On September 14th, 2025, our parish celebrated the Feast of the Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross. This feast is one of the great solemnities of the Church, reminding us that the Cross is not a decoration or a mere symbol, but the very sign of Christ’s victory over death and the banner of all who confess His Name. The Cross calls us to courage, to faith, and to endurance. It is at once the instrument of suffering and the fountain of eternal life.

The Cross as Victory
The world sees the Cross as a sign of defeat—an execution device, a brutal end. But the Church proclaims it as the throne of Christ’s glory. On the Cross, Christ triumphed over sin, death, and the devil. What the world intended for shame became the place where divine love was revealed most clearly. The hymnography of the feast declares, “Through the Cross, joy has come into all the world.”

Fr. Stephen reminded us that to be Christian is to live under the sign of the Cross. It is not simply jewelry to wear or a mark to trace, but a way of life. To confess Christ is to take up the Cross daily, accepting both suffering and sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom.

The Blood of the Martyrs
The Feast of the Cross naturally turns our hearts toward the martyrs. From the earliest centuries, Christians faced persecution and death rather than deny Christ. Tertullian’s famous words ring true across the ages: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

Even in our own time, martyrs remind us that the Cross is not an abstract idea but a living reality. Fr. Stephen pointed to the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk as a recent example of Christian witness met with violence. When the world kills martyrs, it believes it has silenced the Gospel. Yet the Church knows better: martyrdom is never the end. The death of the faithful becomes a proclamation that Christ is risen, and in Him, life conquers death.

The Cross as a Call to Courage
The Elevation of the Cross is not only about remembering Christ’s suffering but about calling us to courage. Just as the martyrs did not compromise or back down, so too we are called to stand firm in the truth. The world pressures Christians to soften the Gospel, to accommodate falsehood, or to remain silent. But the Cross leaves no room for compromise.

Carrying the Cross requires endurance. It means standing against the tide of popular opinion when it contradicts Christ’s teaching. It means bearing insults, scorn, and even hatred for the sake of the truth. The Cross does not promise ease but victory—victory that comes through perseverance.

The Cross in Our Lives
How, then, do we live the reality of the Cross in daily life? Fr. Stephen offered several reflections:

• Through self-denial: The Cross reminds us that true life is found not in indulgence but in sacrifice. When we put others before ourselves, when we forgive instead of retaliating, when we choose humility over pride, we bear the Cross in small but real ways.
• Through endurance in suffering: Whether sickness, grief, or persecution, every hardship becomes an opportunity to unite ourselves with Christ’s suffering. The Cross assures us that our pain is not meaningless but transformed in Him.
• Through witness: To live under the Cross means to testify to Christ with our words and deeds. Our fidelity to the Gospel, even when it costs us, becomes a light to the world.

The Cross and the Resurrection
The Cross is never separated from the Resurrection. On Golgotha, Christ laid down His life, but on the third day, He rose victorious. The feast of the Elevation celebrates this paradox: the Cross, an instrument of death, has become the sign of eternal life. The Church lifts up the Cross not to glorify suffering for its own sake, but to glorify the love that conquers suffering and transforms it into life.

This is why Orthodox Christians venerate the Cross with such devotion. We bow before it, we kiss it, and we trace it over ourselves. Each time we make the sign of the Cross, we proclaim that Christ’s victory is ours, that His love covers us, and that His power sustains us.

The Cross as Protection
The Cross is not only a reminder but also a weapon. The Fathers teach that the Cross is a shield against the powers of darkness. Demons tremble at its sign because it is the mark of their defeat. For the faithful, the Cross is a source of protection and courage. When we begin our prayers with the sign of the Cross, when we mark ourselves before sleep, or when we cross ourselves in moments of fear, we call upon the power of Christ’s victory.

A Communal Witness
Fr. Stephen also emphasized that the Cross is not only personal but communal. The Church as a whole must bear the Cross before the world. This means proclaiming the truth with clarity and love, refusing to compromise the Gospel, and standing in solidarity with those who suffer for Christ’s sake. A parish that bears the Cross will be marked not by comfort or popularity but by faithfulness.

The Feast of Elevation
Liturgically, the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross is celebrated with solemnity and awe. The Cross is lifted high by the priest and venerated by the faithful, recalling the moment when St. Helen discovered the True Cross in Jerusalem. The hymns proclaim, “We venerate Thy Cross, O Master, and we glorify Thy holy Resurrection.” The act of elevating the Cross is both remembrance and proclamation: the Cross is our boast, our glory, and our hope.

The Cross and Today’s Challenges
Our own time presents unique challenges to the Church. Christians face pressures to conform to ideologies that contradict the Gospel, to compromise moral teachings, and to dilute the message of Christ. The Elevation of the Cross reminds us that faithfulness may come at a cost, but that cost is worth it.

The example of modern martyrs like Charlie Kirk calls us to recognize that the battle between truth and falsehood is ongoing. To be faithful today means standing firm even when it is unpopular, trusting that the Cross will always be victorious.

Conclusion
On September 14th, 2025, as we celebrated the Feast of the Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, we were reminded that the Cross is not a decoration or mere symbol, but the sign of Christ’s victory over death. It is the banner under which we live and the hope by which we endure.

When the world kills martyrs, even in our own time, the Church does not despair. The blood of the martyrs waters the faith, and their witness points us back to the Cross, where life conquers death and truth cannot be silenced. The Cross calls us to courage, to faith, and to endurance.

May we never be ashamed of the Cross, but lift it high in our lives, our homes, and our community. May we live as witnesses to its power, bearing it with faith, and finding in it the promise of life eternal.