Εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος.
Γιορτάζουμε τοῦτες τὶς ἡμέρες τὴν Ὕψωση τοῦ Τιμίου Σταυροῦ. Ὑπάρχει ἕνα κείμενο στὸ Εὐαγγέλιο ὅπου ὁ Κύριος λέει: «Κανένας δὲν ἔχει μεγαλύτερη ἀγάπη ἀπὸ αὐτὸν ποὺ θυσιάζει τὴ ζωή του γιὰ τὸν πλησίον του». Καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ λόγια δίνουν ἀπάντηση στὴν ἀντίφαση ἀνάμεσα στὴν φρίκη τοῦ Σταυροῦ καὶ στὴν δόξα του, ἀνάμεσα στὸν θάνατο καὶ τὴν Ἀνάσταση. Δὲν ὑπάρχει τίποτα πιὸ ἔνδοξο,ποὺ νὰ προκαλεῖ δέος, τίποτα πιὸ ὑπέροχο ἀπὸ τὸ νὰ ἀγαπᾶμε καὶ νὰ ἀγαπιόμαστε. Καὶ νὰ ἀγαπιόμαστε ἀπὸ τὸν Θεὸ μέσα ἀπὸ τὴ ζωή καὶ τὸν θάνατο τοῦ Μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ Του, καὶ ν’ ἀγαπᾶμε ὁ ἕνας τὸν ἄλλον μὲ τίμημα τὴν ζωή μας καὶ ἄν εἶναι ἀπαραίτητο μὲ τὸν θάνατο μας, εἶναι συνάμα τραγωδία ἀλλὰ κυρίως νίκη.
Στὸν Κανόνα τῆς Θείας Λειτουργίας λέμε: «Ἅγιος,Ὑπεράγιος εἶσαι Ἐσὺ καὶ ὁ Μονογενής Σου Υἱὸς καὶ τὸ Ἅγιο Πνεῦμα! Ἅγιος καὶ ‘Υπεράγιος εἶσαι Ἐσὺ ποὺ τόσο ἀγάπησες τὸν κόσμο, ὥστε πρόσφερες τὸν Μονογενῆ Σου Υἱὸ κι ἐκεῖνοι ποὺ θὰ πιστέψουν σ’ Ἐκεῖνον, δὲν θὰ χαθοῦν, ἀλλὰ θὰ ἔχουν αἰώνιο ζωή· ἦλθε καὶ ἐκπλήρωσε ὅ,τι ἦταν ὁρισμένο γιὰ τὴν σωτηρία μας, καὶ τὴν νύχτα ποὺ Τὸν πρόδωσαν – ὄχι, τὴν νύχτα ποὺ παρέδωσε τὸν Ἑαυτό Του, ἔλαβε τὸν ἄρτο, τὸν ἔκοψε καὶ τὸν πρόσφερε στοὺς μαθητές Του.»
Αὐτὴ εἶναι ἡ θεϊκὴ ἀγάπη. Μερικὲς φορὲς μπορεῖ κάποιος νὰ δώσει τὴ ζωή του πιὸ εὔκολα ἀπὸ τὸ νὰ θυσιάσει τὸ πρόσωπο ποὺ ἀγαπάει πάνω ἀπ’ ὅλα, καὶ αὐτὸ εἶναι ποὺ ἔκανε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Πατέρας μας. Ἀλλὰ δὲν καθιστᾶ λιγότερο σημαντικὴ τὴ θυσία Ἐκείνου ποὺ στάλθηκε νὰ πεθάνει γιὰ τὴν σωτηρία ἑνὸς ἄνθρώπου ἤ ὁλόκληρου τοῦ κόσμου. Κι ἔτσι ὅταν συλλογιζόμαστε τὸν Σταυρὸ, πρὲπει νὰ σκεφτόμαστε αὐτὸ τὸ παράξενα συνυφασμένο μυστήριο τραγωδίας καὶ νίκης. Ὁ Σταυρός, ὄργανο μιαροῦ θανάτου, μιὰ ποινὴ στὴν ὁποία καταδικάζονταν οἱ ἐγκληματίες, γίνεται νίκη – ἐπειδὴ ὁ θάνατος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἦταν ὁ θάνατος ἑνὸς ἀθώου καὶ ἦταν ἕνα δῶρο τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ Του μέσα ἀπὸ μιὰ πράξη ἀγάπης.
