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viernes, 29 de septiembre de 2017

聖ヒエロニモ司祭教会博士 



聖ヒエロニモ司祭教会博士
 記念日6月15日


 聖ヒエロニモは西暦342年頃パンノニアとの国境近くにある、ダルマチアのストドリンという町で生まれた。両親は甚だ富み、カトリックを奉じていたが、当時の習慣に従い、ヒエロニモが洗礼を授けられたのは、既に成長の後であった。彼は才能も豊かに元気活発な少年で、おおよそ354年頃ローマに赴き、ある学校に入って勉強する身となった。
 ローマはその頃コンスタンチヌス大帝がカトリックを国教と定めてから漸く40年を経たばかりで、神々の像やそれを祀る神殿など昔の異教の名残が至る所に見られた。そればかりか、利己心から、カトリック信者となっても異教の思想を捨て去らぬ人も決して少なくはなかった。なかんずく学問や芸術、政治方面などでは、そのよからぬ影響が明らかに認められたのである。
 志操いまだ堅まらぬ血気盛んな青年ヒエロニモもこの享楽的な異教の感化を受け、罪悪の淵に沈倫した。しかしやがて大患を得て病床に呻吟する身となるや、始めて既往を反省し、この苦しみも天主の御懲罰と悟り、快癒の後は生まれ変わった如く信仰に精進し、清い生活を送るようになった。
 間もなくヒエロニモは信仰道徳に危険の多いローマを後に、当時ローマ帝国の首府であったドイツのトリール市に行った。そしてそこで全くわが身を天主に献げる決心を為し、聖職者の列に加わったが、エジプトに於ける隠修士の麗しい修道生活を聞いていたく感動し、先ず聖地パレスチナ巡礼を思い立って5人の同志と共にトリールから出発した。
 かくて漸くシリアのアンチオキアに到着した時、また熱病に罹り、九死に一生を得た彼は、全快までの日を療養のつれづれにギリシャ語を研究したが、この知識が後日天主の思し召しにより旧新両約聖書のラテン語訳を完成する上に、大きい役割を勤めようとは、夢にも知らなかったのである。
 病癒えたヒエロニモは隠遁して修道に専念する決心の実行に着手し、カルシスの荒野に行ってそこに住む数多の隠修士の仲間に入り、祈祷や苦行や勉学にいそしみ、数年償いの生活を送った。しかし往年の華やかな享楽の日々の回想は、しばしば現在の寂しい不自由な生活に、深い疑惑の念を抱かせる事がないではなかった。それは恐るべき悪魔の誘惑であった。彼は殆どそれに圧倒されて、再び世間へ戻ろうかと考えたことも幾度とあったか知れない。が、天主の御助けを祈り求めつつ、彼はよく最後まで耐え忍んだ。そしてその誘惑に打ち勝つ一助にもと、今度は至難なヘブライ語の研究を始めた。
 ヒエロニモは聖職者の端には列していたものの、まだ司祭の資格は有していなかった。友人等はそれを惜しんで頻りに叙階の秘蹟を受けるよう勧めた。それで彼は数年の後荒野を出てアンチオキアに帰り、叙階されて司祭になった。しかし極度に謙遜な彼はもったいなさに唯の一度もミサ聖祭を献げようとはしなかった。ちょうどその頃の事である。彼は親交のあったナジアンズの司教グレゴリオに勧められて、オリジェネスの護教書や、オイゼビオの聖会史などをラテン語に翻訳した。彼のうんちくの深さはそれによって一時に世に知れ渡り、その名声は遠くローマにまでも轟き渡った。されば382年教議会が開かれるや。時の教皇ダマソに招かれる光栄をになったのも不思議はなかったのである。
 ギリシャ語やヘブライ語に堪能なヒエロニモは、教皇を補佐して種々の問題の議定にあずかって力あり、またその命を受けてそれまで用いられていたイタラ聖書中の誤訳を訂正した。それだけでも彼の聖会に対する功労は偉大なものと言わざるを得ない。
