Fast of the Cross Day 3

Fast of the Cross Day 3

Admin: The inclusion of this event in the online calendar is for educational purposes. Please follow the guidance from one's spiritual father. The Fast of the Cross is not found in the Hudaya Canon of Mor Gregorios bar Ebroyo and is not presently one of the fasts currently in vogue within the SOC worldwide.Patriarch Mor Aphrem II brings to our attention different names associated with the Holy Cross within the patristic tradition:ii) The Life-Giving Cross - Sleebo Yoheb HayeThe Cross occupies such an important place in Patristic theology because in it all aspects of theology are present. In a special way the Cross contains the mysteries of the Resurrection. St. Ephrem comments on why Christ died on the Cross by saying: "And He died the death of the Cross so that in it a mystery should be drawn. That is, through His death shall rise all who die because even at His crucifixion, He was standing up."This notion of the Cross as being a carrier of the power of the resurrection is a prominent feature of Christian theology in general. The Orthodox French theologian, Olivier Clement refers to it when he writes that the Cross is seen as fundamentally life-giving because it is inseparable from the descent into hell, the resurrection and the ascension to the right hand of the Father. St. Philoxenos further clarifies this point when he shows the role of both the Cross and the Resurrection in our redemption. He writes: "We believe that death was abolished not by the resurrection of our Lord, but by His death. The resurrection did not abolish death, it uncovered and made clear that death was abolished."So the deacon sings during the Service of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: "By waving the life-giving Cross solemnly from east to west and from north to south, the whole earth is sanctified"Reference: Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim, 'The Sign of the Cross', in Pro Oriente Syriac Dialogue V 2003