John Chrysostom, On the Veneration of the Holy Cross

rest; hail, Cross, help of those in need, and alliance of contenders; hail, Cross, recovery of those in pain, and support of those who journey aright; hail, Cross, cause of mercy, and punishment of mercilessness; hail, Cross, mighty help of all, and security of assuring hope. Today the Cross is venerated, and the resurrection of Christ is inaugurated; today the Cross is venerated, and the city of God, the Jerusalem above, rejoices with those on earth; today the Cross is venerated, and Zion the mother of all the Churches proclaims; today the Cross is venerated, and the ends of the earth are gathered together for its veneration; today the Cross is venerated, and victory over barbarians has been granted to the Roman emperor; today the Cross is venerated, the salvation of the faithful and help of the pious; today the Cross is venerated, and the four-cornered world exults; today the Cross is venerated, and all the tribes, peoples and tongues celebrate; today the Cross is venerated, and creation is renewed; today the Cross is venerated, and Adam is renewed; today the Cross is venerated, and Eve the mother of the living is shown to be a helper, not a plotter as before, gathering from the tree of life instead of the tree of knowledge, performing obedience instead of disobedience, receiving the blessing instead of the curse, bearing many children in joy instead of 'In pain you will bear children', being made wise unto incorruption instead of corruption.

But who is this mother of the living, and who bears the fruit of the tree of life, but the Church of God? and the tree is the Cross of the Lord, the good bridegroom of the Church. This is now venerated, and the ruler of evil is made a public example, and demons are denounced, and the spiritual hordes of wickedness are put to flight, and Hades is plundered, and his phalanx flees, and Beliar is trampled down, and the counselor of sin no longer exhorts the mother of us all; but he crawls upon his breast, watching for the heel, but having his head crushed. And he eats the earth which was condemned to bring forth thorns and thistles; but he sees the one formerly trodden by him delighting in the tree of life, while he himself remains in the former curse; he sees that he does not have power over the heel, but all his heads are crushed by the Cross; he beholds the formerly condemned one standing at the right hand as a queen, the one who covered her nakedness with fig leaves, clothed in a golden robe, richly adorned, and he laments his own disgrace. He sees her supported by the royal scepter, and raised up to heaven itself, and he bewails his own fall; he sees her calling together her children with a high proclamation to the veneration of the precious Cross, and he shudders at their obedience, and marvels at their zeal, and is astounded at their multitude; he sees the whole creation celebrating, and himself clothed with shame as with a double cloak; and the oracle that says being fulfilled: Bend your bow, and prosper, and reign; Bend the bow of the Cross, pierce the devil, reign over creation, grant success to man.

And again, Exalt the Lord 62.750 our God, and worship at His footstool. For the walls of sin, and the cities of Hades, the Cross of Christ has razed to the ground. But come, let us venerate the Cross. Come, let us gather the fruit and harvest the tree of the Cross, which stands by the streams of the waters from the side, which also gave its fruit in its season. For the Cross of Christ is a tree of immortality, a plant of incorruption, a root of righteousness, a shoot of self-control, a flower of virginity, a rose of widowhood. Cross, a weapon of courage, and a support of self-restraint; Cross, foundation of faith, and pedestal of piety; Cross, an illumination of the knowledge of God, and of judgment

ἀνάπαυσις· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ἐπικουρία τῶν δεομένων, καὶ ἀγωνιστῶν συμμαχία· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ὀδυνωμένων ἀνάκτησις, καὶ εὐθυπορούντων ἔρεισμα· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, ἐλεημοσύνης αἴτιος, καὶ ἀσπλαγχνίας τιμωρία· χαίροις, σταυρὲ, πάντων βοήθεια κραταιὰ, καὶ βεβαιούσης ἐλπίδος ἀσφάλεια. Σήμερον σταυρὸς προσκυνεῖται, καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡ ἀνάστασις ἐγκαινίζεται· σήμερον σταυρὸς προσκυνεῖται, καὶ ἡ πόλις τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἡ ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ, σὺν τοῖς ἐπιγείοις εὐφραίνεται· σήμερον σταυρὸς προσκυνεῖται, καὶ Σιὼν ἡ μήτηρ πασῶν τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ἐπαγγέλλεται· σήμερον σταυρὸς προσκυνεῖται, καὶ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς εἰς προσκύνησιν τούτου συναθροίζονται· σήμερον σταυρὸς προσκυνεῖται, καὶ βασιλεῖ Ῥωμαίων κατὰ βαρβάρων νίκη δεδώρηται· σήμερον σταυρὸς προσκυνεῖται, ἡ σωτηρία τῶν πιστῶν καὶ ἀντίληψις τῶν εὐσεβῶν· σήμερον σταυρὸς προσκυνεῖται, καὶ ὁ τετραπέρατος κόσμος ἀγάλλεται· σήμερον σταυρὸς προσκυνεῖται, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ, λαοί τε καὶ γλῶσσαι ἑορτάζουσι· σήμερον σταυρὸς προσκυνεῖται, καὶ ἡ κτίσις ἀνακαινίζεται· σήμερον σταυρὸς προσκυνεῖται, καὶ ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἀνανεοῦται· σήμερον σταυρὸς προσκυνεῖται, καὶ ἡ Εὔα μήτηρ τῶν ζώντων ἀναδείκνυται βοηθὸς, οὐκ ἐπίβουλος γενομένη κατὰ τὸ πρότερον, ἀντὶ ξύλου τῆς γνώσεως τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς τρυγῶσα, ἀντὶ τῆς παρακοῆς ὑπακοὴν ἐκτελοῦσα, ἀντὶ τῆς κατάρας τὴν εὐλογίαν λαμβάνουσα, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἐν λύπαις τέξεις τέκνα, τὴν ἐν χαρᾷ πολυτεκνίαν κομιζομένη, ἀντὶ τῆς φθορᾶς τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν σοφιζομένη.

