Referring to history, the Week of the Cross is held exactly in the middle of Lent. But in fact, the title of the week moves to the week from the Sunday of the same name. On Sunday the first service is held, where all parishioners worship the cross. Prostrations are repeated the next day. And then on Wednesday and Friday evenings, after that the cross is in the altar.

In 2018, this week falls on March 11th. On this day, the cross is taken out of the church so that parishioners can venerate it, writes Wordyou. During the liturgy, they read the prayer hymn “We worship Your Cross, O Master, and holyly we glorify Your Resurrection,” after which everyone bows

Week of Cross Worship, what you need to know: how not to break the fast

The first assistant in fasting is prayer. Strong prayer motivates and cleanses; prayer is present inside us and outside at once. By reading a prayer, we communicate with the Lord, we call on him for help, he gives us strength to move on until the end of Lent.

The second assistant is perseverance. You must treat the people around you with understanding and patience, surround them with goodness during this difficult test, it is not easy for everyone, but you, as a peasant, must help your neighbors. Lent is one of the most difficult tests that the Lord has sent us. We will come face to face with hunger, frustration, irritation and misunderstanding, resentment, doubts and many temptations that have been sent to us.

We will try to avoid all the rules of fasting under the onslaught of doubts. This is all predictable, such thoughts are designed to lead us astray, and our task is to distance ourselves from them. Perhaps our loved ones need answers to some questions, and with patience we can help them.

The third assistant is unquestioning acceptance of God's will. They will try to overcome us with thoughts that this is all “wrong” and that “it shouldn’t be this way,” but nothing can be changed, we must accept God’s will and he will help us pass the test so as not to succumb to temptation and not go astray . It’s not for nothing that they say that God gives according to everyone’s strengths and capabilities. After passing God's trials, we become wiser and more united.

The fourth assistant is fortitude. At times it is necessary to express the inaccessibility of every thought, relying only on firmness of spirit, adhering to the accepted conclusion. Only we can go to the end, and the cross works as a reminder to us.

Week of Cross Worship, what you need to know: about ancient traditions and rituals

On this day, rural children had a holiday at which they were presented with cookies. In the fourth week of Great Lent, a very significant event in the life of an Orthodox peasant, time is given so that he can leave the old “himself” with all his sins, so as not to repeat them in the future.

Also in churches, the worship of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is carried out, so this week was popularly called “Cross Week”, “Soldohresnaya”, and Wednesday - “Cross Cross Week”. Due to the fact that the middle of Lent falls on the night from Wednesday to Thursday, it was called “Sredopostye”, “Sredokrestye”. This week we baked “Cross” pies, which could be stored for more than one month.

In some places, housewives baked something into the crosses, and then during the family feast they looked to see who would get the pie with what filling. It was believed that if you got a coal - to sadness, grains of bread - to a good harvest, a splinter - to death, a teacup - to an unexpected life, a piece of brick - to bad housing, a grain of oat - to prosperity, a coin - to wealth.

While the cross is on the lectern, the parishioners bow to it and read. So we can confidently say that the Week of the Cross is a big event in life Orthodox man, because nothing else like it gives strength to hold out until the end of Lent. It is worth recalling that Lent is the longest fast, as well as one of the most difficult tests that the Lord sends to us and shows how ready the peasant is for Easter.

Is a person worthy to wear a cross, because this is the main symbol of the church, which was invented by the Romans and was used for other purposes, and was an instrument for execution, on which a person died in terrible agony, because death on the cross came from suffocation, as a result of a long and extremely painful unnatural position of the chest and the whole body. After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, a similar cross became a symbol of the peasantry.

On Saturday of the third week, during Matins, the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is brought into the middle of the church for the worshipers to worship, therefore this week and the next week is called the Worship of the Cross. The cross is in the middle of the temple until Friday of the 4th week. According to the Charter, four worships are required per Week of the Cross: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Sunday, the veneration of the Cross occurs only at Matins (after the removal of the Cross), on Monday and Wednesday it is performed at the first hour, and on Friday “after the dismissal of the hours.”

The Holy Church offers the Holy Cross for spiritual strengthening of those undergoing the feat of fasting, just as food, drink and rest serve for bodily strengthening.

Just as a traveler, tired from a long journey, rests under a spreading tree, so Orthodox Christians, making a spiritual journey to Heavenly Jerusalem - for the Easter of the Lord, find the “Tree of the Cross” in the middle of the path, so that under its shade they can gain strength for the further journey. Or just as before the arrival of a king returning with victory, his banners and scepters march first, so the Cross of the Lord precedes Christ’s victory over death - the Bright Resurrection.

