WEEK 3 - THE ORTHODOX READINGS - [Continued from page 2]
often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus says unto him: I say not unto you until seven times; but until seventy-seven times seven". [Matthew 18:21-22]. This corresponds to the full measure of God's Attribute [49x7 = nearly 500], the measure mentioned as a fulfillment in the Gospel [Matthew 7:2, Mark 4:24].
The Tav as the Cross implies a "renewal". Interestingly enough are the different forms of Crosses that developed through history. The Greek Cross of Saint Andreas is in a square shape having equal branches. Through the Cross, Jesus brought salvation to all mankind and to Adam to begin with. A Hellenistic Judaeo-Christian tradition recounted by the Sybilline Oracles [3:24-26] explains the Letters composing the name of Adam as follows: A [alpha]: Anatole/East; D [delta]: Dysis/West; A: Arktos/North and M [mu]: Mesembria/South. This shows the universal and royal character of the human being.
The Latin Cross is simple and is a development of the Hebrew ancient letter without any historical perspective. The Orthodox Byzantine and Russian Crosses, though readily attested to in many Syrian Orthodox icons of the very first century, show a historical and meta-historical [beyond history] concern.
a] The mention of the title of Jesus Christ: He is the King of Jews and was born in a specific area, culture, faith and community.
b] He was hanging on the Cross and stretched His arms to encompass all the universe, standing over Hell and visiting those who lie there after His passing through the Tree of Life.
c] The Eastern tradition added a small bar going upward on the right side of Jesus and downward on His left side. This introduces a dynamic, prophetical and eschatological prospect which is hardly considered at present in Churches and deals with the Second Coming of the Lord. As stated in the Creed: "And He shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead; Whose Kingdom shall have no end." And then He will say to the blessed to come to His right and to the cursed to go to His left [Matthew 25:34].
BUT WHO KNOWS WHERE ANY HUMAN BEING SHALL FIND HIS/HER PLACE AT THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD? WHO WOULD DARE SAY AND THUS JUDGE THAT HE/SHE IS CURSED. AFTER TWO THOUSAND YEARS OF PERMANENT QUARRELS AND DIVISIONS, CHRISTIANS SHOULD SHOW THIS SIGN OF LIFE-GIVING LOVE IN THE TREE OF LIFE AND RENEWAL THAT PROTECTS AND GRANTS BLESSING TO ANY PERSON LOOKING, LONGING FOR GOD AND HIS COMPASSION.
Can we say that we forgive and save someone, anyone, even ourselves? Do we have the decency to look forward, ahead and show that we went through the Cross and do believe that life is stronger than any kind of death? Do we open our mouth to bless or to curse? And if we make the sign of the Cross, is it because we want to be distinct in an environment of non-believers and show off or be shy and hide? Can we make the sign of the Cross as a sign of day-to-day, year-to-year renewal of our confession that the Cross is not a stake of torture as it was for Jesus but the mark of forgiveness opening the gates of Life to all the corners of the world? How can we decently approach the sick, the injured, the handicapped, broken souls and bodies and personalities, suffering people without showing in silence the overwhelming victory of Life over death?
And we, believers of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, do we behave ourselves to be decent and without same or extravagance? Do we give a credible image of our Christian brothers and sisters here and throughout the world? Do those who live far from us cope with our historic character and not abandon us? And slowly utter these words of hope: "Kyrie eleison, Rakhem aleynu, Hoshana! Save!"?
THE JEWISH READINGS
As concerns the Jewish Commun ity, it arrives at the point of longing... Almost three weeks of gladness to meet the New Year, seal a New Blessing of personal, professional, family, community and overall renewal. The faithful feel that this time of renewal has taken its marks and that it is time to go ahead through normal life and events. The Arbaah Minim, the Four Species, are waved each day towards the four cardinal points of the universe to show that the Reign of God expands beyond all the limits of human capacities or territorial precarious spaces.
The Jewish Festivals had begun with the memorial of the creation of the world and of the human being. The Hebrew word "Ha'Aretz" is usually interpreted as connected with the root "RuTZ" [to launch, have a race, run in Modern Hebrew], an expanding and strongly dynamic process that nothing can stop. Humanity is thus sacred and holy as every human soul or body is the Temple of the Spirit [Sukkot 52b = "Shekhinatha" [Divine Presence, Booth], cf. 1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 6:16].
In these very last days of last opportunity given to the faithful to atone... God is so patient ... He waits, waits and people postpone and finally there is the last chance day... well, the Jewish community proclaims the Reign of God because He does reign over the entire universe, but He cannot stay alone! And this is even the title-first verse of a daily Psalm also read every day in the Orthodox Church at night, i.e. Psalem 102: Tefillat le'Ani, The Pray of the Poor. The English version suggests that it would be the prayer of the afflicted. In Russian "Strazhduschego", the suffering one. But Who is poor, afflicted and suffering if not God Himself longing after the conversation with His people as described in the Song of Songs. And the Days of the Festivals will be over... Then God recalls that "He will reign over the entire world and that every soul whose nose and nostrils are filled with the spirit of life will proclaim that the Lord, God of Israel reigns for ever and ever."
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