Exaltation of Cross Skit

 

For the feast of the Cross on September 14, our classes have enjoyed putting on a skit re-enacting how St Helen found the Cross of Christ. It does not need much planning ahead of time, and most items you have at home!

You'll need:

• An icon of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
• Dark blanket for the earth/dirt
• Three large crosses cut from cardboard
• One shovel or more, plastic from sandbox will do
• A crown for St Helen, colored paper taped round
• If you choose, second crown for St Konstantine
• A Bishops' garment -drape a cloth around the neck and pin
• Fresh basil, found at site of buried crosses
• Extra: a cardboard coffin / tomb

Assign the parts:

• St Helen and her entourage on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem...those who will dig!
  St Konstantine, her son the King, who was not present actually, but part of history
• Jude, the secret Jewish man, who helped find the way to Golgotha
• A child for the corpse in funeral passing by
• Bishop Makarios, Archbishop of Jerusalem, who will exalt the Cross and lead the procession
• The rest of the class are the faithful believers following the procession!

I narrate and pause for the kids to enact what I state from the story which can be found in many places online (here) or (here)  or (here).


Main points:

• St Helen begins pilgrimage
• Stops to ask Jude for directions
• Finds Golgotha, where crosses are hidden under basil & blanket
• Begin digging
• Finds first cross
• Finds second cross
• Finds third cross
• Places Crosses over corpse of passing funeral. Nothing happens at first two.
• Third cross raises the corpse back to life!
• Bishop exalts the Cross, begins procession to Jerusalem, get everyone walking! Journey to another part of your parish into the Sanctuary if you can!
• All involved chant and venerate the Cross.

 The story varies a bit on who actually was healed on the third cross, we enact the corpse passing by in a funeral. At the end, we all chant together "Son son Kurie" or the Troparian for the feasts. We also, naturally, venerate the Cross, and discuss/identify the icon.


**Note: this feast is always a strict fast day**

Orthodox Pop Quiz - Sunday of the Cross

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"Orthodox Pop Quizzes"

Who can tell us where the saying and superstition
"Knock on Wood" comes from?

good luck!

Our Greatest Weapon

This September, for the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I share with you this image of the largest fragment of the True Cross of Christ in existence. It is a special treasure of the Xeropotamou Monastery on Mount Athos, in Greece.*

In honor of the feast, let's ask our kids, why the Cross is so very important to us as Christians?Why do the enemies of Christ, the demons, cringe at this sign?

After reading a bit from Elder Cleopa, I am reminded of an event in the Old Testament...Read out loud together Numbers chapter 21. "The LORD said to Moses, 'Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.' So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived." Numbers 21:8-9

The faithful of that generation were offered a sign of hope, and for us today as Christians, we too are given a means for our salvation. For the New Testament fulfillment of this event, read John 3:14-15 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

Imagine a real, tangible sign, sanctified by God for us who are in the world amidst so many visuals that tempt our eyes. Ask your kids how they feel when they see the sign of the Cross in public somewhere?

If you are a Christian, you are strengthened,you rejoice, and think of God who offers us the ultimate gift of eternal life. But if you are against Christ, you cringe. To give you a few examples, in the country of Turkey, the Red Cross must be called the "Red Crescent" to avoid any relation to Christianity. Elder Paisios, if I'm not mistaken, said that other countries have banned planes from flying over their lands because of the shadow they cast on the earth below: a cross.

Why? Because this sign is the symbol of the power and the victory of Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:18

For Orthodox Christians, the Cross brings forth joyfulness and regeneration to all who carry it, wear it, or exalt it. May you and your families be filled with encouragement this September as the Cross is processed and we chant, "O Lord Save Your People through the Power of Your Cross."

*A smaller fragment of the True Cross of Christ can also be found at the Greek Orthodox Seminary Holy Cross in Boston, MA.

July 31 - August 1
† Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord (1164)

These next few days are the fulfillment of our "Orthodox Quiz!" On July 31, each year, the actual Holy Cross of Jesus, which had been kept at the imperial palace in Constantinople, would be taken to the altar of Saint Sophia's Cathedral.
Then on August 1, the Holy Cross would be carried around inside the cathedral, and taken through the streets to consecrate the area so that the faithful could venerate the Cross daily until the feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos on August 15.

The Church also commemorates the Righteous Joseph of Arimathea (1st c.) on July 31. The "noble Joseph" was a secret follower of Christ and a wealthy member of the Jewish Sanhendrin (ruling council); it was he who provided Christ's tomb. When his faith became known he was driven from the Sanhendrin, from the synagogues, and from the Holy Land, and traveled through many lands, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. According to some accounts he eventually reached England, where he reposed in peace.