Γι’ αὐτὸ ὁ Ἀπόστολος Παῦλος μποροῦσε νὰ πεῖ: «Ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστὸς.» Ἡ θεϊκὴ ἀγάπη ξεχείλισε μέσα του καὶ γι’ αὐτὸ δὲν ὑπῆρχε χῶρος γιὰ καμιά ἄλλη σκέψη ἤ συναίσθημα παρὰ γιὰ τὴν ἀγάπη, μιὰ ἀγάπη ποὺ πρόσφερε τὸν ἑαυτό της δίχως ἐνδοιασμοὺς, μιὰ ἀγάπη θυσιαστικὴ, σταυρωμένη, ἀλλὰ ποὺ χαίρεται μὲ τὴν χαρὰ τῆς ζωῆς.
Καὶ ὅταν εἰπώθηκε στὸ σημερινὸ Εὐαγγέλιο, «Ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρόν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι» ( Μάρκ 8: 34) – δὲν μᾶς καλεῖ σὲ κάτι σκοτεινὸ καὶ τρομακτικό. Ὁ Θεὸς μᾶς λέει: Ἄνοιξε τὴν καρδιά σου στὴν ἀγάπη! Μὴν παραμένεις δέσμιος τοῦ ἐγωκεντρισμοῦ σου. Μὴν γίνεσαι, ὅπως λέει ὁ Ἅγιος Θεοφάνης ὁ Ἔγκλειστος, ὅπως τὸ πριονίδι ποὺ τυλίγεται γύρω-γύρω. Ἀνοιχτῆτε! Κοιτάξτε- ὑπάρχουν πράγματα ν’ ἀγαπήσετε τόσο πολύ, τόσα πολλὰ πράγματα ν’ ἀγαπήσετε! Ὑπάρχουν ἄπειροι τρόποι ποὺ μπορεῖ νὰ βιώσει κάποιος τὴν ἀγάπη, καὶ νὰ τὴν πραγματοποιήσει.. Ἀνοιχτῆτε καὶ ἀγαπῆστε – ἐπειδὴ αὐτὴ εἶναι ἡ πορεία τοῦ Σταυροῦ! Ὄχι ὁ δρόμος ποὺ οἱ δύο ληστὲς βάδισαν μαζὶ μὲ τὸν Χριστὸ γιὰ νὰ τιμωρηθοῦν γιὰ τὰ ἐγκλήματά τους, ἀλλὰ ὁ ὑπέροχος δρόμος ποὺ ἀκολουθώντας τον προσφέρουμε ἀνεπιφύλακτα τὸν ἑαυτό μας ἐπειδὴ ὑπάρχουμε μόνο γιὰ τὸν ἄλλον, ἐπειδὴ ἀγαπᾶμε μὲ ὅλο μας τὸ εἶναι, ἔτσι ποὺ ὁ ἕνας νὰ ὑπάρχει μόνο χάριν τοῦ ἄλλου – αὐτὸς εἶναι ὁ Σταυρὸς καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Σταυροῦ.
Ἔτσι ὅταν προσκυνοῦμε τὸν Σταυρό, ὅταν σκεφτόμαστε τὴν σταύρωση τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅταν ἀκοῦμε τὸ κάλεσμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ ν’ ἀπαρνηθοῦμε τὸν ἑαυτό μας –τοῦτα τὰ λόγια ἁπλὰ σημαίνουν: Ἀρνηθῆτε τὸν ἑαυτό σας! Σηκῶστε τὸν σταυρό σας!. Καλούμαστε νὰ ἀνοιχτοῦμε στὸ πλημμύρισμα τῆς Θείας Ἀγάπης ποὺ εἶναι μαζὶ θάνατος τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ μας καὶ ἄνοιγμα πρὸς τὸν Θεὸ, στὸν κάθε ἄνθρωπο.
