The Cross

His Holiness Pope Shenouda affirms that the Church gives the Cross central and visible attention in all forms of worship, vesture, and blessings because the Cross is related to our whole faith.
The Cross reminds us of the atonement accomplished by the shedding of Christ’s blood and of God’s love manifested in the redemption of the world (John 3:16).
When we make the sign of the Cross we confess the doctrine of the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Atonement: the Father came down to transfer us from darkness to light and from death to life.
The Cross also teaches us divine justice because the wage of sin is death and Christ took that penalty for us, making forgiveness possible.
The Church uses the Cross as a means of blessing in the sacraments, prayers, and daily provisions — from blessing food to blessing the bed — for the Cross carries blessing and power.
The Cross is a mark for discerning spirits; our belief that it contains power protects from the fears of the devil and gives assurance to believers.
We remember that the Cross recalls the Second Coming and that veneration of the Cross has been at the heart of Christian faith since the apostolic age as seen in Paul’s epistles.
Carrying the Cross is not merely a piece of wood, but includes all forms of struggle: self-denial, mortifying passions, fasting, prayer, service, illness, poverty, and enduring for the love of God and people.
The believer must accept his cross with thanksgiving and without complaint, because every toil in ministry is rewarded by the Lord and the martyrs’ spirit and the martyr’s mentality are models to be emulated.