ܥܐܕܐ ܕܨܠܝܒܐ

Edha d'Sliwa - Feast of the Cross

Fr. Dr. Khoshaba Gewargis

The tradition of the Ancient Church of the East says that the Cross of Jesus was identified when a dead body brought in procession was placed on one of three crosses and the dead man came alive. Then it was decided that the Cross on which the miracle was performed belonged to Jesus and the other two were those of the two thieves. On Sunday September 26, 2010, it is the 13th of September, 2010 according to Julian Calendar. It is the feastival of the Cross. Our Holy Father Mar Addai II , is going to celebrate the Holy Eucharist in the Pateriarchal Palace in Baghdad. The sign of the Cross is one of the seven Sacraments in the Ancient Church of the East. The feastival of the Cross is one of the important festivals in our Church. It is the day the original Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified was discovered by Queen Helen, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine in the year 324 AD. Those who follow the Gregorian calendar observe it on September 14. Some Syriac manuscripts put this date one day earlier (September 13). The one explanation is that the Cross was discovered on September 13 and it was announced to the public on September 14 after making sure which of the three crosses was the original one on which Jesus Christ was crucified.

---