 当時ローマ人士の間には遊惰、冷淡の弊風が瀰漫していた。ヒエロニモは之を憂え、真摯な人々を糾合してその指導者となり、彼等に依って一般市民にもカトリックの真の精神を鼓吹する事に努めた。この有意義な事業に協力援助を惜しまなかった者には、元老議員パンマキオやその友人等、執政官未亡人聖マルセラ、貴族夫人聖パウラ及びその二令嬢聖ブレシラ、聖オイストキウムなど上流の人々も少なくなかった。しかし悪魔もさる者、そのまま黙っているはずがない。巧みに冷淡な信者や異教徒たちを煽動して、ヒエロニモの運動を妨げるべくあらゆる手段を講ぜしめたのである。
 その結果、彼は同志や修道者数人を伴い、聖地パレスチナに赴き、ベトレヘムに於ける主の御降誕聖堂の傍らに男子修道院を、またそこからやや離れた所に女子修道院を設けた。その女子修道院最初の修練女となったのは、間もなく彼の後を慕ってベトレヘムに来た貴婦人パウロとその令嬢オイストキウムに外ならなかった。
 ヒエロニモは自分の経験からして、独居修道に励む隠修士よりも、一指導者の下に共同生活をして互いに切磋琢磨する方が遙かに修養に役立つ事を悟って自ら修士達を教え導く任に就き、日に数回聖堂に集まって聖務日祷を共に誦え、朝の御ミサには完徳に関する有益な説教を為し、残余の時間には適宜一同労働に従事する事とした。なお余暇には旧新両約聖書の写本を作らせ、之を諸々に送り与えた。
 ヒエロニモは更に旧約新約両聖書を平易に正確に改訳する事を心がけ、カルデア語を学び、386年から404年まで孜々として執筆を続け遂に右の大事業を完成した。これこそ世に高いウルガタ訳聖書である。のみならず諸教父の著書や聖書の各書に就いての注釈説明書も著し、多忙の中から各方面の名士と文通も怠らなかった。さればベトレヘムの修道院はさながらカトリック的生活の中心たる観を呈し、次第に巡礼地の如く天下に名を知られるに至り、ルシニオというスペインの一富豪がヒエロニモの筆に成る書物をことごとく得んものと写字生6人を送ればアフリカ、スペイン、ガリア、ドイツなどからは司教司祭達が彼の教えを請いに来、またイタリアの総督やガリアの貴婦人達は信仰箇条に関する説明を求めるという風であった。
 それほど世人に渇仰され賞賛されたヒエロニモであったけれど、天主の試練や悪魔の誘惑もない訳ではなかった。否、ないどころかそれは数十年の長きに亘って彼を悩ましたのである。それに彼の打ち負かされなかったのは、全く彼が天主の御助けを熱烈に祈り求める一方、常に身を惜しむ事を忘れなかったおかげであった。しかもかかる内憂ばかりでない、小アジアから蛮族がパレスチナに侵入するという外患も二度に及び、彼は危うくその毒手を免れて九死に一生を得たものの、壊滅された修道院復興に多大の心労をせねばならなかった。410年ゴート族がローマに侵入、殆ど全市を廃墟と化したという凶報に接した時などは「聖会の損害を聞き、悲しみに胸迫ってただただ嗚咽し、言うべき言葉を知らぬ」とある書信中に述懐している位である。
 かくて天主から託された使命を悉く終えたヒエロニモは420年9月30日、その報酬を受くべく天主の御許に赴いた。享年78歳。
 なおヒエロニモに就いて名高い一伝説がある。それはある日一匹の獅子がびっこを引き引き彼に近づき、前足を差し出すので、見るとそこには大きな棘が刺さっている。で、彼がそれを引き抜いてやると、獅子はさも嬉しげにたてがみのふさふさした頭を、彼の体にすりつけ、その後は聖人の傍を離れなかったというのであるが、これはヒエロニモが獅子の如き勇気を以て聖会の為に闘い、己に打ち克ち、自分の欠点悪欲の如き棘を抜き去るのに絶えず努力した事実を象徴した話であろうと思われる。


