Our Coptic church celebrates the feast of the cross twice a year:
Baramhat 10 / March 19
Feast of the day when St. Helen found the Holy Cross.
Tut 17 / September 27
Feast of the consecration of the
Resurrection Church in Jerusalem
What does it represent?
Power
Faith
Love
Suffering
Salvation
Queen Helen and her son king Constantine went to
Jerusalem where the Lord was crucified to look for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ
When they arrived they looked everywhere for the cross but could not find it.
Finally, an old man, whose name was Judas, told her that the cross is under a huge pile of garbage
When they cleaned up the huge pile of garbage, they found three crosses.
They brought a dead person:
They put him on the 1 st cross, NOTHING HAPPENED!
They put him on the 2 nd cross, NOTHING HAPPENED!
Then, they put him on the 3 rd cross (Jesus' Cross), he
ROSE UP!
Saint Helen and king Constantine were so happy!!
They ordered their soldiers to build the Resurrection church in Jerusalem where they found the cross.
The Coptic Cross fits into a circle, which symbolizes eternity.
Each arm of the Cross has three branches for Trinity.
The 12 Branches (4 Arms X 3 Branches) represent the number of disciples.
What does it represent?
Power
Faith
Love
Suffering
Salvation
Do the sign of the cross or say it in your heart before starting anything
Know that the cross:
Protects us from bad things
Calm us when we are scared.
Give us power/ strength against Satan
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of
God”. (1 Corinthians 1:18) those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”. (1 Corinthians 1:18)