Saint of the Week

On this day of the year 51 of the martyrs (335 A.D.), the Patriarchs of the Christian churches celebrated the Honorable Cross. They were the saintly Pope Athanasius the Apostolic, Patriarch of Alexandria; Patriarch of Constantinople; Patriarch of Antioch; and St. Macarius, Patriarch of Jerusalem. They carried the Honorable Cross in a procession inside the church of the Resurrection in a splendid celebration, worshipping the Lord. They offered prayers and celebrated the Divine Liturgies. They venerated the Cross and then placed it in a special place prepared for it in a vault made of silver. This feast also coincides with the appearance of the sign of the Honorable Cross to the righteous Emperor Constantine the Great. He was on his way to fight the tyrant Emperor Maxentius the son of Maximian in the year 312 A.D. He saw the sign of the Honorable Cross in the middle of the day in the sky along with his officers and soldiers, as a great light more brilliant than the light of the Sun. Under the Cross were written these words, “With this sign you shall conquer.” He was encouraged and strengthened, and he put the image of the cross that he saw on all the banners and armors of his soldiers. He was victorious in the war with the power of the Honorable Cross. That had a profound effect on his acceptance of the faith. 

The Blessing of the Honorable Cross be with us all.  Amen.