教訓

 世人はアレクサンダー大王やシーザーやナポレオンのような人物を、稀代の英雄豪傑として崇敬している。しかし真に偉大な英雄とは、彼等の如き侵略者征服者に非ずして、己の欠点や悪傾向に打ち勝ち、完徳に達した聖人方ではなかろうか。聖ヒエロニモはかかる聖なる英雄の中でも最も偉大な一人である。我等は彼の美徳の数々に倣わねばならぬ。

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St. Michael Archangel Feast

 

Homily on the Feast of the Archangel Michael




Holy Archangel Michael, with your lightning-fast sword, drive away from us the evil spirit that tempts us.
O great Archangel of God Michael, victor over the demons! Conquer and put down all our enemies visible and invisible, and pray to the All-Sovereign Lord that He save and preserve us from sorrows and all sicknesses, from death-bearing plagues and from sudden death, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

 
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
Today, my beloved friends, is the feast and glorification of Archangel Michael and the innumerable hosts of angels. This is a great feast for the entire Church, and for us especially since the church we are in today is dedicated to the Archangel Michael—the chief and leader of all the Heavenly Angelic Regiments, the faithful and zealous servants of the Almighty Creator and God. This day (November 8 according to the Church calendar) is the most important of all the feasts in honor of the Holy Angels. People commonly call it, “St. Michael’s day,” and it is greatly honored by the faithful. But the Church calls it the Synaxis of Archangel Michael and all the Heavenly Bodiless Powers. It is a synaxis, which means “assembly”—the totality of all the holy angels with Archangel Michael at the head, for they all together and with one voice glorify the Holy Trinity and serve God with oneness of soul.
The Church has dedicated this day, my dear ones, to Archangel Michael, the leader of the Heavenly Powers, and depicts him on the icons with a threatening and warlike appearance. On his head is a helmet, in his hand is a sword or spear. Under his feet is the dragon he has trampled. With whom and against whom does this valiant leader wage war?! We know, my friends, that the whole angelic world, which was created even before man and the entire visible world, was at the time of creation given great perfection and gifts of grace. And great and glorious was its purpose. Amidst this angelic world, one of the ruling angels—Lucifer—discovered the source of evil and pride in himself and rebelled against his Creator. The angels, like people, were created with free will. And at the beginning they were able to abuse this freedom and fall into sin—which Lucifer did. He desired to be independent from God. The spiritual world was shaken, and a portion of the angels followed after him. At that moment, from amidst that same angelic assemblage a fighter came forth for God’s glory and showed that he knows God, and recognizes Him alone as the One God, Creator, and Ruler of the whole universe. “There is no one like God!” he boldly and decisively proclaimed, witnessing to God’s greatness. By this act he manifested his personal qualities: steadfast faith, boldness and decisiveness of action, and the ability not only to believe but also to witness to God—radiating and spreading the divine Light he had received to the whole world. The struggle was hard, for Lucifer was gifted with great sophistication. But the powers of good overcame the powers of evil… Lucifer was cast out of Heaven along with his followers. Then Archangel Michael was confirmed as the leader of the whole angelic world faithful to God. From that time on Archangel Michael has always had a sword in his hand, for Satan, cast down from Heaven, never ceases to wage war against the dwellers of heaven. The fallen angels’ ability to penetrate into the higher realms of the world’s foundation has been severed from them. That is why they turn all their malice toward people, and first and foremost upon those who believe in God.
Could the Archangel Michael’s sword possibly remain idle under such circumstances? Of course not! The Archangel does not cease warring with the spirits of evil and darkness, protecting God’s true children from their cunning machinations. And this struggle will intensify before the end of the world. By now we should all understand why the Archangel Michael is depicted with such a militant appearance. He is the defender of God’s Church. And his appearance should bring God’s enemies to fear. But we should rejoice that we have such a valiant defender—the leader of the Heavenly Powers under Heaven. We should remember that his protecting sword will always be on our side, if we would only not ally ourselves with that same enemy against which the Archangel Michael wars. As time went on, the angels who remained faithful to their Creator and who comprise the regiments of Archangel Michael have so strongly confirmed themselves in goodness that sin has become impossible for them. Not because they, having free will, cannot go against God’s will, but simply because they will never want to do that, they will never want to sin. My friends, pay attention to these words. They will never want to sin! How instructive this is for us. Not wanting to sin means receiving the possibility to come closer to God and see Him as the angels see Him. To serve Him and only Him, fulfilling His commands.
Synaxis of Archangel Michael and all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven. Novgorod School. Synaxis of Archangel Michael and all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven. Novgorod School.
The word, “angel” means, “messenger”. The bodiless spirits have this name because they announce God’s will to people. An angel is one whom the Lord can send on a task and who will fulfill that task with exactitude. The angels live everywhere. But they mostly live in Heaven, around the Throne of God, where God more clearly reveals His glory to them, and through them His will in relation to people. The holy fathers of the Church call them the secondary lights, as if reflections of divine light. They are the secondary lights! How are we to understand this?! With what can we compare it so that it would be fathomable to our minds?
