The cross is a sign of love, bestowal, sacrifice, and redemption, which you carry each time you are tired in view of the practice of these virtues.

1-Try to get tired for the rest of another, and for his deliverance and his service; and be confident that God does never forget the fatigue of charity, “and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor” (1 Cor. 3:8)…. Train yourself to give: whatever you bestow and support and sacrifice….. and train yourself to give from your necessities,
as the blessed widow had done (Luke 21:4)…….. Get tired in your service, because it is as much as you get tired, so much your love will appear, and therefore your sacrifice.
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The cross is an emblem to which every Christian clings because of its spiritual and doctrinal meanings. We suspend it on the churches, we include it in all our sculptures, we suspend it on our breasts, we make its sign on ourselves, we begin our
prayers with it, we sign it on our food, we sanctify with it all that we possess. The men of the clegy carry it in their hands, and they bless the people with it. The cross is used in all the ecclesiastical sacraments, and in all the signings and the consecrations, in the belief that all the blessings of the New Testament came as a result of the Cross. The clothes of the clerical men are adorned with the cross, not just for ornamentation, but for its benediction and its power. We celebrate two feasts for the Cross, and we carry the cross during the processions and the celebrations. We see that there is a power in the signing of the Cross, which the devils dread. All the pains of the devil to ruin human beings, has been lost by
means of the deliverance which was realised on the Cross. Therefore Satan dreads the sign of the cross….. on condition that the signing of the cross is done with faith and reverence. The apostle saint Paul said: “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” (1 Cor. 1:18). That is why a christian fortifies himself with the signing of the cross.

When we make the sign of the cross, we remember many of the theological and spiritual meanings which are connected to it.

1. We remember the love of God for us, who accepted death instead of us, in view of our salvation. “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Is. 53:6). When we make the sign of the cross, we remember “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:2). (more…)

In Christianity, you suffer, you find pleasure in suffering, and you obtain crowns for your suffering which is transformed into glory. Christianity is not a cross which you carry, and grumble and protest in your complaint! No, but it is the love of the cross, the love of suffering and sacrifice and fatigue for the Lord and for the expansion of His kingdom. It was said about the Lord Christ: “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame”(Heb.12:2).
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In fact, christian life is practically a journey to Golgotha; and chrisianity without a cross is really not christianity. Those who have received their good things on earth, will have no share in the Kingdom, as the story of the rich man and Lazarus explains to us (Luke 16:25). We say that, as regards individuals, just as we say it as regards groups and churches also. For christianity is a participation in the sufferings of Christ, as the apostle saint Paul said: “that I may know
Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10). He said also about this participation in the sufferings: “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

So that if you want to live with Christ, you must be crucified with Christ, or you must be crucified for Him, and suffer for Him, even if that would lead to die for Him also.

Christ was elevated over the level of the earth in His Crucifixion. He was also elevated over the level of the tomb in His Resurrection. He was elevated over the level of all the world in His Ascension to heaven and in His sitting at the right side of the Father. He was rather elevated over the level of this heaven.
These are degrees of elevation, all of which He had begun by the Cross.
Rather before that, He was elevated over the level of self-preoccupation in His Nativity. He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant” (Philippians 2:7). (more…)

THE CROSS IN THE LIVES OF SAINTS
The disciples of Christ also placed the Cross before their eyes. They preached continually……. and said about that: “but w e preach Christ crucified” although He is “to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness” (1 Cor. 1:23). The apostle saint Paul said: “For I determined not to know anyting among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). He rather boasted in the Cross saying: “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). (more…)

The Church celebrates the feast of the Cross on the 17th of Tot, (27th or 28th of September), the day of the apparition of the Cross to the Emperor Constantin, and on the 10th of Baramhat (19th of March), the day when the Empress Helen found the wood of the Holy Cross.
We want to -day to speak about the spiritual meaning of the Cross, and about the importance and benediction of the Cross, in our lives.
The Cross is every difficulty which we suffer in view of our love for God, or for our love for people, for the K ingdom of God in general.

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On Friday night we had spiritual/tasbaha night..

+ Elementary group study the character of Saint Andrew the disciple. He was a disciple of Saint John the baptist & fellowed Jesus. They learned about his quality characters.

• 1-Loyalty (John 1:41)
• 2-Obedience (Matthew 4:20 and Mark 1:18)
• 3-Discernment (John 1-35-37)
• 4-Resourcefulness (John 6:8-9)
• 5-Enthusiasm (John 1:41)
• 6-Lovingness (John 12:20-22)
• 7-Zealousness (John 12:20-22)
• 8-Man of Faith (Matthew 4:20 and Mark 1:18)
• 9-Humbleness (John 1:41)

+ Bible fellowship group continued studying the Gospel according to Saint Mark.

Then every one met for the Tasbeha. Right after we had open youth discussion and every one went to Saint Mark House.