Having concentrated in the worship of the previous weeks, especially the first, all the most severe and sorrowful things that could both frighten a sinner and touch, it seems, the most petrified human heart, - now, in the middle of the Holy Pentecost, the Holy Church offers consolation and encouragement: the Holy Cross; for nothing can so comfort and encourage a Christian who is weakened in spirit as the presentation of the infinite Divine love of the Savior, who gave Himself to the feat of the cross for the sake of our salvation. In order to inspire us to patience in the deeds of piety, the Holy Church on this day reminds us of the approaching Easter, chanting in the troparions of the canon the Holy Cross, and the suffering of the Savior on it, and His joyful resurrection.

The Holy Church compares the Cross with the heavenly tree of life. According to the interpretation of the Church, the cross is also similar to the tree that Moses planted among the bitter waters of Marah to delight the Jewish people during their forty years of wandering in the desert. The cross is also compared to a hay-leaf tree, under the shadow of which weary travelers, led to the promised land of eternal inheritance, stop to rest.

What can better spiritually strengthen a person who has undertaken a long journey, and in in this case, a fasting Christian, than the gaze turned to the Cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself suffered. Fasting is a difficult and responsible time for everyone who strives to get closer to God. This is the time of killing the “old” person in oneself, getting rid of one’s passions, bad habits and lustful desires, therefore in spiritual sense the most important thing is to remind believers of the suffering and death on the cross of our Savior, which He voluntarily endured for the salvation of the world.

The cross is a call to even more contrite repentance and weeping for our sins, but at the same time, hope for resurrection, for if we suffer with Christ, then we will be glorified with Him, if we die with Him, then we will rise with Him. Let us remember that place in the Gospel where the Lord says to each of us: “Deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me.” Each of us has our own cross, that is, our own hardships, illnesses, sorrows and sins. And we must bear it without grumbling, giving praise to God for everything that we receive from His right hand.

The tradition of worshiping the Cross began in the ancient times of the first Christians. This is evidenced by the writings of the holy fathers that have reached us, such as, for example, John Chrysostom, who lived in the 4th century. Saint Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, in the 7th century, said in his teaching about the cross: “Rejoice, shield of the Great King, under whose shadow every victory is prepared!”

“Lent is coming, mother of chastity.” What time was it before that day? Time to wander. The soul fornicated with everything that was pleasant to the eye - with faces, and with things, and more completely with sinful passions. Everyone has his own passion, which he pleases in everything. It's time to put an end to it. Everyone understand your Delilah, who binds you and betrays you to evil enemies, and leave her. And more will be given to you than to Samson: not only will your hair grow back - good thoughts, and not only your strength will return - strength of will, but your eyes will also open - your mind will become seeing and see the Lord, and yourself, and what is around you in the proper light. Now is the time favorable! Behold now is the day of salvation!

St. Feofan (Govorov), the Recluse Vyshenskytel Feofan the Recluse.

LADDER OF LENT

Monday of the first week is the beginning of Lent.
It is believed that the duration of the Holy Pentecost - 40 days - dates back to the Old Testament. Our Lord Jesus Christ stayed in the desert, fasting and reflecting on his chosen path, also for 40 days, during which the devil tried to tempt him. So the followers of Jesus are supposed to endure an internal battle with Satan these days - and the devil, as a rule, does not neglect the opportunity to torment those who fast. However, if in ancient times fasting was characterized by absolutely extreme severity, in some places it was not allowed to eat or even drink water at times, but today it is quite possible to tolerate it on cereals, vegetables, etc.

Orthodox Rus' sacredly honored Lent. On this day, all the songs fell silent at once, and the table, which had just been bursting with delicious and plentiful dishes, became scarce. Accepted voluntarily as a feat, for the salvation of the soul, fasting enlightens the soul, gives new strength and opens the way to heaven, to God. That is why the soul responds so joyfully to the Church’s call to repentance. Throughout Lent, according to church regulations, eating meat, dairy foods and eggs is not allowed. During Lent (with rare exceptions), Divine Liturgies are performed only on Saturdays and Sundays, which means that infants (children under 7 years old) receive communion only on Saturdays and Sundays. On Wednesdays and Fridays a special observance is celebrated - the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

In the first week of Great Lent, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrey Kritsky. This is a solemn and sad creation, amazing in its depth of meaning and the beauty of its singing and style. At the end of each verse of the canon, the chorus is read: “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.” The nine songs of the canon are divided by day into four sections, and each one thrills the soul. “My soul, my soul, arise, why are you sleeping? The end is approaching and you will be confused. Arise from sleep, and Christ God, who is omnipresent and fills everything with Himself, will have mercy on you.” The Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is a vivid example of how little the translation of a divine service from Slavic into Russian means. For a person who comes to church for the first time and has not picked up the Bible, even the best translation will not yield anything, because the main thing there is not the words, but the images.