Being in direct closeness to God, the angels are filled with exaltation, God’s grandeur, His holiness, wisdom, and the Creator’s extreme love for His creatures. A certain divine light flows through them freely as a broad river. However, it not only flows through them as along a free channel, without any hesitation, never flowing then drying up, but flowing as it flows, sparkling and shining like light as it falls upon a precious stone. The light reaches the center and reflects from there in responsive radiance, and spreads and multiplies, coursing in all directions; refracting in the facets it is adorned with exquisite light, illumining and at times even blinding with its beauty. In this is the image of true sanctity. The Heavenly Powers received in themselves God’s light. They refract it in themselves, and reflecting and refracting it into a multitude of beautiful rays, they have spread it around themselves, giving it to people who are capable of receiving it. And in this reflected radiance of divine light—a radiance that is unwaning and unfading, but is multiplied and joy-producing, bringing life—we come to know God! If it weren’t for the angels we would never even to the small extent accessible to man be able to feel and perceive divine light. We ourselves are not capable of seeing and feeling God’s glory—we need mediators who thus transform it, so that it would become accessible to us also. And the angels are those very mediators for us.
My friends! Do people reflect this light they receive from God? Are humans capable of this?! People of irreproachable life and fiery love for God shine with this divine light in a way that people around them can see at certain moments of their lives. We find many examples of this when we read the Lives of the Saints. The texts of the divine services tell us about these people: “Having lived like an angel on earth…” or, “Thy life was equal to the angels’.” I will name you for example two of our people who lived very close to us in time. These are the well-known St. Seraphim of Sarov and the lesser-known Holy Hierarch Meletius. Both of them bore an ardent love for God in their hearts. Remember also the story from the Acts of the Apostles. When Archdeacon Stephen was being condemned to death, he said that he saw the heavens open and the glory of God—and everyone sitting in the Sanhedrin saw his face as if it were that of an angel. This testifies to the possibility and accessibility for us of becoming like the angels while still in this earthly life—if only we on our part had the striving for this.
The holy angels do not only serve God by praising Him. They also strive to emulate Him in deed. The angelic world is comprehended by the true spirit of reason, the actual participation in human history. As it is written in the Holy Gospel, the Son of God came to earth to serve people and to save them. And the angels are sent to earth with the same goal—service to people. The first Christians knew the honorable bodiless Powers’ intercession for them through revelation and experience. So that we also might actual feel the existence of angels and their constant presence, let us purify our hearts and souls from sinful thoughts, desires, and especially deeds. Stand constantly on guard over your souls, take care for their purity—and you will see the angels, and with their help come closer to God and see Him, for it has been said that the pure in heart will see God (cf. Matt. 5:8). Cleanse your heart and you will become worthy of exalted joy, like once did our forefather Abraham, who received angels under his canopy. Try to avoid conversation with sinners and don’t commit sinful deeds yourself—and then, like righteous Lot, an angel will lead you by the hand out of the destructive surroundings of worldly vanity. Be meek, humble, and conquer evil with good. And then, as once they did Jacob, the hosts of angels will meet you on your path to God (cf. Gen. 32:1).
Make it clear to yourselves, my friends, how important it is for us to vigilantly watch our behavior, so as not to separate ourselves from our faithful helpers—the angels.
In the opinion of the teachers of the Church, man was created in order to replace the fallen angels. That means that we should enter into the Synaxis of Angels. Just think, my dear ones, how pure and holy our lives must be In order to do this; how we should prepare ourselves here on earth in time to live with the angels, to ascend to their bright and holy Synaxis—that very Synaxis that we solemnly celebrate today! But in order to do this we must acquire angelic thoughts and feelings. We have to clear a place for love, prepare our hearts to receive supernatural love, the love that God expects from us. And this is not complicated! Live according to the Gospel commandments and you will attain what is needed. They are not impossible to fulfill. And again the angels will help us in this, by enlightening our minds through the knowledge of the Holy Gospel. Recognizing our close union with the angels, let us make it our goal, my friends, to live every day in a way that would not separate us from the angels but bring us closer to them, especially to our Guardian Angel. For this it is very important to read daily not only the prayers to the Guardian Angel, which are part of the morning and evening prayers, but also the “Thoughts for each day on the angels” specially composed to aid us. There are only thirty-one of them, according to the number of days in a month. They are brief. And they help us to love God as his faithful children should—especially if we repeat often the words of the thought for day 19. “Breathe into my heart, O my Angel, if only a few sparks of the love with which thou art aflame!”
In conclusion to our very brief explanation of the significance of today’s feast in honor of the Archangel Michael and the Synaxis of the Angels of God, we add the following: We know from Holy Scripture that on the day of the Lord’s Last Judgment, on the eighth day, when the Son of Man will come in His glory with all the holy angels, the Lord will send angels to gather the harvest all over the world to burn the tares, but to gather the wheat—that is, God’s chosen and faithful children—into His storehouse. Oh, if only they would then gather us into ranks of the chosen, whose assembly we celebrate today with honor!
Amen.



