Glimpse of worship from the 4th Century

Etheria was a woman who travelled the Holy Land sometime in the late 4th century AD. She has written down what she saw as practices of the Early Church then existing in the Holy Land (note that this was before the birth of Islam) - especially during the Holy Week.

(Read about Etheria the Pilgrim on wikipedia or Google. Etheria's maybe the first formal writings by a woman which we have access to.)

As we scroll down to the "Veneration of the Cross" section, we see how the wood of (probably) the original Cross was venerated, bowed down upon, kissed (even bitten away! so guarded by deacons) without anyone doubting if it was idol worship.

Thus the early Church does not seem to have had issues venerating the Holy Cross, these "doubts" that are now gaining popularity among us were probably conveniently planted into our psyche during the time of the advent of Protestantism in the 15th-16th centuries. [Beware of the questions of the serpent who planted the doubt in man by an innocent question.]

(I thank Rev. Fr. Shaji P. John from Nagpur Seminary for pointing us to the work 'Pilgrimage of Egeria' during his classes in Albany, NY during the Holy Week in 2011)

Ref: Pilgrimage of Egeria"(Etheria) 


Src: ICON

Veneration of the Cross

Orthodox orders of worship transcend time and space. When we say, we "remember",

Sacrementally we transcend time

or we "commemorate", we actually "participate" in the historic reality, in a way we cannot comprehend outside of faith. Our Liturgical Calendar is a 'real' participation of the life of Christ. Thus we "really" participate in the Hosanna
song with the children in Jerusalem, truly sit with Him on the Passover table,walk with the three Kings with gifts during 'TheeJwala Shushroosha' during Christmas. Something similar happens during the veneration of the Cross, I
think.

Just surrounding the veneration of the Cross on Good Friday is the procession of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemos with Christ's body. Then we have the burial service. In all these, we actually overcome the time gap of 2000 years and be
with the original participants of the historical happening. Seen in this context, the veneration of the Cross is also the final kiss given to the Holy Body of the Lord before His burial. What we could not do when it actually happened, we do sacramentally. Just as we kiss the dead body of a beloved one before his final procession and burial, so we also do with the Lord.

It is the same Cross which the faithful kissed goodbye, that is later wrapped, anointed and preserved in the burial service. The Cross bore the Holy Body of the Lord during the darkest hours of His passion. The Cross is a symbol of His Holy Body.

Now, whether this closely resembles idol worship, or if it may be perceived as

When we kiss the Cross, we kiss Christ

one, depends on how we understand it, and how we teach it. Is the Cross a different God? ["You shall have no other God beside me"]I don't think so. Is it similar to the golden cow that Israel made for their worship? I don't think so. The Cross is significant only because of the Lord who suffered on it. The Cross is a symbol of His love.

Do the Hindus do something similar? I think they do. In discussion with friends, I have learnt of how the idol is a representation of the invisible God they believe in. Do I know their God? No. Can I relate to their way of worship? Yes.




Src: ICON