Armodoxy for Today: Basil from the Trash

The Feast that we celebrate this coming Sunday is the Exaltation of the Cross. The story behind the Feast has to do with Christian forces liberating the true Cross of Christ in the 7^th century, from enemies who had held it captive. This story will be repeated in most Armenian Church, as well as Orthodox Churches, this Sunday. You will also notice basil prominently used during the service.

The association of basil with the Cross of Christ comes to us from the time of Constantine and his acceptance of Christianity, twelve years after Armenia’s conversion in the 4^th century. Him mother, Queen Helena went in search of the True Cross of Christ and found in a trash heap. At the foot of the cross there were beautiful purplish-green basil leaves, filling their eyes with beauty and the air with the royal aroma that the plant exudes. Amidst all the debris and filth, there grew this vibrant vegetation, on the spot where the ugliness of hate took our Lord’s life, and His Sacred Blood dripped mixed with the tears of his mother, the Blessed Asdvadzadin. Basil.

Over the past few days, I have shared with you how Christ transforms the Cross from an instrument of torture to a symbol of victory. Everything about the Armenian Cross mirrors the ultimate victory found in the Resurrection of Christ, teaching us that beyond troubles there is a safe haven, beyond evil there is good and after crucifixion there is resurrection. Believe.

Today we pray, an expression from  St. Gregory of Narek, “… the Lord’s cross, a sign of good fortune, glorious and resplendent, unshakable in its exalted light, invincible in the strength on high, standing as an irresistible champion, unmovable forever against the immoral ways of Satan’s tyranny. For the discerning soul, it is a treasure of spiritual goods, showing the defeat of death and the absolution of sin, plus double hopes for each, now and eternally. (Prayer 51)

Translation: Thomas J. Samuelian, Ph.D. St. Gregory of Narek