Should a believer wear a cross? In what cases can Orthodox Christians not wear a cross and is it possible to begin Holy Communion without a cross?
1 WHY SHOULD YOU WEAR A CROSS?
– The meaning of wearing a cross is revealed in the words of the Apostle Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ”(Gal. 2:19). The consecrated pectoral cross is a symbol of faith and a sign of belonging to the Church of Christ. The cross protects from evil spirits. Anyone who does not want to wear a cross himself rejects God’s help. Hieromartyr Peter of Damascus said this on the cross - “By the mark of the Honest and Life-giving Cross demons and various diseases are driven away; and this is done without any expense and without labor. And who can count the praises of the Holy Cross?
2 WHICH CROSS TO CHOOSE – GOLD OR SILVER?
– It doesn’t matter what material the cross is made of – there are no rules about the material for crosses. Obviously, precious metals are also acceptable here, because for a Christian nothing can be more valuable than a cross - hence the desire to decorate it.But the main thing is that the cross should be worn without taking it off, and it would be Orthodox and sanctified.
3 IS IT POSSIBLE TO WEAR A CROSS ON A CHAIN?
– There is no fundamental difference between a chain and a braid. It is important that the cross holds firmly.
4 IS IT POSSIBLE TO WEAR A CROSS AND A ZODIAC SIGN ON ONE CHAIN?
– A pectoral cross is a sign of belonging to the Church of Christ, and zodiac signs, amulets, amulets are evidence of adherence to various superstitions, so you cannot wear them at all. “What does light have in common with darkness? What agreement is there between Christ and Belial? Or what is the complicity of the faithful with the infidel? What is the relationship between the temple of God and idols? For you are the temple of the living God, as God said: I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people” (2 Cor. 6:14-16).
5 IS IT POSSIBLE TO WEAR A CROSS WHICH MY SISTER WORN IF SHE BUYED A NEW one?
- Can. The cross is a shrine, a symbol of salvation, no matter who wore it.
6 HOW TO DISTINGUISH AN ORTHODOX CROSS FROM A CATHOLIC CROSS?
– The Orthodox Church confesses that Christ was crucified not with three, but with four nails. Therefore, on the Orthodox cross the Savior is depicted crucified with four nails, and on the Catholic cross - with three (both legs - with one nail). On the back Orthodox crosses According to tradition, the inscription “Save and Preserve” is made.
7 IS IT POSSIBLE TO PICK UP A CROSS FOUND ON THE STREET AND WHAT TO DO WITH IT?
– A cross found on the street must be picked up, since it is a shrine, and it should not be trampled under foot. The found cross can be taken to the Church or consecrated and worn (if you don’t have your own), or given to someone who will wear it.
8 IS IT POSSIBLE TO WEAR AN UNCONsecrated CROSS?
- Can. St. John Chrysostom writes that demons go around the place where just two sticks (twigs) fell from a tree and lay crosswise. But it’s better to ask a priest to bless the cross.
9 DO YOU NEED TO REMOVE THE CROSS WHEN WASHING IN THE BATH?
– It is better to never remove the pectoral cross.
10 IS IT POSSIBLE TO GO TO CHURCH WITHOUT A CROSS?
“Both a temple and a person cannot be without a cross... When a priest consecrates a cross, he reads two special prayers in which he asks the Lord God to pour heavenly power into the cross, and that this cross will preserve not only the soul, but also the body from all enemies, sorcerers, sorcerers, from all evil forces. The cross has enormous power. Not only can you not go to church without a cross; A baptized person should never remove his cross. Even when we wash ourselves, go to the bathhouse, to the X-ray room, to the doctor, we cannot remove the cross.
The cross is a weapon. Whoever has a cross on him, the demons tremble to approach him. That is why it is said in the Easter stichera that “... the cross is the guardian of the universe, the cross is the beauty of the Church, glory to the angels and plague to the demons". You never need to take off your cross.
Should an Orthodox Christian always wear a pectoral cross, explains Priest Andrei Chizhenko.
