Dear Friends,

The Feast of the Exaltation of
the Holy Cross

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing. But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Every autumn, the Armenian Church celebrates the Exaltation of the Holy Cross -- one of the five major feasts of the Church, and the most important of the four feasts of the Holy Cross. The passage above -- written by St. Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians -- shows that even from the time of the Apostles, the Holy Cross was recognized as the symbol of salvation for all Christians.

The Exaltation, known as Khachverats in Armenian, is connected with several historical events, each of which involves the “raising up” or glorification of the cross. An early tradition identifies St. James, the brother of the Lord -- one of Jesus’ 12 Apostles and the first bishop of Jerusalem -- as the first to exalt a cross. Taking in hand a likeness (or perhaps an actual piece) of the original cross of the Crucifixion, St. James elevated it before the people, and venerated it as a symbol of “the power of God,” praying: “We prostrate ourselves before your cross, O Christ.” Those very words in Armenian -- Khachi ko, Krisdos, yergirbakanemk -- are still repeated in our church services.

source - www.armenianchurch.net

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With prayers.
Hayr Simeon
September 14, 2008