Dear faithful Christians,
I pray that each of you are keeping well, and I thank God for the blessings we all receive today on the Sunday of the Life-giving Cross. The Cross of Christ is the sign of Christ’s Victory over Death. As the Church hymns tell us, “The Cross is the Guardian of the whole world”. For it was through Our Saviour’s Passion upon the Cross, His death, descent into Hades, and glorious Resurrection from the dead that he opened for us the path to Salvation.
As an encouragement to the Faithful of our Church we have included a photograph and recordings of two Hymns from today’s Services. Please listen to them on your own, or with your family tonight and through the coming week. It would be wonderful for everyone to commit them to memory as well, if you don’t know them already, as they are chanted on each Feast of the Cross throughout the year.
As the hymn begins, make the sign of the Cross yourself, through which you spiritually place the holy Cross upon yourself, and then chant the Hymn (page 149 of our Prayer Book):
Save, O Lord, Thy people, and bless Thine Inheritance; grant Thou unto the faithful, victory over adversaries. And by the power of Thy Cross do Thou preserve Thy Commonwealth.”
Listen to this Hymn as Chanted at St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral
and
Thy Cross do we worship, O Master, and Thy holy Resurrection, do we glorify.”
Listen to this Hymn as Chanted at St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral
May we all have consolation and receive strength as we venerate the sacred Cross of Our Saviour and chant these hymns today and in the week ahead, as we continue along the path of Great Lent to the great day of Pascha.
With love in Christ,
Father Anthony