Last Sunday, the following beautiful gospel words were read in churches: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14). That is, the Savior directly compared his crucifixion, the erection of the Cross, with the copper serpent, raised thousands of years ago by the holy prophet Moses on a tree in the middle of the desert so that Jews bitten by snakes would look at this copper serpent and be healed. “And the Lord said to Moses: Make yourself a [brass] serpent and display it on a banner, and [if the serpent bites any person] the one who is bitten will look at it and live” (Num. 21:8). In the above-mentioned verse of the Holy Gospel, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ directly compares himself to the copper serpent, and the banner about which God spoke to the holy prophet Moses with the Crucifixion - the Tree of the Cross.
In fact, twice in Holy Scripture God almost directly says that the cross is the main weapon against the enemy and the main means of salvation fallen man. “Looking at him” - that is, not just a physical action, but most importantly - an impulse of the soul, love for God, for His suffering, for the Crucifixion, a prayer of faith, making the sign of the cross, wearing pectoral cross is a saving act that delivers from the devil, from troubles, and from various troubles.
After all, in essence, wearing a cross on the body is a bodily physical prayer - a confession of faith, a kind of silent Symbol of Faith. In addition, the Lord directly says that the feat of Christ on the Cross was saving for humanity, which means that the holy cross has a special power of grace. Righteous John of Kronstadt wrote that the cross “is always a great power for believers, delivering from all evils, especially from the villainy of hated enemies.”
In turn, Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in his work “The Word on Death” wrote that there is an invisible world of spirits around us - good angels and evil demons. Because of our inertia and gross physicality, we do not see it, but thousands, if not millions of ethereal creatures swarm around us. And in this spiritual world There is a constant struggle for the human soul. The Holy Angels wish her salvation, the demons push her to destruction.
The cross, according to the commandment of God Himself and the testimony of the saints, is the most effective weapon against ethereal enemies. Therefore, not wearing a pectoral cross by an Orthodox Christian, in my opinion, can be compared to what would happen if a beekeeper suddenly approached a bee hive without the appropriate protective suit, or if a tiger trainer entered a cage with predators without a whip and a revolver. A person who does not wear a pectoral cross dooms himself to defeat in the battle with demons and may well become their victim.
The remarkable preacher of the early twentieth century, Hieromartyr Gregory, Bishop of Shlisselburg, said in his essay “What you need to know about the devil”: “The second greatest mistake is made when the thought of the devil and the need to fight him disappears from the life of a Christian. Then the person himself gives himself to the elements of evil, giving freely and voluntarily. The following happens: a person thinks that everything around is calm, there is no enemy, and he is careless, lives without looking back, the forces of the soul are asleep, all mental movements are accepted as their own, as natural. This state of human carelessness is what the power of evil takes advantage of, because there are no obstacles for it. Souls are calm, souls are carefree, souls are open... Take a person with your bare hands without resistance. Tragic picture! The man convinced himself that there was no enemy - everything was happening according to natural laws. But the enemy laughs... He comes freely when everything is open and rules. One French writer (Huysmans) said amazing words: “The greatest victory of the devil was to convince people that he does not exist.” Do you hear? Yes, this is Satan's greatest victory. He suggested this. What devil?! Yes, he never existed, and no! This is an old stupid prejudice! And the devil stepped aside. And now he laughs evilly. He is gone, there is no enemy... Down with attention, caution! He will be in charge. Everything is open before him, come into the person and do with him what you want. What happened was as if thieves and bandits assured people that they were not there, that there was no theft. People would open their doors wide and indulge in carelessness. Oh, how thefts and crimes would flourish then! Yes, in material matters, people cleverly lock themselves with ten locks, protect the good, but they don’t think of preserving the good of the soul. The soul is a passageway. Everything is wide open. You are afraid of thieves, but you are not afraid of a spiritual bandit!”