Στὴν ἀρχὴ του Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἰωάννου ἀναφέρεται: «Καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἧν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν». Ὁ Λόγος, ὁ Υἱὸς, δὲν εἶχε ἄλλη ἀγάπη, ἄλλη σκέψη, ἄλλη κίνηση παρὰ πρὸς τὸν Ἀγαπημένο, προσφέροντας τὸν Ἑαυτό Του σ’ Ἐκεῖνον ποὺ ἔδωσε τέλεια τὸν Ἑαυτό Του σ’ Αὐτὸν. Ἄς κάνουμε κτῆμα μας τὴν δόξα τῆς σταυρωμένης Ἀγάπης, αὐτῆς τῆς θυσιαστικῆς Ἀγάπης, ποὺ σύμφωνα μὲ τὴν Παλαιὰ Διαθήκη, εἶναι δυνατότερη ἀπὸ τὸν θάνατο, δυνατότερη ἀπὸ τὴν κόλαση, πιὸ δυνατή ἀπ’ ὅλα, ἐπειδὴ εἶναι ἡ θεϊκὴ Ζωὴ ποὺ μᾶς κατακτᾶ καὶ ξεχύνεται σ’ ὅλους ἐκείνους ποὺ ἔχουν ἀνάγκη ν’ ἀγαπηθοῦν γιὰ νὰ ἔλθουν πρὸς τὴν Ζωή, νὰ πιστέψουν στὴν Ἀγάπη καὶ στοὺς ἑαυτούς τους, νὰ γίνουν παιδιὰ τῆς Ἀγάπης, παιδιὰ τοῦ Φωτὸς, νὰ κληρονομήσουν τὴν αἰώνιο Ζωή. Ἀμήν.
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In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
We have been keeping these days the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. There is a passage in the Gospel in which the Lord says to us, \”No one has greater love than he who gives his life for his neighbour\”. And these words resolve the antinomy between the horror of the Cross and the glory of it, between death and the Resurrection. There is nothing more glorious, more awe-inspiring and wonderful than to love and to be loved. And to be loved of God with all the life, with all the death of the Only-Begotten Son, and to love one another at the cost of all our life and, if necessary, of our death is both tragedy but mainly victory. In the Canon of the Liturgy we say, \”Holy, most Holy art Thou and Thine Only-Begotten Son and Thine Holy Spirit! Holy and most Holy art Thou because Thou hast so loved Thy world that Thou hast given Thine Only-Begotten Son that those who will believe in Him do not perish but have life eternal, Who hath come and hath fulfilled all that was appointed for our sakes, and in the night when He was betrayed – no! – when He gave Himself up, He took bread, and brake it and gave it to His disciples …\”
This is the divine love. At times one can give one\’s own life more easily than offer unto death the person whom one loves beyond all, and this is what God, our Father has done. But it does not make less the sacrifice of Him who is sent unto death for the salvation of one person or of the whole world.
And so when we think of the Cross we must think of this strangely inter-twined mystery of tragedy and of victory. The Cross, an instrument of infamous death, of punitive death to which criminals were doomed, because Christ\’s death was than of an innocent, and because this death was a gift of self in an act of love – becomes victory.
This is why Saint Paul could say, \”It is no longer I, it is Christ Who lives in me.\” Divine love filled him to the brim and therefore there was no room for any other thought or feeling, any other approach to anyone apart from love, a love that gave itself unreservedly, love sacrificial, love crucified, but love exulting in the joy of life.
And when we are told in today\’s Gospel, ‘Turn away from yourself, take up your Cross, follow Me\’ (Mark 8: 34) – we are not called to something dark and frightening. We are told by God: Open yourself to love! Do not remain a prisoner of your own self-centredness. Do not be, in the words of Theophane the Recluse, like a shaving of wood which is rolled around its own emptiness. Open yourself up! Look – there is so much to love, there are so many to love! There is such an infinity of ways in which love can be experienced, and fulfilled and accomplished… Open yourself and love – because this is the way of the Cross! Not the way which the two criminals trod together with Christ to be punished for their crimes. but the wonderful way in which giving oneself unreservedly, turning away from self, existing only for the other, loving with all one\’s being so that one exists only for the sake of the other – this is the Cross and the glory of the Cross.
So, when we venerate the Cross, when we think of Christ\’s crucifixion, when we hear the call of Christ to deny ourselves – and these words simply mean: turn away from yourself! Take up your cross! – we are called to open ourselves to the flood of Love Divine, that is both death to ourselves and openness to God and to each and to all.
In the beginning of the Gospel of St. John we are told, \”And the Word was with God\”. In the Greek it says \”Godwards\”. The Word, the Son had no other love, no other thought, no other movement but towards the Beloved One, giving Himself to Him Who gave Himself perfectly to Him. Let us learn the glory of crucified Love, of this Love sacrificial which is, in the words of the Old Testament, stronger than death, stronger than hell, stronger than all things because it is Divine Life conquering us and poured through us onto all those who need to be loved in order to come to Life, to believe in Love and themselves to become children of Love, children of Light, inherit the Life eternal. Amen.