1st week of Lent. Triumph of Orthodoxy.
This celebration was established on the occasion of the final victory of the Holy Church over the iconoclastic heresy in 843, when the dogma of the veneration of icons was adopted. The triumph of Orthodoxy is the triumph of the victory of the Church over heresies that distorted the teachings of the Christian faith. At the end of the Liturgy, on this day it is necessary to perform a special rite of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, at which the Church, proclaiming the main dogmas it professes, prays for the conversion of the erring and for the preservation of her children in the true faith of Christ. After these prayers, she excommunicates (anathematizes) disobedient sons from herself , infected with heretical delusions and proclaims eternal memory to those who remained in obedience to the Church until death, especially to the holy defenders of Orthodoxy.

Saturday of the 2nd week is commemoration of the departed.
On the days of our repentance, we cannot help but rejoice in the remission of sins and the repose of the souls dear to us, therefore, on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays of Great Lent Orthodox Church again performs a deep prayer for the departed. Those who already have church experience, of course, submitted special notes of remembrance to churches. They will be read by the clergy in any necessary case throughout all the days of fasting.

2nd week of Lent
This Sunday a church service is held in honor of St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonia, a miracle worker who lived in the 14th century. This is one of the most revered teachers of the Church. The great ascetic of Mount Athos, he is known as a defender of Orthodoxy and denouncer of the heresy of Barlaam, a Calabrian monk who rejected Orthodox teaching about the grace-filled light illuminating the inner man and did not allow the possibility of achieving this illumination through prayer, fasting, and other feats of self-sacrifice. The teaching of St. Gregory Palamas about uncreated Divine energies significantly distinguishes Orthodox mysticism from Western. Orthodox monasticism- on Mount Athos, in Russia, everywhere - it feeds on the legacy of hesychasm, the defender of which was St. Gregory Palamas.

3rd Sunday of Lent, Worship of the Cross.
On Saturday of the third week, during Matins, the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is brought into the middle of the church for the worshipers to worship, therefore this week and the next week is called the Worship of the Cross. The cross is in the middle of the temple until Friday of the 4th week. According to the Charter, there are four venerations during the Week of the Cross: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Sunday, the veneration of the Cross occurs only at Matins (after the removal of the Cross), on Monday and Wednesday it is performed at the first hour, and on Friday “after the dismissal of the hours.” This is done to encourage and console repentant Christians. The Holy Church compares the Cross with the heavenly tree of life. According to the interpretation of the Church, the cross is also similar to the tree that Moses planted among the bitter waters of Marah to delight the Jewish people during their forty years of wandering in the desert. The cross is also compared to a hay-leaf tree, under the shadow of which weary travelers, led to the promised land of eternal inheritance, stop to rest.

What can better spiritually strengthen a person who has undertaken a long journey, and in this case, a fasting Christian, than looking at the Cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself suffered. Fasting is a difficult and responsible time for everyone who strives to get closer to God. This is the time of putting to death the “old” person within oneself, getting rid of one’s passions, bad habits and lustful desires, therefore, in a spiritual sense, the most important thing is to remind believers of the suffering and death on the cross of our Savior, which He voluntarily endured for the salvation of the world. The cross is a call to even more contrite repentance and weeping for our sins, but at the same time, hope for resurrection, for if we suffer with Christ, then we will be glorified with Him, if we die with Him, then we will rise with Him. Let us remember that place in the Gospel where the Lord says to each of us: “Deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me.” Each of us has our own cross, that is, our own hardships, illnesses, sorrows and sins. And we must bear it without grumbling, giving praise to God for everything that we receive from His right hand.

The tradition of worshiping the Cross began in the ancient times of the first Christians. This is evidenced by the writings of the holy fathers that have reached us, such as, for example, John Chrysostom, who lived in the 4th century. Saint Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, in the 7th century, said in his teaching about the cross: “Rejoice, shield of the Great King, under whose shadow every victory is prepared!”

The word "passion" translated from Latin means "suffering." Passion is celebrated on every Sunday of Great Lent, starting from the second week, for evening worship. And each time the Gospel of one of the evangelists is read. For reading, those places are selected where the passion (suffering) of our Lord Jesus Christ is told, the events in the Garden of Gethsemane and on Golgotha ​​are recalled. Typically, believers kneel with lit candles while reading the Gospel. Such worship is necessary for us, most of us hard-hearted people, unable to sympathize with the grief of others, so that our hearts will tremble from the memory that for our sake, for our sins, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself was crucified. For nothing can console, encourage and inspire a weakened Christian to such an extent as the presentation of the infinite divine love of the Savior, who gave Himself to our deed on the cross for the sake of salvation.

Week 4 of Lent.
In the fourth week of Great Lent, the Orthodox Church remembers St. John Climacus. Many years of ascetic labors in one of the Sinai monasteries allowed this holy elder in the 6th century. write one of the greatest books, which he called “The Ladder.” It was and remains the favorite reading of the monastics and pious laity of our Fatherland. Using this book, they sought to resolve emerging spiritual problems, received answers to emerging questions, and learned from it how to acquire a great gift - the virtue of obedience.

Thursday of the 5th week - Station of Mary of Egypt.
The day before, on Wednesday evening, the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete and the life of St. Mary of Egypt.

