September Fourteen
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This feast marks the end of the Maronite liturgical year. The Exaltation of the Cross commemorates the finding of the relics of the Cross by St. Helen. Before 337 A.D., this event was attributed to the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine, who built basilicas at Calvary and the Holy Sepulcher. His mother, St. Helen, who built churches on the sites of the Nativity and of the Ascension, earned so great an admiration of our ancestors that, by the latter part of the century, they gave her credit for finding the Cross.
The Exultation of the Glorious Cross "On this day, Queen Helen took pride in establishing the feast of the exaltation of the cross. On this day, King Constantine, with all faithful kings, was shaken with joy and pride. ...this day, we celebrate the feast of the saving cross, which redeemed us through suffering." (Sedro)(1)Two feasts celebrate the Cross in a major way: Great Friday of the Crucifixion and The Exultation of the Glorious Cross. The Great Sunday of Resurrection also incorporates the Cross in a significant way. (2) Because each feast celebrates some aspect of our salvation history, the Cross' function is central to each commemoration. The importance of Cross to the Holy Mysteries is clearly demonstrated by the many references to the Cross and its attributes throughout the other times of the liturgical year. To impart to the worshipers the appropriate spiritual attitude, the liturgy applies both teaching devices and petition in the Introductory Prayers, the Hoosoyo, and the Service of the Word. The mention of the Cross is less frequent in the anaphoras and Communion Rite. As will be shown below, the anaphoras do not often use the word "cross", the "altar-cross" of Great Friday, but rather refer to the saving event of sacrifice re-enacted on the altar-table and to the attributes and accomplishments of the Cross in establishing and securing the Holy Mysteries. Great Friday of the Crucifixion: Adoration of the Cross "O cross, come and tell us what is your power. For nations worship you from the ends of the earth. You became an altar on Golgotha, and God's Son was crucified on you. Blood and water flowed from Him for the forgiveness of the world". (Qolo)(3)The blood and water flowing from Jesus' side particular the institution of the Eucharist and underscore the symbiosis between the Cross and the Holy Mysteries. Incarnation The Incarnation, according to St. Ephrem, is the central event of Syriac spirituality because God, the One who cannot be contained, became contained within the limitations of a human body. By His nature, God cannot be grasped by the human mind. (4) Yet, He chose to become limited, small and accessible so that He could be bound, scourged and killed. (5) |