Lea este artículo en Español: La Fiesta de San Miguel Arcángel (29 de Septiembre)

jueves, 28 de septiembre de 2017

大天使聖ミカエル


祝日 9月29日

ミカエルは、旧約聖書の『ダニエル書』、新約聖書の『ユダの手紙』『ヨハネの黙示録』、旧約聖書外典『エノク書』などに名があらわれる天使。

 「神に並ぶ者は誰か?」(ミ・カ・エル)という意味の名のある大天使は、聖書の中で2度も「選ばれた民族」の守りの天使だと言われている。聖ユダの手紙によると、大天使聖ミカエルが悪魔と戦ったとあり、黙示録では、ミカエルとその使いたちは悪魔である大きな竜、すなわち全世界を迷わすあの昔のへびと戦って勝利を得たことを述べている。ミカエルは「太陽につつまれた婦人」聖母マリアの指導の下に、現代の”選ばれた民族”である教会を守るために戦っておられる。それで私達は「天軍の総帥である大天使聖ミカエルに祈りを献げて、霊魂をそこなおうとして、この世をさまようサタンと他の悪魔たちを、神のおん力によって地獄にとじこめて、その兇悪なはかりごとに勝たせてくださるように願い求める」(教皇レオ13世の祈りから)

ミカエルの図像は、甲冑をまとって天の軍団の先頭をいく、といったイメージが一般的とされる。彼の図像は、背には翼が広がっているものが多い。場合によっては孔雀の尾羽のような文様の翼を有した姿で描かれることがある。また、彼の右手に剣、左手には魂の公正さを測る秤を携えている姿で描かれることもある。

ミカエルは、「神と似た者」という意味で、ダニエル書(10.13)に、イスラエルを助ける天使として描かれ、ヨハネ黙示録(12.7)でも悪魔に対して戦ったと記されている。聖フランシスコ・ザビエルによって日本にキリスト教が伝えられたのは1549年であるが、キリスト教宣教の許可が出たのは同年の9月29日であったことから、ザビエルは聖ミカエルを日本の守護者と定めた。


