"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34).
Today, we were blessed enough to celebrate the Mid-Lent which occurred this past Wednesday (March 18, 2009). Along with this event we celebrated the Veneration of the Holy Cross, where we remember the Cross on which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was crucified on. We also venerate the Holy Cross because we have made it half-way through this Great Lent (yay!) which has been a struggle for those of us partaking (hopefully ALL of us!) and we see the Holy Cross as a "refresher" to remind us of WHY we are fasting and making whatever sacrifices we have made for this Great Fast.
As we all saw during today's Holy Qurbana, the Cross was carried into the center of the church after a solemn procession where we sang hymns. The theme of these hymns were not about the suffering and persecution of Jesus Christ but of the victory and joy.The meaning of this is clear. We are at Mid-Lent. By now, we have all begun to experience the physical and spiritual efforts which comes with fasting. For those of us who have been partaking in lent seriously and consistently, the burden has been felt and our fatigue is evident.
What is it that we need? We need help. We need encouragement. We have climbed a mountain up to this point and we can almost see the end of our pilgramage (the Holy Resurrection) but yet, it is still so far.
And WHERE is it that we can get these things - refreshment, assurance, comfort, etc? We get it from the Life Giving Cross! The Life Giving Cross was planted in our midst by the Holy fathers to give us rest and refreshment, to give us courage for the remaining task! So everytime you walk by the Holy Cross for the next 25 days, remember why it was planted in our midst and seek refuge! May God Bless you all.