And he also wrote: “The Holy Church believes that at the head of this world (meaning hell. - Author's note) are its ancestors, the first spirits of evil who fell away from God, permeated with lies, welded together by malice, wise by thousands of years of experience. Their task is to fight the Light. Their leadership of the entire world of evil spirits tends to wage the final struggle with the kingdom of Truth, that is, the kingdom of Christ. Hence, the whole life of the world is a struggle with good, the propagation of evil or sin, because evil and sin are identical concepts. And the world of good is saturated with invisible spirits of evil, whose entire existence pursues one goal: to extinguish the Light, destroy good, plant hell everywhere, so that there is a triumph of darkness and hell everywhere. Here are the most basic concepts about the kingdom of evil and its inhabitants. This is a completely real kingdom!”
From my priestly experience, I will say that I personally encountered the fact that demons tried to convince a dying person to take off his cross. And it was truly a difficult and terrible struggle for him.
Therefore, of course, an Orthodox Christian should, if possible, wear pectoral cross Always. Especially during communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ - this real contact with God.
Historical example: our ancestors had special wooden “bath” crosses. If a person’s pectoral cross was made of metal, then in the bath he was given a special wooden cross so that the metal would not burn the skin in the steam room. Our ancestors did not want to remain unprotected from demons anywhere.
In our time, when thousands of Christians in Africa and the Middle East die for the confession of the faith of Christ - for the Cross of God, when some of them tattoo the crucifix on their skin so that there would be no temptation to renounce God during torture and death, should we - Orthodox - to take off their crosses in order to become a victim of an evil spirit?
Let us remember, dear brothers and sisters, the sign of the Cross in heaven, revealed to the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, and the voice: “By this, conquer.” The cross is our nickname. The cross is our victory. Let us not deprive ourselves of salvation voluntarily...
Priest Andrey Chizhenko
But over time, many people refuse to wear it, as it is not always convenient. Let's figure out how important it is for it to be worn around the neck.
So, the cross is a very important symbol in Christianity. During the baptismal ceremony, the clergyman also sanctifies the cross, endowing it with powerful spiritual power that protects a person from trouble, misfortune, disease, and also protects from negative influences.
Of course, a pectoral cross is not just a decoration. According to the canons, the cross should be worn on the chest, closer to the heart. It is hidden under clothes. It is not customary to show a pectoral cross to everyone in person.
If there is a justified need, the cross can be removed. For example, this is always done during an operation or other procedure. If you just take off the cross and carry it in your pocket or, for example, put it in a desk drawer, then it clearly has no place there.
If you have already decided to remove your pectoral cross, then you need to store it in a separate box, away from prying eyes. You should also not wear earrings, bracelets and rings with crosses - this is an unreasonable place for a cross.
Try to find yourself a cross that will not cause you discomfort when worn. Today there are many different crosses made of any material, for every taste.
Some wear a medallion with the face of the Virgin Mary instead of a cross. This cannot be considered a replacement for the pectoral cross, although such a medallion also protects a person from evil.
If you still don’t want to wear a cross or simply can’t, then you shouldn’t force yourself. After all, wearing a cross will not make you a true believer.
A pectoral cross - why is it worn on the body and is it possible to remove the cross from oneself?
BODY CROSS
Of all the world religions, Christianity occupies a special position in Russia. According to statistics, at least two thirds of Russians have received the Sacrament of Baptism. In this Sacrament, among other actions, a pectoral cross is placed on a person’s neck. About where the tradition of wearing crosses on the body came from, why it is worn on the body and whether it is possible to remove the cross from oneself - this and more will be discussed in our article.
