Armodoxy for Today: St. Macarius’ prayer

There are four major feasts dedicated to the Holy Cross of Jesus, Exaltation – the one we just celebrated on Sunday – is the greatest. Exaltation, or Elevation of the Cross, encompasses the others feasts, which are Discovery of the Cross, Apparition of the Cross, and the Cross of Varak.

The Cross of Christ is mystically connected to the power of healing. Yesterday I shared one story from my personal experience. Throughout the centuries there have been thousands of such events that have been well documented. The first takes place when the Holy Cross of Christ was discovered.

Christianity was an underground religion for the first few centuries after Christ. When Christianity was accepted in the Roman Empire, many pious converts went on expeditions to preserve relics and sacred objects connected to Christ. The greatest of these was the Cross.

The mother of Emperor Constantine, Queen Helena, was one of those pious individuals. She ventured off to Jerusalem to find items to bring her closer to Christ. With the help of the Bishop of Jerusalem, St. Macarius, she discovered the site where the Crucifixion took place. There, she found three crosses. Which was the true Cross of Christ? Apparently there was a terminally ill woman there. St. Macarius offered this prayer: “Lord, through the suffering of Your only Son on the cross, You chose to bring salvation to humanity. And now, You have moved Your servant Helena to search for the sacred wood on which our Savior was crucified. Please reveal clearly which of these three crosses was raised for Your glory. Set it apart from the ones used for ordinary executions. Let this dying woman be restored to life the moment she touches the cross that brings salvation.”

The woman was healed when touched by the True Cross of Christ. St. Helena had a shrine built on the spot. The Armenian Church is a custodian of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Pray, as St. Macarius did, not as a test of the power of God, but rather, to have God guide you to the power which heals and brings us salvation.

Tomorrow, we continue.