大天使聖ミカエルに向かう祈り
大天使聖ミカエル、
戦いにおいて我らを護り悪魔の凶悪なる謀計に勝たしめ給え。
天主のかれに命を下し給わんことを伏して願い奉る。
あゝ天軍の総帥、
霊魂をそこなわんとてこの世を徘徊するサタン及びその他の悪魔を、
天主の御力によりて地獄に閉じ込め給え。アーメン。

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jueves, 14 de septiembre de 2017

Exaltation of the Cross


The Elevation of the Holy Cross is one of the Great Feasts of the Church, celebrated on September 14. This feast is also referred to as the Exaltation of the Cross. This is also a popular name day for Stavroula/Stavros (from "stavros" meaning cross). The Exaltation of the Cross is one of the twelve great feasts in the yearly Church cycle. It commemorates two historical events: first, the finding of the Life-giving Cross in the year 326, and second, its recovery from Persia in 628.

History of the Feast
In the first centuries of Christianity, during the years of persecution, the pagans wished to destroy all evidence of the life of Jesus Christ, and the Cross on which He was crucified disappeared. With the conversion of Emperor Constantine the Great, Christians were at liberty to worship openly and build churches. The emperor's mother, St. Helen, longed to find the True Cross of Christ. She traveled to Jerusalem and was told by a very old Jew that the Cross was buried beneath the temple of the pagan goddess Venus, built in 119 AD by the Roman Emperor Hadrian.

The temple was torn down, and digging in the earth below uncovered three wooden crosses. The small board which had hung over Christ with the inscription ' Jesus King of the Jews,' had long since fallen off, and -there was no way of telling which was the True Cross and which were the crosses of the two thieves crucified on either side of Christ. A sick woman was brought and likewise a dead man who was being carried to burial. The three crosses were laid in turn one by one upon the sick woman and upon the dead man. Two of the crosses had no effect, but through contact with the third cross, the sick woman was healed of her infirmity and the dead man came to life. These miracles clearly indicated which of the three was Christ's Cross.

Hearing of this discovery, all the faithful desired to see the Cross of the Lord and to venerate it. The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Makarios, took the Cross onto a raised platform and lifted it on high, 'exalting' it, for all to see. The people fell to their knees, bowing down before the Cross and crying out repeatedly: "Lord, have mercy!"

To house the relic of the True Cross, St. Helen had s church built over the Holy Sepulcher. The church was consecrated on Sept. 13, 335, an event also commemorated in the service hymns of the Feast. The finding and exaltation of the Cross was appointed to be celebrated annually on the following day.

The Life-giving Cross was kept in Jerusalem until the year 614 when the Holy City fell to the Persians who looted the Church of the Resurrection and took the True Cross back with them to Persia. Fourteen years later Emperor Heraclius concluded a peace with the Persians, and the Holy Cross was brought to the imperial capital of Constantinople. The Emperor, taking off his shoes and his imperial robes, carried the Cross into the Church of Holy Wisdom (Agia Sophia) where it was once again triumphantly exalted. It was then resolved that the Feast be celebrated by the Church in all parts of the world, for which reason it is called the Universal Exaltation.

The Service
The Vigil for the. Feast, one of the most moving and impressive services of the year, contains several distinguishing features. After vespers the cross, decorated with flowers and sweet-smelling herbs, is placed upon, the altar. Following the Gospel reading in Matins, the faithful sing "Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ..." usually sung only during Saturday night vigils. At the end of the Great Doxology, to the slow singing of the Trisagion--"Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us"--the priest, carrying the Cross on his head, brings it out from the altar and places it on an analogion in the center of the church. He censes the cross on all four sides, and everyone prostrates before it to the singing of the hymn: "Before Thy Cross, we bow down, O Master, and Thy holy Resurrection we glorify." Then the faithful, following the celebrants, venerate the cross in turn, making three full prostrations, and receive anointing. The cross remains in the center of the church until the Apodosis or "leave-taking" of the Feast on September 21.

