Holy Cross
September 23, 2022
Dear Children of God, how are you? how was holiday? how did you receive the new year? The new year, “Year of Luke” has begun and as you know, you have to be ready for your school to learn all good things in life. Be attentive children! the first place to learn is our Holy Church. Do you know why? It is because knowledge is the wisdom that God gives to His children as a reward to a good behavior, faith and diligence (hard work). So, you should also be mannered, have faith in God and live through religion being obedient to the ten commandment and Church liturgy. Good!
Dear Children of God, in the coming week, specifically on Church Calendar; September sixteen, we commemorate the founding of ‘Holy Cross’ that Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was crucified on by the Queen Saint Helena (Eleni in Amharic). Ok, so now we will tell you the story; so be with us!
Children, while the ‘Holy Cross’ was in Jerusalem, it healed many people from their sickness and performed also many other miraculous. But then, those people who crucified our Lord became jealous. So they dug a hole and buried it. It is saddening children, a place of garbage dump for two hundred and ninety years. During that time, Christiana’s were also suffering before the son of Queen saint Helena Constantine become a king.
Dear Children of God, first Constantine wasn’t Christian. But, his mother was a good and righteous woman, who feared God. So, she prayed and Constantine believed and was baptized Christian baptism. He eve become powerful in battled filed carrying a sign of Cross on the top of his weapon. Being very happy with what God has made for her, she wanted to find the Holy Cross.
This took place in the twentieth year of the reign of Constantine. The blessed woman Helena said to her son, “I wish to be blessed by God. I will go to the holy city of Jerusalem, and I will seek for and discover the Wood of the Life-giving Cross.” Constantine was happy when he heard this. He sent soldiers with her and gave her lots of money and expensive clothes.
When Queen Saint Helena arrived in the city of Jerusalem, she went to certain holy places and prayed. After that, she started to ask around about the Holy Cross. But no one could tell her where it was. Whilst she was asking elders, she met a man named known as ‘Kirakos’ Who had information. The man first refused to tell her denying the truth. So, the Queen had too anguish (punish) and force him. Therefore, the man told her that the Jews were jealous of the Christians who were being healed by the Holy Cross and buried it. He told her it is under a mountain where the garbage dump is found. But there were three mountains found in that area and she was unable to identify (know) which one it was. After this, she told her soldiers who came with her pray with her for God to show them where the Holy Cross is found. After their prayer she lit up ‘Ignite’ (Demera) with an incense inside it. This occurred (happened) on September 16.
It is amazing Children, the fumes of the Incense went up to the sky and came down showing them the mountain where the Holy Cross were buried. Straight away, a light came from it lighting the whole area. Then, they started digging and they found three crosses and still couldn’t identify it. The Queen ordered for her soldiers to bring dead people’s body and when they put it on them each, one of them raised him up but the other two were unable. For this they knew it was the Holy Cross. Saint Helena praised God. The Holy cross healed the sick and the blinds. Then the Queen commanded her men to build the Church on March seventeen at Golgotha, in Bethlehem and the cave where our Lord Jesus Christ was born. This was on September 17.
Dear Children of God, we commemorate the holidays where the Holy Cross is found on March 10, September 16 the day that Queen Saint Helena light up the ignite in search of the Cross by lighting Demera and September 17 that the Holy Church’s Diving Liturgy is honored.
Children, with this story you should be able to know the meaning of Holy Cross because it is the way of salvation, the sign of peace and the light in our life. We defeat (win) enemy Satan with the Holy Cross by carrying it on our neck. Whenever we face any harm occurs in our lives, it goes away when we put the sign of the Holy Cross.
Dear Children of God, our Holy Orthodox Tewahedo Church teaches about the meaning of Holy Cross and so you can attend your local church and learn. We hope you have understood todays story.
Farewell, children, we wish you a happy holiday of ‘Demera and Meskel’ and have a good time till we meet for next time.
