The Sunday of the Holy Cross (Mark 8:34–9:1)
Gerald Largent
The Sunday of the Holy Cross: Strength for the Journey
In the middle of Great Lent, the Orthodox Church brings before us the life-giving Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. On the Third Sunday of Great Lent, known as the Sunday of the Holy Cross, the Cross is brought out for veneration and placed in the center of the church. This moment is not accidental; it is deeply pastoral and spiritual. Just as a traveler may grow weary halfway through a long journey, the Church offers the Cross as refreshment, encouragement, and strength for the faithful as we continue our Lenten struggle.
Great Lent is a time of repentance, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Yet the effort can feel heavy. The Cross reminds us that our struggles are not meaningless burdens but a path toward life. Our Lord Himself said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). The Cross is therefore not simply a symbol of suffering—it is the way of salvation.
At first glance, the Cross appears to be an instrument of death and humiliation. In the Roman world, crucifixion was reserved for criminals and rebels. Yet through the voluntary sacrifice of Christ, the Cross was transformed. What once symbolized shame became the throne of divine love. As the Church sings in the services, “Before Thy Cross we bow down in worship, O Master, and Thy holy Resurrection we glorify.” The Cross cannot be separated from the Resurrection. Through it, death itself has been defeated.
The Fathers of the Church teach that the Cross reveals the depth of God’s love for mankind. Saint John Chrysostom writes that Christ did not simply die for us but endured the most humiliating form of death so that no human suffering would be foreign to Him. By taking upon Himself the weight of the Cross, Christ entered fully into the brokenness of the human condition and transformed it from within.
For us, the Cross becomes both a comfort and a calling. Each Christian is invited to carry a cross. This does not mean seeking suffering, but accepting with faith the trials, sacrifices, and responsibilities that come in following Christ. Illness, hardship, injustice, personal struggle—these become crosses when they are borne with patience and united to Christ’s sacrifice.
Yet the Cross is never the final word. Every cross carries within it the promise of resurrection. In the services for this Sunday, the Cross is compared to the Tree of Life planted in the midst of the Church. Just as the tree in Eden once offered life to mankind, the Cross now restores that life through Christ’s victory over sin and death.
The placement of this feast in the middle of Lent also has practical meaning. By venerating the Cross now, the faithful receive renewed strength for the remainder of the fast. It is like a refreshing oasis in the desert. The Cross reminds us that our Lenten efforts are leading somewhere—to the radiant joy of Pascha, when Christ’s victory over death is proclaimed to the whole world.
When we approach the Cross during the services, bowing and kissing it with reverence, we are not worshiping wood. Rather, we honor the saving work of Christ accomplished upon it. We proclaim that through the Cross, joy has come into all the world.
As we continue our Lenten journey, the Cross stands before us as both a sign of sacrifice and a promise of hope. It teaches us that love is stronger than death, humility stronger than pride, and self-giving stronger than violence. By embracing the Cross in our own lives—through repentance, forgiveness, patience, and faith—we participate in the victory of Christ Himself.
May the life-giving Cross strengthen us, guide us, and lead us ever closer to the light of the Resurrection.
From the St. Panteleimon Orthodox Christian Outreach bulletin for March 15, 2026.