John Chrysostom, On the Veneration of the Holy Cross

Beholding these things, the dragon of the underworld, weeping, lamented saying: O my ministers and powers, the rulers of darkness, who has fixed a nail in my heart? He has pierced me with a wooden lance, and I am being torn apart, my bowels are in pain, my heart aches, my senses are corrupted, my spirit rages. Would that Judas had not been numbered among the disciples, would that the wood of the crucifixion had not been brought against me. For he whom I thought to hold in my hands, now I am held by him; as a captive, and all whom I held from the first-formed man, I am forced to vomit up. Come, beloved, let us be sheltered under the wings of the precious and life-giving cross. For the cross, ending in four points, signifies that the crucified one is God, pervading all things and embracing all ends. Christ and God was lifted up on it, so that he might destroy the demons dwelling in the air, and make the heavenly path easy for us to travel; as our Savior himself said: When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself. And why should I say much to you? Hear the prophet saying: The Lord will send forth the rod of your power from Zion. And since Christ is a rod, as Isaiah also said, A rod shall come forth from the root of Jesse. Moses, holding it, divided the Red Sea, he split the water, and sewed it back; he split it so that the people of God might pass through; he sewed it back, so that the Egyptian people might be clothed in the sea of the depths.

And another of the prophets says: Blessed be the wood, through which salvation came in the midst of the earth. Behold the stars of heaven, and each day you will see among them the sign of the cross formed from stars. For this reason, before I raise up the life-giving cross, having praised it with a few words, I will greet it, and having raised it up, I will venerate it. Hail, Cross, beginning of salvation, and fortress of the kingdom; hail, Cross, proclaimer of the apostles, and preaching of the prophets; hail, Cross, boast of martyrs and preaching of the holy ones; hail, Cross, calm of the storm-tossed, and rescue of the captives; hail, Cross, exultation of the just and the holy; hail, Cross, adorner of priests, and gravity of presbyters; hail, Cross, splendor of deacons, and brightness of lectors; hail, Cross, boast of monks, and comfort of those who mourn; hail, Cross, guardian of Churches, and good order of cities; hail, Cross, father of orphans, and protector of widows; hail, Cross, salvation of the war-stricken, and guide of the wandering; hail, Cross, champion of the wronged, and adversary of the wrongdoers; hail, Cross, recreation for the suffering, and comfort for those in danger; hail, Cross, corrector of evil pursuits, and helper of better endeavors; hail, Cross, invincible weapon of the war-stricken, and raising up of the fallen; hail, Cross, power of the sick, and staff of the powerless; hail, Cross, crown of virgins, and chastity 62.749 of the widowed; hail, Cross, garment of the newly-illumined, and guardian of infants; hail, Cross, freedom of slaves, and burial shroud of the dying; hail, Cross, sanctification of souls, and nail in the heart of demons; hail, Cross, fellow-traveler of wayfarers, and calm harbor of seafarers; hail, Cross, security of the faithful, and comfort of the vigilant; hail, Cross, the weapon of the day, and amulet of the night; hail, Cross, staff of the sick, and rod of shepherds; hail, Cross, guidance for the converting, and perfection for the advancing; hail, Cross, salvation of souls, and warder-off of all bodily evils; hail, Cross, source of all good things, and destroyer of sins; hail, Cross, plant of resurrection, and tree of eternal life; hail, Cross, foundation of faith, and perfection of the priesthood; hail, Cross, redemption from iniquities, and foundation and support of Churches; hail, Cross, removal of diseases, and of wayfarers

Ταῦτα θεωρῶν ὁ καταχθόνιος δράκων, θρηνῶν ἀπωδύρετο λέγων· Ὦ λειτουργοὶ καὶ δυνάμεις μου, οἱ τοῦ σκότους ἄρχοντες, τίς ὁ ἐμπήξας ἧλον τῇ καρδίᾳ μου; ξυλίνῃ με λόγχῃ ἐκέντησε, καὶ διαῤῥήσσομαι, τὰ σπλάγχνα πονῶ, τὴν καρδίαν μου ἀλγῶ, τὰ αἰσθητήριά μου διαφθείρονται, τὸ πνεῦμά μου μαιμάσσει. Εἴθε μὴ ἐτάγη εἰς ἀριθμὸν μαθητῶν ὁ Ἰούδας, εἴθε μὴ ἐπάγη κατ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ξύλον τῆς σταυρώσεως. Ὃν γὰρ ἐνόμιζον κρατεῖν ἐν χερσὶ, νῦν κρατοῦμαι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· ὡς αἰχμάλωτος, καὶ πάντας, ὅσους εἶχον ἀπὸ τοῦ πρωτοπλάστου, ἀναγκάζομαι ἐμέσαι. ∆εῦτε, ἀγαπητοὶ, σκεπασώμεθα ὑποκάτω τῶν πτερύγων τοῦ τιμίου καὶ ζωοποιοῦ σταυροῦ. Ὁ γὰρ σταυρὸς εἰς τὰ τέσσαρα περατούμενος ἄκρα, σημαίνει ὅτι ὁ σταυρωθεὶς Θεός ἐστι διὰ πάντων χωρῶν, καὶ πάντα περιλαμβάνων τὰ πέρατα. Ὑψώθη δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ Θεὸς, ἵνα καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῷ ἀέρι δαίμονας ἐμφιλοχωροῦντας καταλύσῃ, καὶ τὴν οὐράνιον ἡμῖν πορείαν εὐεπίβατον ποιήσῃ· ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν ἔφη· Ἐν τῷ με ὑψωθῆναι πάντας ἑλκύσω πρός με. Καὶ τί σοι πολλὰ λέγω; ἄκουε τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Ῥάβδον δυνάμεως ἐξαποστελεῖ σοι Κύριος ἐκ Σιών. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ῥάβδος ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὡς καὶ Ἡσαΐας εἶπεν, Ἐξελεύσεται ῥάβδος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαί. Αὐτὸν κατέχων Μωϋσῆς, διεῖλε τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν, ἔσχισε τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ ἔῤῥαψεν· ἔσχισεν ἵνα παρέλθῃ ὁ λαὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἔῤῥαψεν, ἵνα ἐνδύσηται τὴν τῶν βυθῶν θάλασσαν ὁ Αἰγύπτιος λαός.

