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The
Procession of the Life-giving and Precious Cross
On August 1, we inaugurate the Dormition Feast by
observing the Procession of the Life-giving and Precious
Cross. This is one of three Feasts of the Lord in
August, but it is one that does not receive the notice
that one might think that it would receive. Indeed, it
is not an overstatement to observe that most people have
forgotten the origins of this feast and its meaning. It
is worth the time to revisit it, because there is much
we can learn from it.
We first find the Procession almost 1500 years ago, in
Constantinople. At that time, disease was most prevalent
during the hot summer months. These days we think of
people getting sick more often during the winter. In
ancient times, however, the general lack of sanitation,
combined with the hot temperatures of summer, meant that
sickness was most commonly found during that time of
year. Indeed, in the 14th century, St. Gregory Palamas
(then Archbishop of Thessalonica) remarked in his homily
on this occasion that “August is the most unhealthy
month”, and there is no indication that anyone argued
with him about that.
So it is that all those years ago, during a particularly
oppressive summer, it was decided that a procession with
the Cross would be made through all of Constantinople,
seeking God’s protection and sanctification of the city
and its inhabitants. On the evening of July 31, a
fragment of the True Cross was taken from the Imperial
Palace and laid on the altar of Hagia Sophia, the
principal church of Constantinople. Beginning the next
day, priests and deacons processed with the Cross
through all of the neighborhoods of the city. It took
fourteen days to reach all of the City, and thus it was
that the Procession ended just as the Feast of the
Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos began.
It wasn’t long before the custom spread throughout the
Orthodox world. Processions became annual events in
Athens, Antioch, Jerusalem, St. Petersburg and, yes, in
Thessalonica, where St, Gregory observed it every year.
We may hear this, and think that it is interesting, but
that it has little application to 21st century
Christians. After all, for most of us, plague and
cholera are not major concerns. Yet if you think about
it, there is a deeper spiritual meaning to the Feast,
one which resonates with each of us. Who among us does
not suffer from a spiritual malaise in the summer?
Often, our church attendance suffers, and when we do not
participate in the Liturgy, and receive the Body and
Blood of Christ, our life suffers in every respect.
We should see this ancient feast as an opportunity,
coupled with the solemnity of the Dormition Fast, to
take the Cross and process through the neighborhoods and
precincts of our soul. What is the state of our prayer
life, of our attention to the presence of God in our
life? What is the state of our marriage, of our
relationship with our children and with our parents? How
stands our relationship to the Church and its
sacraments? Have you confessed as regularly as you
should? Given a little self-examination and thought, we
can all discover spiritual neighborhoods within
ourselves where things are not as they should be.
So, take up your cross, and spend the next two weeks in
prayer and self-examination. If you do, your arrival at
the Feast of the Dormition will be more joyful and more
meaningful than ever before.
In the love of Christ,
Fr. James
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