Saturday of the 5th week - Praise Holy Mother of God(Saturday Akathist).
Saturday of the 5th week of Great Lent stands out from a number of other Saturdays in terms of remembered events and Divine services. This Saturday's service includes the solemn singing of the akathist at Matins (Friday evening) Mother of God, which is why the service itself is called “Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos.”

The reason for establishing the Praise of the Mother of God was some historical circumstances in the life of Orthodox Greeks. In 666, Constantinople was attacked by the Scythians and Persians. The situation of the Greeks was desperate. Feeling the weakness of their strength, the Greeks turned with prayer to God and the zealous Intercessor for the Christian race - the Mother of God. Was committed procession around the city, and when the procession approached the sea, Patriarch Sergius immersed the robe of the Mother of God into the water. The sea, hitherto calm and calm, suddenly became very agitated, a terrible storm arose and sank the ships of the enemies. The Greeks sang songs of praise all night in honor of the Mother of God, the Intercessor of the Christian race, and decided to celebrate this day annually with a solemn service on Saturday in the 5th week of Lent. And our Russian Orthodox Church, having received the liturgical rite from the Greeks, also glorifies the Mother of God this Saturday with the solemn rite of singing “Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos.”

According to its content, the akathist is divided into two parts: historical, which sets out the history of the incarnation and the first years of the life of the Son of God, and dogmatic and moralizing, depicting the mystery of the incarnation in kontakia, and the greatness of the Mother of God in ikos. Based on the model of this akathist, many others were compiled, dedicated to great holidays, miraculous icons and revered saints. They are often read at prayer services in churches and in the homes of believers, but only one is designated for worship by the church charter - the oldest one, sung on Saturday of the 5th week of Lent.

What significance does it have in spiritual life? Orthodox Christian Praise to the Mother of God? Pious Christians spend the time of fasting in prayerful feats of abstinence and struggle with their passions and lusts, with the temptations of the devil. It is not difficult to lose heart and become weak in body over such a long period of time. And so the Holy Church, wanting to support her faithful children, reminds them of the wonderful help and intercession of the Mother of God for us sinners.

5th week of Lent. St. Mary of Egypt.
In the twelfth year of her life, the future hermit fled from her parents' home to Alexandria, where she earned shameful fame for the extreme debauchery of her life. It seemed that all hope of saving the sinner was lost. But the Lord did not turn His mercy away from her. Having accidentally found herself at the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, Mary followed the people to the church, but could not enter it: some unknown force pushed her away and did not let her inside. After several unsuccessful attempts, her gaze accidentally stopped at the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos - and suddenly, shocked, she realized all the abomination and shame of her life. Mary prayed long and earnestly and received instructions from the Most Holy One to go into the desert.

In the depths of the Jordan Desert, she lived in complete solitude for 47 years, eating only roots, enduring hunger and cold, thoughts and tempting images. Using the example of Mary of Egypt, the Church gives us a model of true repentance and, to encourage those who are spiritually toiling, shows her an example of God’s ineffable mercy towards repentant sinners and reminds believers that they should never despair of God’s mercy, no matter how low someone has fallen. St. Mary of Egypt is prayed for deliverance from fornication.

Week 6, frond (floriferous. Palm Sunday)
Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.

The third Sunday of Great Lent is the Worship of the Cross, in Church Slavonic - the Week of the Worship of the Cross. From this day until the end of next Friday - the fourth week of Lent - Week of the Cross.

Let us begin purification by abstinence, kissing warmly in praise of the All-Holy Tree on which we crucify Christ, who saved the world, as He is blessed.

This is how it is sung in the canon for this holiday.

For an event to become meaningful for children, it must become expected. Therefore, we tell children in advance about the main milestones of Lent, including, of course, the Week of the Worship of the Cross. And we raise this topic in more detail on the eve of the event - on Friday of the previous week, at a common dinner. Or at breakfast on Saturday: children don’t go to school, parents don’t have to go to work, you can talk calmly at the table.

Or you can tell it in your own words, focusing on the perception of your children.

Taking this opportunity, it would be good to remember with your children about the types of the Cross in the Old Testament. This is the rod of Moses and the brass serpent in the desert. But first of all - tree of paradise, tree of life:

Having come to know another paradise, the Church, as before had a life-giving tree, Thy Cross, Lord, from which we have partaken of immortality by touch.

The images of the Old Testament help to tell children about the Cross - not about the suffering and crucifixion of the Lord, but specifically about the Cross, about the life-giving Tree. It is no coincidence that the Old Testament is called a “schoolmaster”: the Old Testament images are very bright and, as it were, three-dimensional. Especially for children, they turn out to be a good help in understanding the meaning of many New Testament events. Moreover, the entire service of the same Week of the Cross is permeated with similar references to Old Testament paintings.