A little history
The custom of placing a pectoral cross on the neck of the newly baptized person along with Baptism did not appear immediately. However, the cross as an instrument of salvation has been the subject of greatest celebration among Christians since the very foundation of the Church. For example, the church thinker Tertullian (II-III centuries) in his “Apology” testifies that the veneration of the cross existed from the first times of Christianity. Even before the discovery of the life-giving cross on which Christ was crucified in the 4th century by Queen Helena and Emperor Constantine, the custom was already widespread among the first followers of Christ to always carry an image of the cross with them - both as a reminder of the suffering of the Lord, and to confess their faith before others . From the acts of the 7th Ecumenical Council(act 4) we know that the holy martyrs Orestes (suffered ca.304 g .) and Procopius (martyred in 303 g .) wore a cross on their chest. Pontius, the biography of the holy martyr Cyprian of Carthage (d. 258 g.), and others. Christians wore an image of a cross on their bodies, most often on their foreheads and chests. If some Christians wore a cross under their clothes out of fear of persecution or out of a reverent desire to avoid ridicule of the shrine by pagans, then there were others who wanted to confess Christ and their faith. Such a bold and decisive confession prompted the image of a cross to be placed on the forehead as the most prominent place on the human body. Today very few external sources have survived that would report on this pious tradition of wearing the cross, because in the first three centuries it belonged to the area of disciplinae arcanae, that is, to the circle of those Christian beliefs and rituals that were kept secret from the pagans. After the weakening and subsequent cessation of the persecution of Christians, wearing a cross became a widespread custom. At the same time for everyone Christian churches they began to erect crosses. In Rus', this custom was adopted precisely with the baptism of the Slavs in 988. On Russian soil, crosses were worn not on the body, but on top of clothing, “as clear indicators christian baptism" They were called encolpions - from the Greek word for “chest”. Encolpions first had the shape of a four-sided box, empty inside; on their outer side there was an image of a monogram of the name of Jesus Christ, and later - a cross of various shapes. Particles of relics were kept in this box.
The meaning of the cross
What does a pectoral cross symbolize and why is it necessary to wear it? The cross, as an instrument of terrible and painful execution, thanks to the sacrificial deed of Christ the Savior, became a symbol of redemption and an instrument of salvation for all mankind from sin and death. It is on the Cross, through pain and suffering, death and Resurrection, that the Son of God accomplishes the salvation or healing of human nature from mortality, passion and corruption introduced into it by the fall of Adam and Eve. Thus, a person who wears the Crucifixion of Christ testifies to his participation in the suffering and feat of his Savior, followed by hope for salvation, and therefore the resurrection of a person for eternal life with God blessing. This participation consists not so much in theoretically recognizing that Christ once, more than two thousand years ago, suffered physically and morally in Jerusalem, but in accepting: I, just like the Lord, am ready to offer daily sacrifice yourself - through the struggle with your passions, through forgiveness and non-judgment of your neighbors, through building your life according to the Gospel commandments of the Savior - as a sign of love and gratitude to Him.
A huge honor
For an Orthodox Christian, wearing a cross is a great honor and responsibility. Conscious disregard and blasphemous attitude towards the cross among the Russian people has always been understood as an act of apostasy. Russian people swore allegiance on crosses, and by exchanging pectoral crosses, they became cross brothers. When building churches, houses, and bridges, a cross was laid in the foundation. The Orthodox Church believes that through the faith of a person, through the cross of Christ, the power of God is manifested (acted) in an invisible way. The cross is a weapon against the devil. The Church can reliably speak about the miraculous, saving and healing power of the cross and the sign of the cross, citing experience from the lives of its saints, as well as numerous testimonies of ordinary believers. Resurrection of the dead, healing from illnesses, protection from evil forces - all these and other benefits to this day through the cross show the love of God to man.
Worthless superstitions
But despite the life-giving power of the cross, many people believe (follow) various superstitions associated with the cross. Here is an example of one of them: “Seeing a pectoral cross in a dream is an alarming sign, and if you dreamed that you had lost a cross, be prepared for troubles that will not be slow to fall on you,” dream interpreters unanimously say. But the most common superstition associated with the Crucifixion tells us that if we find somewhere a cross lost by someone, then we cannot take it, since by doing so we are taking on the sins of others. However, when it comes to finding lost money, no one remembers the sins of others, especially the pain of others. And to the “serious question” that worries many people about what it means when a cross is lost, I would like to answer just as seriously that it means that the chain or rope on which this cross hung was broken. The presence in a person of a superstitious, that is, vain, empty attitude towards the cross testifies to a lack of faith and even distrust of Christ, and therefore of His redemptive sacrificial feat accomplished on the Cross. In this case, hope and love for God and trust in God's Providence are replaced by distrust and fear of the unknown.