Ἀλλὰ τίς αὕτη τῶν ζώντων ἡ μήτηρ, καὶ τίς τὸ ξύλον καρπεύεται τῆς ζωῆς, ἀλλ' ἢ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησία; καὶ τὸ ξύλον ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Κυρίου τοῦ καλοῦ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας νυμφίου. Τοῦτο νῦν προσκυνεῖται, καὶ παραδειματίζεται τῆς κακίας ὁ ἄρχων, καὶ στηλιτεύονται δαίμονες, καὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας φυγαδεύονται στίφη, καὶ σκυλεύεται ᾅδης, καὶ ἡ τούτου φάλαγξ δραπετεύεται, καὶ ὁ Βελίαρ καταπεπάτηται, καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ σύμβουλος οὐκέτι παρακαλεῖ τῇ μητρὶ πάντων ἡμῶν· ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος ἕρπει, τηρῶν μὲν πτέρναν, πατούμενος δὲ τὴν κεφαλήν. Καὶ γῆν μὲν ἐσθίει τὴν καταδικασθεῖσαν ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἐκφέρειν· βλέπει δὲ τὴν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πρώην πατουμένην τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς τρυφῶσαν, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐναπομείνας τῇ προτέρᾳ κατάρᾳ· βλέπει δὲ μήτε τῆς πτέρνης ἐξουσιάζων, αὐτοῦ δὲ ἁπάσας συνθλωμένας τὰς κεφαλὰς τῷ σταυρῷ· θεωρεῖ παρεστῶσαν ἐκ δεξιῶν ὡς βασίλισσαν τὴν πρώην κατάκριτον, καὶ τὴν φύλλα συκῆς τὴν γύμνωσιν σκέπουσαν, ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ περιβεβλημένην, πεποικιλμένην, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀκοσμίαν θρηνεῖ. Βλέπει τῷ βασιλικῷ σκήπτρῳ στηριζομένην, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑψουμένην τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πτῶσιν ὀδύρεται· βλέπει συγκαλοῦσαν τὰ τέκνα μετὰ ὑψηλοῦ κηρύγματος πρὸς τὴν προσκύνησιν τοῦ τιμίου σταυροῦ, καὶ τὴν ὑπακοὴν φρίσσει, καὶ προθυμίαν θαυμάζει, καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ἐκπλήττεται· βλέπει τὴν σύμπασαν κτίσιν ἑορτάζουσαν, καὶ ἑαυτὸν ὡς διπλοΐδα αἰσχύνην ἐνδεδυμένον· καὶ τὸ λόγιον τὸ φάσκον πληρούμενον· Ἔντεινον, καὶ κατευοδοῦ, καὶ βασίλευε· Ἔντεινον τὸ τόξον τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ, κέντησον τὸν διάβολον, βασίλευσον τῆς κτίσεως, κατευόδωσον τὸν ἄνθρωπον.

Καὶ πάλιν, Ὑψοῦτε Κύ 62.750 ριον τὸν Θεὸν ὑμῶν, καὶ προσκυνεῖτε τῷ ὑποποδίῳ τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ. Τὰ γὰρ τείχη τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ τὰς πόλεις τοῦ ᾅδου ἐξηδάφισεν ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἀλλὰ δεῦτε, προσκυνήσωμεν τὸν σταυρόν. ∆εῦτε, καρπολογήσωμεν καὶ τρυγήσωμεν τὸ ξύλον τοῦ σταυροῦ, τὸ παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς ὑδάτων ἑστὼς, ὃ καὶ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ ἔδωκεν ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ. Ὁ γὰρ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ δένδρον ἐστὶν ἀθανασίας, φυτὸν ἀφθαρσίας, ῥίζα δικαιοσύνης, σωφροσύνης βλάστημα, παρθενίας ἄνθος, χηρείας ῥόδον. Σταυρὸς, ἀνδρείας ὅπλον, καὶ ἐγκρατείας στήριγμα· σταυρὸς θεμέλιος πίστεως, καὶ εὐσεβείας ὑποβάθρα· σταυρὸς θεογνωσίας φωτισμὸς, καὶ ἀποφάσεως