Mid-Lent

And we, together with the children, remember that these days are the very middle of the Holy Pentecost. Half of the post is already over, and there is still a lot left to go. By the way, this week is also called the Middle Cross. “Orthodox Christians, making a spiritual journey to Heavenly Jerusalem - for the Easter of the Lord, find that under its shadow they can gain strength for the further journey” (Rev. John of Damascus).

So, halfway through the post. First, the good news: there's not much time left until Easter.

Secondly, a reason to think: how did we fast during the first half of Lent? Usually, already in the first week, we invite the children to decide what each of them, each of us, will try to correct in themselves for this fast. For example, learn not to snitch. Or don't be rude. Try to overcome such a sin that has become a habit.

And now, on the eve of the Week of the Worship of the Cross, we will remind the children, we will remind ourselves of our plans for Lent. Did we manage to do any of what we planned three weeks ago? It often turns out that little has been achieved. And it’s time to get down to business on this matter. Try, pray, hope. At the beginning of the post it seemed like an eternity ahead, but now it’s clear that we need to try to get at least something done.

And there is also the everyday side of the issue. For Easter we usually clean the house, clean it, wash it. The children and I are preparing some interior decorations and gifts and crafts for the holiday. If we leave all this to the days before Easter, it will turn out that instead of the services of Holy Week, instead of prayer and memory of the suffering of Christ, we will have a vanity of vanities, washing chandeliers and painting wooden eggs. To manage everything, or rather, to manage at least something, you will have to prepare for the holiday in advance.

And the completed half of the post reminds us of this prose of life. I usually write a list: what needs to be done to clean the house for the Holidays. And I see what can be done from this list in advance. I distribute all this over the remaining three weeks. Wash the curtains and soft toys, finally put away the skis, wash the washing machine- in general, a lot can definitely be done now. Do everything that careless housewives like me put off for general cleaning. In this case, only current affairs and home decoration will remain for Strastnaya.

It’s the same with crafts, poems, and other pedagogical decorations. Everything that we have planned with the children to prepare for Easter can be done in the next three weeks. This is all we are now remembering and planning.

Divine service

But still about the main thing. On the Week of the Worship of the Cross (that is, on Sunday), the service of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is served. And this service begins on Saturday evening.

We tell the children in advance what they will see in the temple.

During the all-night vigil, after the great doxology, the priest will take a Cross decorated with flowers in the altar. The choir will sing the Trisagion: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us,” and under this singing the priest will solemnly bring the Cross to the middle of the temple. Place it on the lectern. And then all the priests, deacons - everyone will bow to the ground to the Life-giving Cross and sing: “We worship Your Cross, Master, and we glorify Your holy Resurrection.” And we will sing along with them, and we will make these three prostrations. By the way, we remind the children that the anointing on this day does not happen at the usual time, but at the very end of the service. Then it will be possible to venerate the Cross.

Children will know what to expect - and will be able to follow the service more closely.

If you come to church with small children, it will be difficult to endure the entire all-night vigil. In this case, we try to do this: we come to church with the children not towards the beginning, but towards the end. If the service started at 17:00, then we arrive around 18:30. Then we will just get to the removal of the Cross and the anointing of oil.

Home prayer

We will return home after the all-night vigil, have dinner and get up for evening prayers with the children. And after the usual prayers, we will also sing, as in the temple. Three times, drawn out: “To Your Cross...” And at the same time we will bow to the ground before the Crucifixion. This is what we will do until Friday of the coming week, after our general evening prayers.

Children love these bows. Such prayers before the Cross happen three times a year - and children easily remember them. The last time this happened, on the Feast of the Exaltation, our three-year-old daughter said: “I really like it when we sing such a prayer. Let’s always sing and bow like this.”

This singing with three prostrations to the ground is short-lived and not difficult. But this allows us to remember and remember every day throughout this week. About why and for Whom we fast. That we are preparing to worship the Passion of Christ and His glorious Resurrection...

It reminds us - if we prepared our children for this holiday, if we talked about such moments and if we brought this holiday to our home, to our children.

holiday day

Sunday morning is, of course, Liturgy in church. And we all attend it together, we usually take communion - in general, we try to take communion more often through fasting. After the Liturgy at the Worship of the Cross, they usually do not give a cross to kiss, as happens on other days. But all the people approach the Cross on a lectern, taken out from the altar the day before. So we can venerate it again.

And at home we will start lunch (or brunch, depending on how you look at it) with reading. Just a couple of minutes, just a couple of paragraphs: from some sermon dedicated to the Cross or the Week of the Cross.

The Pravoslavie.ru portal always has good selections for every holiday - you can open any text you like and read it. Recently, we didn’t even read it ourselves, but turned on an audio recording of one sermon and listened a little at the table. But it’s still better to read it yourself: you can skip something, you can, while reading, clarify it or retell it in words that children can understand.

