The Feast of the Discovery of the Holy Cross (S'hkohteh da-Slibo)

The Feast of the Discovery of the Holy Cross (S'hkohteh da-Slibo)

September 14th is the commemoration of the Feast of the Discovery of the Holy Cross (Hido d'S'hkohteh da-Slibo) according to the Liturgical Calendar of the Syriac Orthodox Church. In the Syriac Orthodox Church no sacrament or any kind of worship can be performed without the sign of the Cross. The Church places it at the very heart of her life and worship. It has become the sign and symbol of Christ's death and Resurrection for us. Centuries ago, in some regions of the Church such as Mardin, an 8-day Fast of the Holy Cross preceded the September 14 feast.In the early Syriac tradition, there were two separate feasts for the Holy Cross, one on May 22 for the Discovery and another on September 14 for the Exaltation (connected with the Jerusalem Encaenia festival). In the modern era, only the feast of September 14th remains prominent. Today the Holy Church jointly commemorates the historical discovery of the True Cross of our Lord & its exaltation amongst the faithful. The Cross was discovered by St. Queen Helena, the mother of St. King Constantine the Great. As the story goes, St. Helena made a vow through prayer & fasting that if her son became Christian she would find the True Cross. God willed & showed Constantine the sign of the Cross in the sky in the middle of the day & with it wrote, “In this sign you will conquer.” So Constantine took the symbol of the Cross as a banner for his army & conquered his enemies, becoming a devout Christian. In the morning prayers of Friday we recite from the Sh'himo: "The king Constantine looked in the sky and saw a token of wonder, the sign of the Cross; and, when he inquired into the vision, it was said to him, 'by this sign of life you shall gain the victory'. St. Helena sets out towards Jerusalem to find Golgotha, the True Cross, and Christ's tomb. She soon realizes that these have been hidden. Queen Helen orders the locals to give her the location and is introduced to a Jew named Judas, whom the Jerusalem Jewish community claims has the answer she seeks. Judas is initially hesitant to reveal the answer, and is thrown into a pit for his disobedience. By an act of divine providence, he is freed and then repents. Judas then reveals the location of Golgotha. Three crosses were found along with the inscription ordered by Pontius Pilate. The True Cross is identified by the miraculous healing of dying individual brought in contact with it, Judas eventually becomes a Christian taking on the name Kyriakos. Further miracles are attested as occurring due to the presence of the True Cross. With the help of Cyriacus, St. Queen Helena discovers the nails which struck our Lord and sent them to her son, and Emperor Constantine fixed the nails of the Cross in his crown and the bridle-bits of his horse. Thus, the prophecy in Zechariah 14:20 is fulfilled.In the Liturgy of this feast, there is a tradition of lighting a fire to commemorate Queen Helena ordering her soldiers to light a fire indicating the discovery. "On her way to Jerusalem, she left one of her servants on a mountain. Once the cross was discovered, she ordered her men to light a fire on top of a nearby mountain. Having seen the fire, the servant staying on the next mountain lit another fire, & in this manner the news of the discovery of the Holy Cross reached the capital, Constantinople." On the eve of the Feast, a bonfire is lit an the faithful light up torches, carrying it in a procession.The portions of the True Cross were considered to be very precious & various prelates used pieces in their handcross from the fourth century onward. A portion of the cross is inserted in the handcross of St. Gregorius Abdul Jaleel +1671 who is entombed in St. Thomas Jacobite Syrian Church North Paravur. Likewise many saints had portions of the True Cross in their possession such as Mor Aho the Ascetic who is buried with the relic at Dayro daslibo.The Patriarch of Jerusalem (who was under the authority of the Patriarch of Antioch), Mor Makarios took the Cross onto a raised platform & lifted it on high, "exalting" it, for all the faithful to see. The people fell to their knees, bowing down before the Cross, crying out repeatedly, "Lord, have mercy!" To house the relic of the True Cross, St. Helen had a church built over the Holy Sepulcher. The Church was consecrated 9 years later on September 13th with a portion of the relics of the True Cross. The relic of the True Cross was shown to the faithful the next day on September 14th 335AD. Thus amongst Orthodox Christians the Feast of the Discovery of the Holy Cross became an annual commemoration.At Mor Sabor-Mor Aphroth Church Akaparambu, the blessed offering provided to the devotees on this feast is called panchasarayumanda and is considered renowned in the region.Source: Patriarchal & Hekamtho journals; SORSleebo otho d-shayno–Sleebo neesho d-zoqutho Sleebo d-behu freeqinan–w-beh khulan meshthabhrinan! Shubha chinam thaan Sleebaa–vijayakodi thaan Sleebaa namme rekshicheedum-Sleebaayil pukazhunoo naam! The Cross is the sign of peace–and the sign of victory. By the Cross we have been saved–and in it we all glory! The Holy Bible readings from the Church Lectionary:Evening:St. Matthew 24:1-35Morning:St. Mark 13:1-33Before Holy Qurbono:Numbers 21:4-9Genesis 48:13-20I Samuel 17:37-53Joshua 10:12-15Daniel 7:21-28Isaiah 65:1-7Holy Qurbono:Acts 13:26-39Galatians 2:17-3:14St. Luke 21:5-28Malankara World Special Supplement for Slibo: https://goo.gl/PnKpbSTone of the Feast: 8Sleeba Quqalion സ്ലീബാ കുക്കിലിയോൻ A Study (courtesy Hymonutho): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFBWi_2LPXUThe Types and Symbols of the Cross in Holy Scripture, a message for Holy Cross Feast (courtesy Hymonutho): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICdjVB3w8_cSermon by late Dr. D Babu Paul (courtesy Hymonutho): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTjcp-Vo3ewThe Order of the Feast of the Holy Cross: https://bit.ly/SleeboEnglishSyriac Service from Ma'De'Dono: https://tinyurl.com/mu4kzvwm Slibo hymns on YouTube: https://goo.gl/3cxrRH'The Cross in the Writings of St. Ephrem' (Thesis by Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II): http://bit.ly/MorAphremCrossFixed Feast