On August 1, according to our Orthodox ecclesiastical calendar, our Holy Church begins the celebration of the Precious and Life-creating Cross of the Lord, which reaches its climax on September 14, the great feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, and concludes with the Leave-taking (Apodosis) of the feast on September 21.
Why is this? Is it not enough that we commemorate the
Crucifixion of the Lord on the Cross on Great Friday, and that the Holy Church
glorifies the Cross of the Lord every Friday?
A profound, inner meaning is concealed in this celebration
of the Cross of the Lord: the Holy Church, our concerned mother, wishes to
direct our particular attention to this great and saving sign, against which
the world, "which lieth in wickedness" (I Jn. 5:19), has always
waged, and in our days continues to wage, a deliberate and unrelenting
battle—the world which has now plainly fallen away from Christ and is preparing
itself to worship Antichrist.
Can anyone dare call himself a Christian who shuts his eyes
to all the horrors taking place in the world today, and soothes his conscience,
and the consciences of those around him, with assurances that everything is an
incidental, transient phenomenon, and that in general the world is moving
towards "progress," towards the establishment of the "Kingdom of
God on earth"?
It is difficult to say what these people believe who have
apparently been appointed to instruct the people in the pure teaching of the
Word of God and the holy Fathers of the Church, and why they are so disposed,
marching to the tune of the sectarians at times, and at other times with those
who do not believe in God and with the "Christian progressives." Either
they are naive in the extreme and completely ignorant of the clear teaching of
the word of God, or they themselves do not believe in anything, but say that
which is required of them by the overlords who provide for them, whom they
faithfully serve, fearing to lose those worldly goods received from them:
money, titles, jobs, high rank in society, pleasures, etc.
The word of God does not give us even the slightest
foundation for belief in the establishment of a "Kingdom of God on
earth," or in any worldly progress for humanity; quite the contrary. It
foretells much suffering for true followers of Christ and the "bearing of
the cross" in imitation and following of the Lord Who bore the Cross; and
for this world, which lieth in wickedness, it foretells an inevitable end. The
promised "Kingdom of Christ on earth" is by no means tangible, but
noetic—within the souls, of those who truly believe in Christ, for Whom the
Lord became King.
Surely it is not in vain that, laying down the whole course
of a true Christian's earthly life, Christ our Savior said: "Whosoever,
will come after Me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow
Me" (Mk. 8:34); and at the Mystical Supper before His suffering: on the
Cross, He forewarned His disciples "In the world ye shall have tribulation"
(Jn. 16:33). Neither in vain did the holy Apostles, in complete accord, with
these words of the Divine Teacher, instruct Christians, "We must through
much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22), or
"Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow
His steps" (I Pet. 2:21).
But this transient, earthly world in which the
"progressives," despite the sorry witness of their own eyes, promise
the people some completely illusory, happy, "paradisiacal" life with
total well-being and prosperity for all, is doomed to destruction on the
"day of the Lord," according to the clear, teaching of the word of
God, when "the heavens shall pass away, with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the works that are
therein shall be burned up" (II Pet. 3:10).
Modern thinkers do not want to hear of this, saying that
this might happen "some day," "many million years hence,"
but "never today." By such statements they liken themselves to the
"scoffers" the holy Apostle also refers to, alerting Christians to
the dangers lurking for the morality of Christian people. "Know this
first, that there shall come in the last days deceitful scoffers, walking after
their own lusts and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? for since
the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of
creation" (II Pet. 3:3-4). It is a characteristic indication that those
who speak thus are people who are "walking after their own lusts!" To
such "lusts" have they surrendered themselves, darkening the eyes of
their souls so that they no longer see anything, for they look at everything
only from the distorted point of view of their "lusts," which occupy
all their attention and interest.
Yet, our Lord Himself clearly taught us not to think of
relegating His Second Coming to some vague remote future "millions of
years hence," but commanded us to expect Him always, comparing His arrival
in its suddenness to that of a thief: "Watch therefore: for ye know not
what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the householder had known
in what watch the thief would come he would have watched and would not have
suffered his house to be broken into. Therefore, be ye also ready; for in such
an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Mt. 24:42-44). The
"faithful and wise servant" never says that the Second Coming will be
"sometime after many, many years;" and that it is thus not necessary
to trouble oneself with this thought, for he knows that the Lord Himself"
has forbidden him to say: "my Lord delayeth, His, coming" (Mt 24:48).
What, then, can be said of these who not only do not
consider the possibility of the nearness of the end of the world and the Second
Coming of Christ, which many signs indicate to us, but believe in some
imaginary progress of humanity and the approach of a general well-being and
prosperity, although all of modern life, with its total decline of true faith
and morality, with its terrible, destructive inventions which deal death to man,
simply cries out against this.
One must know and remember that it is such earthly
"Progress," such illusory well-being and prosperity of man on earth,
that Antichrist, Christ's opponent, promises to give to the people. His
servants, who are preparing for his reign on earth, are already striving
beforehand in like manner to influence the people, shouting and preaching everywhere
about this "paradise on earth" which supposedly awaits the people.
And all those who strive for this earthly "progress" forgetting
Christ's words: "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Mt. 6:33),
who avoid bearing their cross as Christ commands, but think only of how they
might make the world better and more free, richer and more carefree, enjoying
all the earthly goods and pleasures, are in the same camp with the servants of
the imminent Antichrist, working consciously or unconsciously for his swift
appearance and reign in the world.
Such as these are not of Christ, but of Antichrist. But we,
if we are true Christians and do not falsely or hypocritically bear the name
"Christian," must gaze constantly upon the Cross of Christ, that
saving sign of God's love for us, the token of our salvation, and drawing
therefrom abundant and grace-imparting powers "which pertain unto life and
godliness" (II Pet. 1:3), must bear our cross as the Lord has commanded
us, and must regard this transient earthly life as but a sojourn in a hostel,
whence we must return home to those "heavenly mansions" which the
Lord has prepared for us by His suffering on the Cross (Jn. 14:2).
With the great Apostle, we must "consider all things as
dung in order to win Christ" (Phil. 3:8). And we must thus forsake all our
purely earthly concerns, all controversies, quarrels, disputes and
altercations, from which no one receives any benefit, but only spiritual harm.
"Our life is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, our Lord
Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20). This we must ever constantly keep in mind.
Soon all will come to an end—all this temporal, transient,
corrupt earthly world. Surely we shall not lose our hope of eternal life by
surrendering ourselves to our petty passions and lusts! "Seek those things
which are above," the holy Apostle Paul thus exhorts us, "where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not
on things on the earth" (Col. 3:1-2).
From Orthodox
Life, Vol. 28, No. 6 (Nov.-Dec., 1978), pp. 23-26. Translated from True
Orthodoxy and the Modern World, by
Archbishop Averky (Jordanville, N.Y.: St. Job of Pochaev Press, 1971), pp.
295-299.
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