For example:

• sermon by St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) in the third week of Great Lent, the Worship of the Cross;
• sermon of Archimandrite John (Peasant): “Come, faithful ones, let us worship the Life-Giving Tree.”

Let's read just a little, just the beginning, or grab something from the middle. If you really want to, we’ll read it ourselves later, without the children. Let's stop now.

Or maybe we won’t read it. Let’s just remember again and say what we heard today during the sermon in church. Maybe one of us, as they say, “has something to say” about today's holiday. And we'll talk about it. Let it be a little. Sometimes it’s even very good, if just a little. But with this conversation, with this reading, we will set a certain tone for our small common feast. Let's return to what we lived in the temple - or rather, how we should have lived. And maybe these words will really linger in the heads of our children. Or at least in our heads.

Cross-shaped cookies

There was also such an interesting Russian folk tradition - baking cookies in the form of crosses on the Cross.

Ivan Shmelev in his book “The Summer of the Lord” described this custom well. I will give an extensive quote here - Shmelev very vividly showed how such a tradition is inscribed in the order of life and thinking of an Orthodox, church child. Shown the “presentation angle” of this custom:

“On Saturday of the third week of Lent we bake “crosses”: “Cross Worship” is suitable.

“Crosses” - special cookies, with almond flavor, crumbly and sweet; where the crossbars of the “cross” lie, raspberries from jam are pressed in, as if nailed down with nails. They have been baking this way since time immemorial, even before great-grandmother Ustinya - as a consolation for Lent. Gorkin instructed me this way:

Our Orthodox faith, Russian... it is, my dear, the best, the most cheerful! It eases the weak, enlightens despondency, and brings joy to the little ones.

And this is the absolute truth. Even though it’s Lent for you, it’s still a relief for the soul, “crosses.” Only under great-grandmother Ustinya there are raisins in sadness, and now there are cheerful raspberries.

“Worship of the Cross” is a sacred week, a strict fast, something special, “su-lip,” Gorkin says so, in the church way. If we kept it strictly in the church way, we would have to remain in dry eating, but due to weakness, relief is given: on Wednesday-Friday we will eat without butter - pea soup and vinaigrette, and on other days, which are “variegated”, - indulgence... but on The snack is always “crosses”: remember the “Worship of the Cross”.

Maryushka makes “crosses” with prayer...

And Gorkin also instructed:

Eat the cross and think to yourself - “The venerable cross” has arrived. And these are not for pleasure, but everyone, they say, is given a cross in order to live an exemplary life... and to bear it obediently, as the Lord sends a test. Our faith is good, it does not teach evil, but brings understanding.”

In our family, every Lent, “crosses” are also baked. This custom is truly a “comfort” for children in the great Lenten time. Makes the Week of the Worship of the Cross something to look forward to, even for little ones. We told the children in words about the Week of the Cross. And these cookies are a good visual accompaniment for verbal learning. And not only visual, but tangible. And also edible.

Besides the visual appeal, baking these cookies in itself is a good idea for activities with children of all ages. We're all going together. And parents, and teenagers, and kids - everyone. This is a joint and fun common thing. Which in itself is worth a lot. Making these crosses from dough is very simple: roll two sausages, cross them, press in the middle so that they stick together - and you're done. It's fun for older people. For younger schoolchildren - culinary skills. For kids - fine motor skills, modeling, but instead of plasticine crafts, children make useful and tasty things. Yes, together with all the elders. And at the same time we are preparing something delicious for tea. So many advantages - and all in one and such a simple task.

You can bake these cookies from any dough.

The simplest thing is the store bought one. You can buy yeast for pies. We will defrost it, as it says on the package, and we will make sausages. You can take puff pastry - then you will not need to sculpt, but simply cut the dough into small strips.

The big advantage of buying dough, of course, is that we reduce the cooking time. This is especially true on weekdays, when there is practically no time for anything. Then the finished dough allows us to spend only ten minutes on these cookies: that’s how much it will take to remove the defrosted dough from the package, cover the baking sheet with foil or paper and let the children sculpt.

But you can still work hard and make the dough yourself.

Rye is the healthiest. In addition, Lenten: rye flour, water, salt, honey. You can do it without honey, you can use it with yeast or sourdough, but add more salt. My husband loves these.

Yeast - prosphora: premium flour, yeast and water. From this dough you need to make thick sausages, about 2 cm in diameter. It is enough to roll one sausage yourself to the correct thickness and show it to the children - they will stick the same ones in the required size using this pattern.

Gingerbread - sweet. Dissolve a third of a glass of water, two-thirds of a glass of sugar, and two tablespoons of honey on the stove. Cool slightly. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the resulting syrup, baking powder on the tip of a knife and flour - so much flour that the dough becomes like plasticine. You can add half a glass of vegetable oil or 100 g of margarine for baking. But it’s also good without oil. From this dough you will need to make sausages with a diameter of about 8 mm. Ready-made gingerbread dough crosses can be coated with protein-free glaze. These cookies sell out immediately. However, my children eat all flour with great pleasure, as long as they give it to them.