In cathedrals and monasteries the adoration is preceded by the ceremony of exalting the cross. After the cross is brought out from the altar, the bishop or archimandrite takes it up in his hands and raises it on high. Then, as the people chant "Lord have mercy" a hundred times, he slowly lowers the cross nearly to the ground and just as slowly raises it. This is done five times as the celebrant faces first east, then west, south, north and east again, signifying that "the Cross is the guardian of the whole world" and through it "the world is sanctified." In some churches the cross has rose water poured over it during these exaltations. The rose water is caught in a basin of flowers held by the acolytes, and the flowers are distributed to the faithful at the end of the service.

Although it is one of the major Church Feasts, the Exaltation is always kept as a fast day, because together with the joy of the finding of the Cross, this great "weapon of peace and sign of victory," we are also reminded of the sufferings which our Lord endured in being crucified.

On the Sign of the Cross
The Orthodox Christian ends his evening prayers with a prayer to the Venerable Cross:

As wax melts from the presence of fire, so let the demons perish from the presence of those who love God and who sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross..." When properly applied, the sign of the cross is a most formidable weapon in a Christian's armor.

The power of the cross in the unseen warfare with the demons is illustrated in countless lives of saints, One of the most strtking examples is found in the life of the holy martyrs, Sts. Cyprian and Justina (Oct. 2). An expert sorcerer before his conversion, St. Cyprian was engaged by a pagan youth to use his magic in order to seduce the Christian maid Justina. But even with the help of the prince of demons, the sorcerer was powerless before the maiden who "fled to the defense of the Cross of the Lord and placed its honorable Men on her forehead," causing the demons to depart in shame. This brought Cyprian to his senses, and he railed at the evil one whom he had served for so long: "O destroyer and deceiver of all .... Now I have discovered your infirmity. For if you fear even the shadow of the cross and tremble at the name of Christ, then what will you do when Christ Himself comes lo you?" Furious at Cyprian's rebuke, the devil began to beat and strangle him. Already scarcely alive, Cyprian "remembered the sign of the cross, by the power of which Justina had opposed all the demons' power, and he cried out: 'O God of Justina,help me! Then, raising his hand, he made the sign of the Cross, and the devil immediately leaped away from him like an arrow shot from a bow."*

The power of the Cross is given to each and every Christian. But just as a soldier must learn to properly wield his weapons in battle, so a warrior of Christ must learn how correctly to make the sign of the cross. A shield has no effect if carelessly waved about in the air. Likewise, there are many who receive no benefit from the sign of the Cross because they make it mechanically or haphazardly.

Some time ago we were justly taken to task by one of our readers for an all too common inaccuracy in describing the making of the sign of the cross: "We touch the forehead, the breast..." Our reader pointed out that the first edition of the widely used Orthodox catechism, Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy's Law of God, contained the same error which was corrected in the second edition with the following explanation: in making the Men of the cross from forehead to breast and then shoulder to shoulder, "the lower end of the cross turns out to be shorter than the upper one; i.e., the cross comes out upside-down." Man thereby inverts the Cross of Christ "to which only the demons rejoice." The Holy Fathers taught that the sign of the cross should be made by touching first the brow (the forehead), marking the upper part of the cross, secondly the womb (the stomach), marking the lower part of the cross, thirdly the right frame (shoulder) and fourthly the left frame, representing from end to end the horizontal bar of the cross.

This is not to say that the correct external formation of the sign of the cross of itself carries the power to wound demons, it must be made with faith. St. John of Kronstadt caution s: "In order that the unbelieving heart should not think that the sign of the cross and the name of Christ act miraculously by themselves, apart from, and independently of Christ Himself, this same cross and name perform no miracles until I see Jesus Christ with the eyes of my heart...and believe with my whole heart all that He has accomplished for our salvation."