Dubious goals
For what purpose are crosses worn today and are they worn at all? Here are the answers to this question that were posted on one of the Internet forums: . I wear it as a talisman; . because it’s beautiful and probably just helps; . I wear a cross, but not as a symbol of faith, but as a gift from someone close to me; . I wear it because, they say, it brings happiness; . I don’t wear it, because I consider it idolatry; there is no indication of this custom in the Bible; . I don’t wear a cross for two reasons: my neck itches terribly from all these chains, and secondly, I, of course, am a believer, but not to the same extent... This is exactly how unchurched people with a pagan, or even consumerist, attitude towards faith and religion reason . But among this type of people there is a part that does not accept wearing a cross at all, citing the following reason: “God is already in my soul”; “In the Bible, God does not command you to wear a cross”; “The cross is a symbol of death, a shameful instrument of execution,” etc. What can a person come up with as an excuse for his elementary ignorance in the field of Christian culture! Thus, most unchurched people do not have a Christian understanding of what a cross is and why it should be worn on the body. The Church says that the cross is a shrine on which the salvation of people was accomplished, testifying to God’s love for us. Upon acceptance of the Sacrament of Baptism, a person begins to be called a Christian, which means one who is ready to testify to loyalty to God with his whole life through bearing his life’s cross and following His commandments. This is precisely what the image of the cross on our chest constantly reminds us of. Orthodox Christians are called upon to look at the cross and treat it with great reverence and responsibility. Such reverent attitude towards the cross and remembering it as a shrine often keeps a person from committing a bad act. It is not for nothing that in Rus' a person who committed a crime was told: “You have no cross.” This phrase does not carry the literal, physical meaning of the absence of a cross on the body, but speaks of a lack of remembrance, a serious Christian attitude towards the cross and the Christian faith. In itself, the presence of a cross on the chest does not save and has no meaning for a person if he does not consciously profess what the Cross of Christ symbolizes. A reverent attitude towards the body cross encourages a believer not to remove the cross from the body unless seriously necessary. The fact that in Rus' they made special bath crosses from wood, so as not to get burned by a metal cross, suggests that people did not want to remove the crosses even for a short time (during washing). No wonder the Russian people said: “He who has a cross is with Christ.” But there are situations when certain circumstances require it - for example, operations on the body. In such cases, you should not neglect the doctor’s request; it is enough to sign yourself with the sign of the cross and rely on the will of God. The question of whether or not to put crosses on infants causes fear in many people, because the child allegedly could be strangled by the rope or chain on which the Crucifix is located. But there is not yet a single known accident in which a child strangled himself with his own hands or inflicted wounds on himself with a cross. These are just vain fears or superstitious prejudices of adults. My only advice to parents is that they should not put too long a rope or chain around their children’s necks. Conclusion The cross is not just a memory of the day of baptism and not a relic that should be kept, not a talisman or a gift, but a shrine through which God gives a believer who leads a correct spiritual life His grace, consolation and support. It is no coincidence that the Russian people have put together a wise proverb: “We do not bear the cross, but it bears us.” Being a visible shrine, the pectoral cross is designed to testify to our faith in Christ, our readiness to sacrificially love and forgive people and live according to the Gospel commandments. And may God grant us, looking at our cross, to more often remember the words of the Lord and act according to His call: “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).
Deacon Konstantin Kiosev
When performing the sacrament of Baptism, the Orthodox priest puts a cross on the newly converted Christian, which should accompany him throughout his life. Being a material evidence of belonging to Christ Church, the consecrated crucifix helps the baptized person to keep his soul pure and protects him from the machinations of evil forces.
Ancient tradition
According to Protodeacon Sergius Shalberov, initially wearing a cross was a purely individual action, and was regulated only by a person’s personal desire and piety.
