 
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto (Canada)
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Under the Jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
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April 3: The Sunday of the Holy Cross
On this day the service of Matins concludes with the solemn veneration of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross; the ceremonies are closely parallel to those at the feasts of the Exaltation of the Cross (14 September) and the Procession of the Cross (1 August). The veneration of the Cross on this third Sunday in Lent prepares us for the commemoration of the Crucifixion which is soon to follow in Holy Week, and at the same time it reminds us that the whole of Lent is a period when we are crucified with Christ: as the Synaxarion at Matins says, ‘Through the forty-day Fast, we too are in a way crucified, dying to the passions.’ The dominant note on this Sunday, as on the two Sundays preceding, is one of joy and triumph. In the Canon at Matins, the irmoi are the same as at Easter midnight, ‘This is the day of Resurrection…’ and the troparia are in part a paraphrase of the Paschal Canon by St. John of Damascus. No separation is made between Christ’s death and His Resurrection, but the Cross is regarded as an emblem of victory and Calvary is seen in the light of the Empty Tomb.
Source: The Lenten Triodion. Mother Mary, of the Monastery of the Veil of the Mother of God, Bussy-en-Othe, and Archimandrite Kallistos Timothy Ware: 1977.
Our Thoughts and Mental Health:
An Orthodox Perspective
“When man sees everything with good thoughts, he is purified and receives the Grace of God. By bad thoughts, man condemns and wrongs others, preventing divine Grace from coming, and allowing the devil to come and do his evil to us and in us.”
Geronda, in the Old Testament, in the book Macabees IV, it is written: For devout thought does not uproot the passions but is their antagonist.* What does this mean?
The passions are deeply rooted in us, but the good, devout thought helps us to not become enslaved to them. When man brings only good thoughts to mind and establishes a strong and healthy spiritual state, then the passions lie dormant, and it is as if they did not exist. In other words, devout thoughts do not uproot the passions altogether, but combat them and can defeat them. I think the author is describing what the Holy Seven Young Men, their mother Saint Solomone and their teacher Saint Eleazar were able to endure by having good and devout thoughts,** and thus is indicating precisely the extent of the power of good thoughts.
One good thought is equal to a very long vigil! It is very powerful. Similar to how certain new weapons can intercept a missile at its base by using laser beams and prevent it from being fired, so good thoughts can also anticipate and immobilize evil thoughts at the devil’s “airports”, where they are launched from. This is why you must struggle as much as you can – before the tempter devil has a chance to plant evils thoughts in your mind – to plant good thoughts and transform your heart into a flower garden, so that your prayer will be enriched by the divine fragrance of your heart.
When we hold even the slightest grudge, a small bad thought about anyone, any ascetic discipline we may undertake, such as fasting, vigils and so forth, will be in vain. What will be the use of such ascetic disciplines, if one does not struggle concurrently to prevent and reject all evil thoughts? Why not first empty the vessel of any impure residue oil, which is only good for making soap, before putting in the good oil; why should we mix good oil with filthy residue?
A single good and pure thought has more power than any ascetic exercise. For example, a young man is tempted by the devil and has impure thoughts, and he undertakes vigils and three-day fasts in order to be rid of his impure thoughts. But one single good and pure thought which he manages to bring to mind can gave greater effect than the vigils and the fasts; it can be of more positive help to the young man in overcoming his problem.
* Cf. 4 Mac 3:5 LXX.
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