The Fall season brings with it the liturgical season of the Cross in the Armenian Church. This season began Sunday, September 10 with the Paregentan for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (Khachverats) and continues through Sunday, November 19, 2006. During this season the Church, through her various feasts and scripture readings, focuses on the different aspects of the meaning of the Cross as the symbol of God’s love for us and our salvation and redemption.
 
Most of the feasts of the cross, celebrated during this season, are based on historical events which were initiated by the determination of the Christians of that time to go the extra mile in order to find the actual cross of the Lord or a relic of it. Queen Helen, for example, led a group of soldiers all the way to Palestine in order to find the cross. Emperor Heraclius led an army to Persia to liberate the Cross held captive by the Persians. The two devout Armenian monks Totig and his student Hovel climbed all the way to the top of Mount Varak seeking a relic of the actual wood of the cross. These saints went out of their way and took the extra mile to find the cross or its relic because they knew what the cross stands for in their life: God’s love for them that led Jesus Christ to sacrifice Himself.
 
Every year as we enter the liturgical season of the Cross and the church leads us in celebrating these feasts she reminds us of the examples of these saints and invites us to emulate them. Obviously, finding the actual cross of the Lord is not a priority or even a necessity at this stage. But seeking to understand the divine love and to immerse ourselves in it must remain a priority for all Christians. We are the sons and the daughters of a nation that has always understood the meaning of the cross and embraced it. Our forefathers since the years of Avarayr understood the meaning of the cross so well that even the deportations, tortures and death of centuries of genocides did not prevent them from seeking, understanding and embracing the Christian faith.

Today we are the heirs of such a great faith and nation. Are we ready to go the extra mile to seek, find and embrace the cross of the Lord and what it stands for? Our extra mile obviously will not be journeying to the tops of mountains in Armenia or leading an army all the way to Persia. It may be something as simple as committing ourselves to attend Badarak regularly, or to discuss the Bible within one of our many Bible Study groups, or to wake up a bit earlier on Sunday or Saturday and take our kids to the Saturday Language or Sunday School, or to volunteer in one of our parish’s many Christian based Armenian programs, activities and auxiliaries.

Here in Holy Martyrs we offer many programs, in addition to our weekly Badarak, to help our parishioners and friends comprehend the true meaning of the cross and experience the divine love that radiates from it. Among these activities we mention our several Bible Study groups, Adult Education programs, three schools, Caring Hearts, our Parish Council auxiliaries, our many youth activities and much more. Please consider joining one or more of these activities. You may not be an emperor or empress but you sure can lead your family and your loved ones on the path of the Cross to the love of the Lord and the peace that comes only from Him.

                                                                                        In His service, 
                                                                                        Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian