Peace of the Cross

Scripture Readings: Is. 33:22-34:1; 1 Corinth. 1:18-24; Matt. 24:27-36
Ընթերցուածքներ` Եսայ. ԼԳ 22- ԼԴ 1; Ա Կորթ. Ա 18-24; Մատթ. ԻԴ 27-36

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!

There once was a king who was struggling to find peace in his life. His mind was always lost in the troubles of his kingdom; therefore, he commissioned for a royal painter, anyone in his kingdom that could paint for him true peace. One by one artists displayed their works of art, trying to convey true peace. One artist painted a vast lake under a blue sky full of serenity, and calm. Another artist painted a beautiful quiet valley, and mountains blossoming with flowers displaying gentleness, and beauty. Another artist showed an empty room, no distractions, no movement, rather, simplicity and stillness. One by one artists showed what they understood as peace, yet though beautiful each of them was very predictable and unrealistic and therefore, none of these revealed to the king true peace. Finally, an unknown artist, who was not very wealthy, who painted with inexpensive paints and tools brought his painting before the king. Laughed at by the other artists, the painting was dark, full of rain, and lighting splitting the sky in two; there was destruction and winds raging, as everything seemed to be crashing into each other. The trees bent from the wind, and danger abound, yet, hidden on one of the branches of a fragile tree, a small bird sitting on her nest, protecting her eggs – calm and unshaken, regardless of the storm around her. The king smiled and said, “this is true peace” for peace is not found in the absence of chaos or danger; it is found within it when we remain true to our purpose. For life will always be full of storms, challenges and dangers, what remains is who we are in the storm.

My dear brothers and sister, today the Armenian Church celebrates the feast of the discovery of the Holy Cross. A historic event of how the saintly queen Helen rediscovered the Holy Cross of our Lord. However, what we celebrate year after year, the importance of the Holy Cross is not merely history, nor is it the piece of wood. Wood is the material; it is a created substance in the same way all matter is created. Therefore, what we are celebrating is not merely a piece of wood but rather, peace from that wood. In the Wisdom of Solomon (14:1-8) we read, “Again, one preparing to sail and about to voyage over raging waves calls upon a piece of wood more fragile than the ship that carries him. For it was desire for gain that planned that vessel, and wisdom was the artisan who built it, but it is your providence, O Father, that steers its course, because you have given it a path in the sea and a safe way through the waves, showing that you can save from every danger, so that even a person who lacks skill may put to sea.” My dears, the wood of the Cross, much like the “piece of wood more fragile than the ship that carries” it, as Solomon writes is the symbol, the tool (which is a tiny rudder), that is in the providential hands of our Heavenly Father, who steers its course through the storms of raging waves on our voyage of life. In other words, while wood is the material, it is the Holiness of God, Christ’s act of compassion and mercy on that wood that we glorify as St. Paul says.

It is the act of Christ Jesus Crucified for our sins, that transforms this former tool of death and oppression into a symbol of victory and glorification. A ladder, as St. Ignatius writes, by which we climb out of our tombs towards heaven. Yet, the Cross of Christ through which we have been liberated of our sins too often remains distant from us and merely a piece of wood, something material. We hang wood, gold or silver crosses on our necks as decoration, we place crosses in our homes viewing them equal to the “evil blue-eyes” and other charms, we tattoo them on our bodies as symbols but all for what? As St. Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Are we being saved or are we foolish my dears?

My dears, the message of the Cross can only be understood and can only save us when we recognize it not as mere material but as the tool in which we place our trust, our confidence, our hope and faith in God. And we may say, yes, we already do! That is why we pray and why we are in Church. Yet, my dear brothers and sisters, let us ask ourselves for a moment, where do we look for peace in our storms? Most of us would say things such as in the mountains, with loved ones, by the calm water, when we are alone in a quiet place; When we go “off-grid”! Much like the various artworks presented to the king, yes, these are peaceful places yet, how many of us regularly can escape to the mountains or to the deserts? Even there, there is still danger, there is still the realities of life and hardship. Just think about how our minds wonder and we think about our troubles while sitting in Church, trying to pray. Rather, true peace when we face the storms, is trusting and turning to God first; true peace is when we live our faith everywhere and at all times. Faith is not practiced in the walls of the Church, in the same way true peace is not experienced when life is easy, serene and calm. Faith is realized daily in our lives in our choices, in how we think, how we speak, how we treat our minds, bodies and souls; faith is exemplified in the way we treat others, with those whom we like and dislike. True faith much like true peace is courage and prayer first in the most difficult times, when we face challenges, even death knowing that God our Heavenly Father will not abandon us, will not forsake us but will protect us and continue to give us the strength to remain in peace through the raging storms of life.

That is what the peace of the Cross is for us my dears. That is why St. Gregory the Great teaches us, “The knowledge of the Cross is concealed in the sufferings of the Cross.” Christ our Lord’s suffering, who, as St. Paul writes in Eph. 2:14-16 “He himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…so making peace and, [He] might reconcile us both to God in our body through the Cross…” Yes, on the surface we see things going wrong in life, even facing death and yet, when our trust remains in our Lord, the wrong things evolve into a process, into a reshaping, a revealing of what the message of the Cross is, that in faith by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son, we are reconciled, we are brought into Communion and therefore, into peace with God the Father, and Holy Spirit.

My dear brothers and sisters, we all have our challenges. Some appear on the surface, some we hide behind our smiles and material wealth, while many of our challenges often keep us away from the Church. What we share is a desire to find peace. If we remain at a distance, if we don’t pray for guidance of the Holy Spirit than the storms and pains of this world will overwhelm us and will keep us away from recognizing His love, His peace. Yet, the message of the Cross, what we celebrate today, is a reminder that no matter how hurt we are, how many battles we face, no matter the scars and the pain we are going through, the power of God is greater, the love of God is for all and with God we will find true peace even amidst our storms.

The love of God, by which Christ Jesus, took our sins, guides us by the Holy Cross, through the raging storms, towards Him. Let us therefore place our trust in God first and always. Let us read our Holy Scriptures, attend Church especially in times of inner anguish. Pray and present to the Lord our God what we are struggling with, openly and honestly seeking His peace, His love, and His compassionate healing. Not only when life is easy, on the blossoming hills, but in the storms, holding tight to our Cross of Christ. And just as the King saw in the painting of the storm, the tiny bird on the branch, Christ our Lord, the King of Kings, the King of Peace sees us in our storm and comes to us, protects us and lifts us up in compassion. To Him, with the Father and Holy Spirit is due glory and dominion, Amen!