In the middle of these crosses you can stick a raisin, a marmalade. It will be good for the crosses from yeast dough. Puff pastry cookies can be sprinkled with granulated sugar before placing in the oven to create a caramel crust.

We bake these “crosses” on the Saturday before Cross Sunday and eat them after returning from church, at lunch. And then we bake them again almost every day of this strict week of the Worship of the Cross.

In such cases, when we revive such folk customs, there may be some embarrassment. For example, baking crosses can become the actual main content of the Week of the Cross. And this can really happen. We see that in modern reality, as in history, external, essentially insignificant folk traditions or even though time-honored, but only the “traditions of the elders” overshadow for many the meaning of the events of the church year, they become more important than the “commandments of God” and the teachings of the Church.

But this happens when the holiday is exhausted by such customs. When there is a Christmas tree and gifts under it, but there is no church, no worship, no reading of the Gospel, no “teaching of the Lord.” And when we really celebrate the holiday together with the Church, when we learn and accept its teachings, when we at least try to lead our children to God, to the temple, to “true” education - then all external attributes will take their rightful place. Namely: they will highlight the celebrated event from the series of everyday life. They will become a visual aid for kids and a joy for adults.

But for this it is precisely necessary that we ourselves do not turn cheese week into a gorging on pancakes under a smoked scarecrow, do not turn the beginning of Lent into a big cleaning called “Clean Monday”, and good friday- on the day of baking Easter cakes.

It is important that we ourselves live the life of the Church.

And they brought their children into this life.

So that our children not only come - but come with us. Not only did they come, but they also understood where they ended up. They didn’t just come, they came with joy. So that they come to the temple and then return to it again. Already on your own.

But even the most diligent, truly righteous parents do not always have children who choose life with God. And what can we say about families like ours? But we have hope - we have a special weapon in this battle for life, for the real life of our children. After all, we have the opportunity to call for help on the invincible, incomprehensible and divine power of the Honest and Life-giving Cross. So that our children always return under the shadow, under the canopy of this mysterious Tree of Life. So that they themselves would look for him, love him, rely on him, and with him they would defeat enemies, visible and invisible. So that the paths and paths of our children will eventually reach this Tree of Paradise.

- Worship of the Cross. It is dedicated to the worship of the Cross, which was established in ancient times to maintain the spiritual strength of believers in the middle of Lent. It reminds us that the Cross is the main instrument of our salvation, that it is a symbol not only of the atoning death of Christ, but also of His glorious Resurrection, which opened the way to heaven for all who are ready to follow Christ. Also, the image of the cross also suggests that our whole life is carrying our own cross and what lies ahead Holy Week, to which this post leads. On Saturday evening, a cross decorated with flowers is brought into the middle of the temple, and people worship it. The leitmotif of the service is the Cross as a tree of salvation and as a paradise tree of life. At the Liturgy, instead of the Trisagion, the hymn “We worship Thy Cross, O Master...” is sung.

Protopresbyter Alexander Shmeman

"Midnight" (half) of Lent: cross

The third week of Great Lent is called the Worship of the Cross. During the all-night vigil of this day, after the Great Doxology, the Cross is solemnly carried into the middle of the church and remains there all week; After each service, a special veneration of the Cross is performed. We must pay attention to the fact that all the hymns of this Sunday speak about the Cross, but they do not speak about suffering on the Cross, but about victory and joy. Moreover, the irmos of the second Sunday Canon are taken from Easter service: “Resurrection day” and all of it is, as it were, a paraphrase of the Easter Canon.

The meaning of all this is clear. We have reached the middle of Lent. On the one hand, a physical and spiritual feat, if it is serious and consistent, begins to take its toll and one feels tired. We need help and encouragement. On the other hand, having endured this fatigue, having climbed half the mountain, we begin to see the end of our pilgrimage, and the radiance of the Easter light becomes brighter. Lent- this is the time of our self-crucifixion, an experience, albeit limited, of Christ’s call, which we hear in the Gospel reading of this day: “...If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:24) . But we cannot accept our cross and follow Christ if we do not accept His cross, which He took for our salvation. It is His cross that saves us, not ours. Only His cross imparts not only meaning, but also power to our crosses. This is explained to us in the Synaxarion of the Sunday of the Cross:

“...On the same day, in the third week of Lent, we celebrate the worship of the honorable and life-giving Cross, for this reason: during the forty-day fast we seem to crucify ourselves... and experience some bitterness, sadness and despondency - the Life-giving Cross is offered to us, refreshing and encouraging us; reminding us of the sufferings of Christ, he strengthens and comforts us... we are like those who go through a long and difficult path; tired, they see a beautiful tree and sit down to rest in the shade of its foliage; having rested a little, as if renewed, they continue on their way; so now, in Lenten time, in the midst of the regrettable path of asceticism, the Holy Fathers erected the Life-Giving Cross, giving coolness and refreshing us, so that we could courageously and easily complete the remaining path... Or let’s take another example: when the king comes, then before him first his banners and scepter appear, and then the king himself goes, rejoicing and having fun about the victory, and his subordinates are having fun with him; in the same way, our Lord Jesus Christ, who wants to show his victory over death and appear in the glory of the day of the Resurrection, sends ahead of him his scepter and the royal banner - the Life-giving Cross - filling us with joy and preparing, as far as possible for us, to meet the King Himself and praise His victory... All this during the week during the Holy Pentecost, because the Holy Pentecost is like a bitter source of shed tears of contrition, Lenten struggle and despondency... But Christ comforts us, as wandering in the desert, until He leads us to spiritual Jerusalem by its Resurrection... because the Cross is called and is the Tree of Life, which was planted in the middle of Paradise; That’s why the Holy Fathers set it up during the holy Great Lent, recalling at the same time the bliss of Adam and how he lost it, also reminding us that by eating from this Tree we no longer die, but are revived...” So, strengthened and encouraged, we enter the second half Great Lent.

Priest Konstantin Parkhomenko about the Cross and crucifixion

From the first centuries of the existence of the Church, ancient Christians attached special importance to the Cross of the Lord. Our Savior suffered on it, on this Cross a redemptive death took place, which united people, even the lowest sinners, with God. In essence, the Cross of Christ was a bridge thrown across the abyss that separated us from God

Archpriest Alexey Uminsky about the meaning of the cross in the life of a Christian

Now, we will stand in the temple in front of the Cross and understand that our bitter truth of meeting the cross is such that it is simultaneously suffering, and light, and the experience of distance from God, and the joy of the fact that He still loves us immensely and infinitely

About the sign of the cross

When we are baptized, we CONFESS OUR FAITH. The sign of the cross is the shortest symbol of faith, wordless and absolutely accessible to everyone. Here we put the first three fingers “pinch” together - this is a sign that we believe in God the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

“Explanatory Dictionary” with Yuri Pushchaev

The cross as the main symbol of Christianity is as paradoxical and unique as Christianity itself. Invented by the Romans ( Old Testament does not know the crucifixion), he was the instrument of a terrible and shameful execution, which was subjected to the most notorious criminals. The person died from severe suffering, since death occurred from suffocation, as a result of a long and extremely painful unnatural position of the chest and the whole body. However, in Christianity, the cross, on the contrary, becomes a sign of victory and a messenger of salvation, the main symbol of the Church and the Christian faith

For two thousand years, the word “crucifixion” was repeated so often that its meaning was to some extent lost and dimmed. The enormity of the sacrifice that Jesus made for all people, past and future, has also dimmed in the consciousness of those living today.
What is a crucifixion? Cicero called this execution the most terrible of all executions that people have come up with.

Audio

What did the Cross look like on which Christ was crucified? Why is this shrine now fragmented into many small parts? Why is it needed? pectoral cross and what does the cross on the priest’s chest mean? Visiting Alla Mitrofanova- Candidate of Theology, Acting Head of the Department of Biblical Studies of the Moscow Theological Academy priest Alexander Timofeev

Question to the priest

The Orthodox cross is not “so complex” at all; it simply most accurately reflects the shape of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The feet of those sentenced to execution were nailed to the lower crossbar (foot), and since the soldiers could not accurately guess where Christ’s feet could reach, the crossbar was attached after the crucifixion, immediately before installing the cross in a vertical position. The upper crossbar with the inscription (title), according to the Gospel narrative, was also nailed after the crucifixion of Christ by order of Pilate - “they placed an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (Matt 27:37)

How did the tradition of placing crosses outside churches and cemeteries develop in Rus' and how did it develop?
The candidate of art history talks about this Svetlana Gnutova, author-compiler of the book “The Cross in Russia” and scientific editor of a series of collections devoted to research into the history of the cross in Russia

“Replicas” by Alexander Tkachenko

Apparently, by and large, my Christianity had not even begun yet. All these years, God has only been preparing me through the circumstances of my life for something else, much more serious and important, for circumstances when it will be necessary to choose between comfort and the cross. And then God give me strength, understanding and faith to make the right choice

Video

In the 21st century, the word “cross” does not surprise anyone and does not frighten anyone: crosses are worn in pierced ears, pricked out in the form of tattoos, and, after all, there is a cross on an ambulance. At the same time, for Christians it continues to remain a sacred symbol. To be a Christian means to follow Christ and carry your cross, and Christ carried his cross to Calvary.
Does this mean that God wants us to suffer and die horribly or not?
Answer these and other questions in the studio Alla Mitrofanova answered the rector of the temple in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “ Life-giving spring» in Tsaritsyn Archpriest Oleg Korytko

What do folded fingers symbolize? See the infographic “Thomas”