In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
Reverend Fathers, dear brothers and sisters, the third Sunday of the Great Lent is dedicated to the Holy Cross. We venerate this special and life-giving wood for several reasons. Especially we venerate the Cross to show that we are not ashamed of it, and to boost our confidence to draw near to the Lord.
One of the church worship songs from the matins of the third Sunday of Lent says: “In Paradise of old the tree stripped me bare, for by giving me its fruit to eat, the enemy brought in death. But now the Tree of the Cross that clothes men with the garment of life has been set up on the earth, and the whole world is filled with boundless joy. Beholding it venerated, O ye people, let us with one accord raise in faith our cry to God: His house is full of glory.”[1]
This song teaches us that it was by the fruit of the tree that Adam and Eve were free in God or free from God. However, the tree of the Cross gives us the garment of life, the garment of life in Christ, the life everlasting. The cross helps us to be received in the house of glory. The Cross is the means of the encounter with God!
Today’s Epistle reading was taken from the epistle to Hebrews of the Holy apostle Paul. This reading may be summarized in a call for action in words: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Holy Apostle Paul also quotes the Psalm 110:4 when speaking about the service of Our Lord Jesus Christ:
“You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek!”
The priesthood is the service to God the Father, and to be the priest after the order of Melchizedek means to be the priest and the king of the Justice at the same time. We as Christians, those who bear and witness Christ’s own name, are called to live which means to serve and to serve in priestly and kingly ministry. But what does this mean? To serve like priests and kings is to have courage and confidence to draw near the throne of God himself. This confidence will yield the sacrificial love for one another and equip us to help others in time of need.
The reading from the Gospel according to St. Mark teaches us that we are not to be ashamed of God’s words and God himself: “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8;38).
Confidence to draw near to the Lord is what puts shame to shame. St. Sava and St. Mardarije teach us by their own examples that confidence and courage to go toward God is what stands against shaming God and his words. Their confidence to draw near to the Creator of the world even at a young age. They were determined to come after Christ, and to take up the life-giving wood, the Cross. They were willing to save their lives for Christ, to be eternally alive, so they put others and the needs of others in front of them. They had the postures of priests and kings, they were living by the order of Melchizedek, showing peace and justice to all. Living the biblical, God’s peace and justice. For this reason, they are now in the Lord’s house of glory.
Let us bear our crosses.
Let us draw near to the throne of God with confidence.
Let us not be ashamed of our crosses, of God’s words, and God himself, but instead, let us give thanks to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
[1] (Second Antiphon)
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