St. George Cathedral of Stockholm
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Both last Sunday and today are dedicated to the Universal Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross.
The Church places the Cross at the very midpoint of many holy services, so that the Christians, seeing it in the midst of their spiritual struggles, may draw strength to continue their journey.
From the moment Christ shed His precious blood upon the Cross, the Cross itself was sanctified.
The sign of the Cross is an inseparable element of every Holy Sacrament and every act of worship. There is no sanctifying rite in the Church without the Cross.
Saint Iakovos of Evia advised us to make the sign of the Cross even over our food and drink, before consuming them.
The practice of sealing ourselves with the Cross dates back to the first century and finds its biblical roots in Prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 9:2-3).
God instructed His people then, to mark the foreheads of those who remained faithful, with a “sign.” Thus, the Cross became our Christian identity.
St. Paisios recounts the following story: A man refused to wear a cross. His wife secretly sewed a small cross inside the collar of his jacket.
One day, as he was crossing a bridge, he heard a voice whisper: “Take off your jacket and cross with me.” But since it was cold, he replied, “How can I take it off? I’ll freeze!” The voice insisted, “Take it off! Take it off!”
It was the devil, trying to make him remove the cross so that he could throw him into the river. Because the man refused, the devil could not harm him — the little cross was protecting him.
In our time, the sign of the Cross risks becoming an empty form — a mere gesture without meaning.
We often make the sign, but refuse to carry the Cross. We attend church, but remain spiritually indifferent. We pray, but only to demand, rarely to praise or thank.
We want to be Christians without sacrifice; wanting comfort, wealth, and security, while ignoring the suffering of others.
We want to belong to Christ, who said: “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20) … but at the same time, we want to be perfectly comfortable in this world.
This is the tragedy of modern Christianity: We perform the outward rituals but avoid the inner transformation!
St. Porphyrios teaches us: “Do everything out of love, not fear. The most important thing is to go beyond the form and enter the essence.” This is the true veneration of the Cross. Amen!