Καὶ ἕτερος τῶν προφητῶν λέγει· Εὐλογηθείη τὸ ξύλον, δι' οὗ ἐγένετο σωτηρία ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γῆς. Θεώρησον τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν θεωρήσεις μεταξὺ αὐτῶν τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ σταυροῦ ἀπὸ ἄστρων ἐκτυπούμενον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κἀγὼ πρὶν ἢ τὸν ζωοποιὸν σταυρὸν ὑψώσω, μικρά τινα ἐγκωμιάσας χαιρετίσω, καὶ ὑψώσας προσκυνήσω. Χαίροις σταυρὲ, ἀρχὴ σωτηρίας, καὶ ὀχύρωμα βασιλείας· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, προβλήτωρ ἀποστόλων, καὶ κήρυγμα προφητῶν· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, καύχημα μαρτύρων καὶ κήρυγμα ὁσίων· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, γαλήνη τῶν χειμαζομένων, καὶ ἀνάῤῥυσις τῶν αἰχμαλωτιζομένων· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, δικαίων καὶ ὁσίων ἀγαλλίαμα· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ἱερέων στολιστὰ, καὶ πρεσβυτέρων σεμνότης· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, διακόνων ἀγλάϊσμα, καὶ ἀναγνωστῶν φαιδρότης· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, μοναζόντων καύχημα, καὶ πενθούντων παράκλησις· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, φύλαξ Ἐκκλησιῶν, καὶ πόλεων εὐνομία· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ὀρφανῶν πάτερ, καὶ χηρῶν προστάτα· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, πολεμουμένων σωτηρία, καὶ πλανωμένων ὁδηγός· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ἀδικουμένων ὑπέρμαχος, καὶ ἀδικούντων ἀντίδικος· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ὀδυνωμένων ψυχαγωγία, καὶ κινδυνευόντων παραμυθία· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, τῶν φαύλων ἐπιτηδευμάτων διορθωτὰ, καὶ τῶν κρειττόνων σπουδασμάτων βοηθέ· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, πολεμουμένων ὅπλον ἀήττητον, καὶ πιπτόντων ἔγερσις· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ἀσθενούντων δύναμις, καὶ ἀδυνάτων βακτηρία· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, παρθενευόντων στέφανος, καὶ χηρευόντων σωφρο 62.749 σύνη· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ἔνδυμα τῶν νεοφωτίστων, καὶ φύλαξ νηπίων· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, δούλων ἐλευθερία, καὶ ἀποθνησκόντων ἐντάφιον· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, τῶν ψυχῶν ὁ ἁγιασμὸς, καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων κατακάρδιος ἧλος· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ὁ τῶν ὁδοιπόρων συνοδοιπόρος, καὶ τῶν πλεόντων εὔδιος λιμήν· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, τῶν πιστῶν ἀσφάλεια, καὶ ἀγρυπνούντων παραμύθιον· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, τὸ ἡμερινὸν ὅπλον, καὶ νυκτερινὸν φυλακτήριον· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ἀσθενούντων βακτηρία, καὶ ποιμένων ῥάβδος· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ἐπιστρεφόντων χειραγωγία, καὶ προκοπτόντων τελείωσις· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, τῶν ψυχῶν ἡ σωτηρία, καὶ σωμάτων πάντων κακῶν ἀποτρόπαιον· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, πάντων ἀγαθῶν πρόξενος, καὶ ἁμαρτιῶν ἀναίρεσις· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, φυτὸν ἀναστάσεως, καὶ ξύλον ζωῆς αἰωνίου· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, πίστεως κρηπὶς, καὶ ἱερωσύνης τελείωσις· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ἀνομιῶν ἀπολύτρωσις, καὶ Ἐκκλησιῶν θεμέλιος καὶ στήριγμα· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, νόσων καθαίρεσις, καὶ ὁδοιπορούντων