In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Today’s Feast of the Holy Cross takes me back to one of the most incredible journeys I have ever travelled–to the land of our people before 1915—historic Armenia. Our group arrived to the once thriving City of Kars and drove to the ancient Armenian Capital of Ani and through Mush and Palu we drove. We were taken aback by the beauty of Lake Van and walked the dirt roads of what was left of the City of Kharpert. We visited Erzeroum, birthplace of Mesrop Mashtotz and we drove through and by countless villages once populated by Armenians and on and on through the ancient regions of our homeland. Along the way, we drove across flat roads, climbed small mountains and descended into valleys aware that every road and every village contained a part of our history.
On one particular day, we entered a village that was completely populated by Kurdish families. As we walked through that village, it felt like we were going back in time with the exception of dim lights in the homes, that village existed by the standards of the 1800s. People were standing in their doorways staring at our group, at our vans, at the bright colors of our clothes, at how we seemed to walk differently and speak differently and interact differently with each other than they were accustomed to. That village was located on the famous Mount Varak. Mount Varak is believed to be where Sts. Hripseme and Gayane and their company of nuns buried a piece of the Cross to which Jesus had been crucified centuries earlier.
Hripseme, if we remember, fled from the Roman Caesar because he wanted to marry her and force her to abandon her faith. The nuns secretly fled his empire making their way to Jerusalem for safety. They lived in what is today the Church of the Archangels in the Armenian Quarter for nearly three years, dedicating their lives to prayer and developing their faith. Ultimately, their whereabouts were discovered, and they fled to unknown lands arriving to the borders of the Armenian Kingdom, burying the relic of the true Cross of Jesus on the side of the mountain known as Varak. There it stayed for over three hundred years buried and all but forgotten until a humble monk named Totik had a vision.
Back in the 7th century, this devout monk saw an image of a brilliant cross resting on a monastery on Mount Varak. The monk made his way to that monastery and there he found a portion of the true Cross of Jesus Christ.
Today’s feast commemorates that recovery. That fragment of the Holy Cross became an honored relic in Armenia and pilgrims would travel from all over to venerate it. That is the part of the history behind this Feast Day of the Holy Cross, but the meaning of this feast is much bigger than its history.
No symbol is more associated with Christianity than the cross. Literally, in biblical days the cross signified rejection and execution and death but ultimately it signified the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We Christians love our crosses—crosses on our churches, crosses hanging on our walls, crosses before our meals and crosses as jewelry. The cross for us is beautiful. Christian people look at the cross and see the glory of God.
Out of what began in hatred on the cross comes the power of resurrection and triumph of good versus evil, but the cross has practical implications for us as well. In a world where people fear death, the cross promises life. In a world of criticism, the cross is a place of unconditional love. In a world of self-absorption, the cross shows the power of being selfless. The cross is the place of Christ’s healing and unshakable love. The cross is the place of hope for everyone.
The Holy Cross has been a part of our lives to protect us and guide us. Under the Cross of Jesus Christ, we baptize the generations. We bless our marriages and bury loved ones. We make the sign of the cross to mark our bodies with God’s seal and we start and end our prayers with this sacred symbol.
The Cross of Christ is a part of life for Christians. Today is the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak. We venerate the Cross not because it is a historic artifact. We venerate it because it is a spiritual bridge that connects us directly to God and when we venerate the Cross we meet our God.
The Cross is where this world and the eternal world connect and at that connection we meet God. So think about this when you have a moment. How often do you find the time during the day to venerate the cross in your heart? Do you see it as a guiding symbol for your life and the life of your family?
I’ll end by repeating this thought. We venerate the cross because it is a thriving spiritual bridge that connects us directly to God and when we venerate it, we meet our God.
Something we should all take time to think about.
Amen.