The cross, once a tool of death, has become a means to life, an instrument of our salvation; it gives strength to resist temptation, to refrain from gossip or harsh words; it dispels fear. If we learn to use the cross effectively, we shall come through experience to understand the Apostle's words:

But God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Versión en ESPAÑOL: Exaltación de la Cruz

miércoles, 13 de septiembre de 2017

聖十字架称讃の記念 


祝日9月14日
聖十字架称讃の記念

 
   世人の崇敬をあつめている聖遺物中、わけても貴いのは、主イエズスキリストが全世界の罪の贖いに、御自らを磔け給うた聖十字架ではないだろうか。というのは、これなくしては我等に救霊の恵みも与えられなかったに相違ないからである。されば聖会は之が賛美尊敬の為、聖金曜日の他になお二つの祝日を設けている。それは即ち5月3日の聖十字架発見の記念と、本日の聖十字架賞賛の記念とである。
 聖十字架賞賛の記念は聖会に古くから行われ、キリスト復活祭や昇天祭などと共に大祝日とされていた。殊にこの祭りの盛大に催されたのは、聖主御受難の聖地エルサレムで、当日は聖榮大聖堂に荘厳な儀式が執行され、遠隔の地からも多数の信者が巡礼参加し、イエズスの磔り給うた十字架を称讃すると共に、わが救いを感謝して、聖歌を歌い祈りを献げるのが例年の慣わしとなっていたのである。
 聖十字架称讃の記念が一段と盛んに行われるようになったのは東ローマ帝国ヘラクリオが一度ペルシャ人の手に奪われた聖十字架を取り戻した西暦628年の頃からで、之を更に詳しく説けば614年東ローマ帝国に攻め込んだペルシャ王コスロアスの軍勢は、エルサレムを乗っ取って数多の信者を虐殺し、総主教ザカリアその他を捕虜として凱旋する時、同地の教会が無二の宝物と珍重していた聖十字架をも鹵獲品の一つとして持ち去った。戦いはその後15年も続き、その中にコスロアスも死にヘラクリオが勝利を得て戦いに倦み疲れたペルシャ人と和を講ずることになったが、その条約の中には聖十字架返還の一項も加えられていたのである。
 かくてヘラクリオ皇帝は部下に聖十字架を担わせ、意気揚々とエルサレムに乗り込み之をもとの場所に安置された。伝説によれば皇帝は主の御迹を辿るべく、美麗な衣冠に威儀を正し、自ら聖十字架を担ってカルワリオの丘に登ろうとされたのに、どうした事か一歩も足が進まない。いかに渾身の力を傾けても目に見えぬ縄で縛められた如く更に身動きが出来ない。この思いがけない有り様に、周囲の人々は驚き呆れて、ただあれよあれよと騒ぐ中、総主教ザカリアは何か心に思い当たる事あってか御前に進み出で「昔イエズス・キリストはこの十字架の道を、茨の冠に兵卒の着古した粗末なマントで辿られたものでございました。しかるに陛下は、ただいま結構な御衣に黄金の冠を着しておいでになります。御足の進みかねるのも察する所かような事が主の思し召しに適わぬ為ではございますまいか」と申し上げた。信仰深い皇帝はこれを聞かれるとなるほどと思し召され、それから粗末な衣服にお召し替えの上、また十字架を背に歩み給うた所今度は何の妨げもなく、無事頂上に達せられたとの事である。
 さて聖十字架はこれより前にも増して人々の崇敬を受けるようになったが、今なお二千年の昔と少しも変わらず、すべてのキリスト教徒に信仰の印と仰がれ、悪魔の矢玉を防ぐ盾、罪人の希望を繋ぐ所となっている。
 本日の聖務日祷晩課に誦えられている、ユヴェンチオ・フォルツナトが569年に作詞した、名高いヴェクシラ・レジスという聖歌もまた右のこころを現したものに他ならない。曰く、
 唯一の希望なる聖十字架を崇め奉る。
 願わくはそを称うる今日のよき日に、
 信心深き者は之によりて益々聖寵を恵まれ、
 罪ある者は之によりて赦免を与えられんことを。

教訓

   十字架は昔罪人の刑具として恥辱の印であった。それが主イエズス・キリストの救世の為これに磔り給うた時から却って栄誉の印となった。されば我等も義の為に艱難を受けるような場合、決して絶望の淵に沈んではならぬ。「汝等憂うべけれども、その憂いは変わりて喜びとなるべし」という主の聖言を思い起こし、勇ましく耐え忍ぶべきである。
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