the table, thanking God for the material blessings He has given us. And again, before we fall asleep, we sign ourselves with the Cross of Christ so that we may entrust our lives into His hands through the night until the next day. The Cross is inscribed in the hearts and souls of every Christian, and we must bear it worthily, because it is a primary means of struggle against the enemy of human salvation — the devil.
Now, in the middle of Great Lent, the Holy Cross is brought out for veneration in the churches. Christians will again have the opportunity to venerate it in many places, both in the capital and throughout the country, where there are particles of the very Holy Cross of Christ. Why is the Holy Cross brought out for veneration precisely in the middle of the fast? Please, tell us more about its historical and spiritual meaning in the liturgical cycle.
The Holy Cross is brought out for veneration in the middle of the Lent as a favorable time for spiritual rest under its shadow. Just as a person walking in the heat along his path sees a shady tree and stops beneath it to catch his breath, so every Christian on the path of the Lent, when reaching the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross, rests under the gracious shadow of the Holy Cross and gathers strength in order to walk worthily to the end of his own Calvary. In the liturgical life of the Church the Holy Cross holds a central place. Besides the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross and the Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, every Wednesday and Friday – which we observe with fasting – we remember the Holy Cross and the sufferings of Christ.
How does Christianity transform the understanding of suffering and sacrifice?
Christianity transforms the understanding of suffering and sacrifice from something transient into something eternal. The Saviour, voluntarily crucified on the Cross, through His death and resurrection gave a new meaning to the Cross, which is the foundation of our faith, as is sung in one of the hymns:
“The Cross is the guardian of all the world; the Cross is the beauty of the Church; the Cross is the might of kings; the Cross is the support of the faithful; the Cross is the glory of angels, and a scourge to demons.”
The Cross overturns the understanding of suffering and sacrifice, transforming them into redemption. And we know that in Christianity self-sacrifice is a great virtue. Christ says: “No one has a greater love than this: that someone would lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13). This self-sacrifice that He made — as an example for all — redeeming humanity from the original sin, restoring the connection between God and man, and giving people once again the possibility to become like God through their righteous life by following His path, gives us a new meaning and, above all, hope and trust.
Would you, please, tell us how we should explain the meaning of the Cross to children and young people?
Just as every child needs food, water, warm clothing, and everything necessary to live here on earth, so the Cross is necessary for every Christian in a spiritual sense. Because without the Cross we are spiritually naked, spiritually thirsty, spiritually hungry, and without the protection that we need. But this can best be explained by parents to their children when the Christian family is strong and the parents are active members of the Church. This is also the task of the Church – to cultivate a healthy family environment in which the children of our Orthodox Church grow not only physically but above all spiritually, so that we may truly raise and nurture worthy members of our society and of the Church. And when they themselves take their own path and create families, they will teach their children faith, virtues, trust in God, and moral integrity. Therefore, it is a great duty for each one of us to work with the younger generation and with children, because they have pure hearts, and whatever we sow in their souls is what we will reap. If we sow with love, we will reap many virtues and a firm and unshakable faith. For this reason we must not waste our time and our days, but invest them in teaching the youths faith and virtues.
We often hear the message that everyone must bear his own cross, but how should we accept “our cross” without despair?
A Christian is a believing person, and when we firmly believe in God’s providence in the path of our lives, despondency and despair are foreign to us. Of course, sometimes because of the weakening of our faith in God, we may give in to these passions. But the believer has firm hope and trust that everything that happens to him occurs in accordance with God’s allowance. As Christians we know that God allows trials in order to make us even stronger in faith. He allows these trials to show us that not everything is in our hands. Sometimes He gives us small slaps along our life’s path to sober us and remind us that here and now not everything depends on us. But when we entrust our life’s path into God’s hands, it becomes much easier for us, so that we do not lose our days and years wandering, but walk on the straight path — the path of faith, hope, and love, those virtues to which our Saviour calls us, so that they can be an unalterable guarantee for our well-being here on earth and they help us prepare for the Eternity. Bearing the cross is not easy, but it is “an easy yoke and a light burden” (cf. Matt. 11:30). And when we carry our cross, even if we bend under its weight, God will send us strength — if only we call upon Him with faith. God also sends us people like Simon of Cyrene, so that we may stand up again and continue walking along the Calvary of our life.
Finally, would you tell us about the connection between the Cross and the Resurrection — why can we not speak about the one without the other?
Without the Crucifixion there can be no Resurrection, because Christ came voluntarily, knowing very well that He came to offer Himself as a ransom for many, and through His most pure blood shed on the Cross and through His death to redeem us from the original sin, and then to rise again, as He had told His disciples. During the coming Holy Week we will relive all those final hours and days of the earthly path of our Saviour, Lord Jesus Christ. Very soon this sorrow and grief will be transformed into an unearthly and unceasing joy in our hearts through Christ’s Resurrection. With the Cross comes the Resurrection and that is why the Cross is a symbol for every Christian – of hope, trust, support, and a primary means of spiritual defence and struggle against the demons.
The interview was conducted by Angel Karadakov.
