the Cross . . . An Eternal reminder"

Almost every Sunday, in fact every day, in the months of September and October, is dedicated to the cross of the Lord. All the major feasts of the Armenian Church commemorating events related to the cross are celebrated in these two months. Needless to say the many Sundays and feast-days dedicated to the cross is the Armenian Church’s way of emphasizing the centrality of the cross and what it stands for in our faith. The question, however, is: in the busyness of our daily life, what does the cross really mean to us today?

Obviously, the cross stands for the horrible instrument of death that was used to execute our Lord. Since His death led to the miracle of His resurrection, and as such the foundation of our faith, the cross thus became the symbol par-excellence of Christianity. However, I believe, the cross points to much more than that to us today. Let me elaborate. 

It reminds each and everyone of us of how much God loves us, that He offered Himself a sacrifice on the cross to save us. Despite the limitations that each one of us has, and sometimes even our disobedience to His will, He still died for us on the cross paying the price of our sins. The cross, thus, is the token of God’s love for us and His determination to save us. The Bible says "No one has greater love than the one who gives his life for his friends” (John 15:13). The cross is also the sign of the new covenant that God established with His people through the ministry and sacrifice of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. As such, the cross reminds us that we are men and women of a covenant with God. 

Finally, the cross standing for the utter destruction and death of Jesus on earth, reminds us also that God has done all He can do to save us. In a universe where free will rules, there is not much more that God can do to help us know Him and be saved. The cross, consequently, is an eternal invitation to all of us to respond to God’s love expressed on the Cross.

In order to express God’s love for us and redeem us, Christ endured the agony of being rejected by the Jews, arrested, interrogated, humiliated, tortured and crucified. In return, what are we doing to respond to this power expression of divine love? Is the public humiliation he endured for us enough to make us commit myself to drive to the Church every Sunday and commemorate His life on earth and be united with Him in Holy Communion? Is the thought of the nails going through His flesh enough to make us prepare a prayer-discipline, wake up every day giving thanks to Him for the gift of life and salvation? Is the mental picture of Roman soldiers mocking Him, for no crime He committed other than our sins, enough to make us stop being bystanders and outsiders, and join in His fellowship in the parish and strengthen His Church? 

I am sure you agree with me that the price our Lord paid deserves any and every effort we can make to extend our arms and join His redeeming and creative ones to work together on bringing the message of our salvation to all those who come in touch with us. 

Next time you put your cross on or you are in the presence of a cross, what would it remind you of?

Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian
October, 2004

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