Sunday Of The Veneration Of The Cross
The Cross serves to encourage believers midway on a pilgrimage to Pascha and the assurance of our ultimate resurrection.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
In today’s Gospel (Mark 8:34-9:1), and on the Third Sunday of the Great Fast, we commemorate the Precious and Life‑Giving Cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Church, at the midpoint of the Fast, lifts the Cross before us as both a reminder and a source of strength. The ceremonies of this Sunday echo those of the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14) and the Procession of the Cross (August 1), reminding us that the whole of Lent is a time for each of us to be especially aware that our baptism is a true dying and rising with Christ.
This Sunday prepares us for the commemoration of the Crucifixion and teaches that through the Cross—through our own pains, sacrifices, and struggles—we come to the fulfillment of our deepest hopes: the heavenly inheritance and eternal glory.
At the heart of today’s Gospel stands Christ’s call: "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." — Mark 8:34
Christ does not ask us to seek suffering, but to embrace love that costs something. The Cross placed before us today is not merely a symbol of pain, but a banner of victory, a tree of life, and a reminder that true discipleship transforms us. Just as Jesus accepted his Cross freely out of love, we are invited to follow Him by offering ourselves in love, fidelity, and trust in the Father’s will.
The Church gives us the Cross today precisely when our Lenten zeal may be weakening. It stands as a sign of encouragement: “Through the Cross joy has come to all the world.”
Living the Gospel as Missionary Disciples
- Embrace a small daily sacrifice. Choose one act of self‑denial—avoiding complaint, turning off distractions, or offering a chore for someone else—and unite it to Christ’s Cross.
- Carry someone else's burden. Call, visit, or pray intentionally for someone who feels alone. Bearing another’s burden is part of carrying the Cross with Christ.
- Pray before the Cross each day. Make the sign of the cross slowly and consciously pray.
- Fast with purpose. Let your fasting be filled with meaning—offer it for peace, healing, or conversion, not just as a personal discipline.\
Bishop Robert Pipta presides over the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma, Ohio.