However, over time, this tradition transformed into one of the foundations Orthodox faith, in which refusal for any reason to constantly wear a cross around the neck began to be perceived as a sin, and even apostasy from the faith.
Reflecting on this issue, the Monk Ephraim the Syrian, in his work “A Sermon on the General Resurrection, on Repentance and Love, on the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” quotes from the Psalter: “Let us mark the life-giving cross on our doors, and on our foreheads, and on front, and on our lips, and on every member of ours, and let us arm ourselves with this invincible Christian weapon, the conqueror of death, the hope of the faithful, the light for the ends of the earth, the weapon that opens paradise, overthrows heresies, the affirmation of faith, the great repository and saving praise of the Orthodox. We will... carry this weapon with us in every place, day and night, at every hour and at every minute. Don't do anything without it; whether you are sleeping, getting up from sleep, working, eating, drinking, on the road, sailing on the sea, crossing a river - decorate all your members with the life-giving cross, and evil will not come to you, and no wound will come close to your body.”
The pectoral cross hanging near the very heart, according to the Apostle Paul (Galatians 2:19), is the physical embodiment of the phrase: “I have been crucified with Christ,” who in the Gospel of Mark utters significant words: “If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself , and will take up his cross and come after Me.”
The power of the cross
The martyr Peter of Damascus wrote about the saving and protective power of the pectoral cross: “By the inscription of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross, demons and various diseases are driven away; and this is done without any expense and without labor. And who can count the praises of the Holy Cross?
Saint John of Kronstadt reflected in the same context, saying that for believers, the pectoral cross “is a great power that delivers from all evils, especially from the villainy of hated enemies.”
The elder of the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery Savva (Ostapenko) called for respectful treatment of the body crucifix, without which any Christian seems to be a defenseless warrior without weapons. Warning the laity against using the pectoral cross as decoration, he advised kissing his crucifix every day in order to inhale the “rays of blessed light and love” emanating from it, imperceptibly penetrating the soul, conscience, character and heart of a person.
However, Sergius Shalberov warns that the pectoral cross should not be considered a kind of protective amulet that helps everyone who wears it day and night. If an individual doubts God, does not have church consciousness, leads an immoral lifestyle and does not observe gospel commandments, then he will not gain any benefit from wearing a cross. And vice versa, if true Orthodox man for good reason he is forced to remove his body symbol of faith for some time; this fact will not in the least diminish his righteousness, and certainly will not be sinful.
Emergency situations
Wearing the cross, which is an eternal reminder of how Christ, by dying on the crucifixion, simultaneously conquered death, is a kind of constant silent prayer.
Thus, by removing it from oneself, a person seems to interrupt his connection with the Almighty, and in order to remain under the protection of God even in extreme situations, Priest Svyatoslav Shevchenko offers the Orthodox to take advantage of some interesting ideas.
For safety reasons, during a surgical operation or examination in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner, no foreign objects should be present on the human body, but Orthodox people can remain at the cross without violating clinical rules. To do this, the patient must draw a small cross on his chest with iodine or brilliant green.
When visiting a fluorography room, you can take a body crucifix into your mouth, while relaxing in the bathhouse you can put on a wooden cross illuminated in the church, and during training and performances in contact sports you can replace it with a knitted belt with the 90th Psalm, on which there is an image of a cross.
By the way, Sergius Shalberov advises that when changing the baptismal cross to alternative options, when the body and soul are left without the protection of the Almighty for a few minutes, continuously read a short prayer to yourself.
Loss of the pectoral cross
Priest Mikhail Vorobyov, like all ministers Orthodox Church, do not see anything terrible in the loss of a pectoral cross, except for the accident and absent-mindedness of the loser. Having allowed such a situation, you should simply purchase a new cross, and if the purchase is made in a store and not in a temple, then you should definitely consecrate it.
Those Christians who, in such a case, begin to believe in negative superstitious interpretations, according to Deacon Konstantin Gorbunov, demonstrate insufficient faith in God, a departure from true knowledge of God and faithful participation in church life.