Spiritual Picture(s) of the Day – Οι πνευματικές φωτογραφίες της ημέρας (13)

The Cross – Our Daily Bread
Crucea – Painea noastra cea de toate zilele
Ο Σταυρός – Ο άρτος ημών ο επιούσιος

English

Today we have a new photo report from our series of “Spiritual Picture of the Day” with the occasion of Celebration of the Holy Cross.

I think that today there isn’t any other feast which is so much in contradiction with our real intentions in our day-by-day life.

We celebrate the Holy Cross but simultaneously we live a life full of sinful pleasures, a life driven by passions. We don’t have the courage to get out from there living in fact an internal Civil War.

But, anyway, what can be Civil in a War?

We forget that the Cross is the complete love of ascetism, and is the only way to the Resurrection. There is no true resurrection without cross and no true cross without resurrection. Through the cross came the happiness in the world. Through the cross.

… and to show by facts that the Holy Cross is life-giving, below you’ll see a miracle which happens each time at the Feast of Holy Cross at H.G.M. of Vatopaidi (Holy Mount Athos).

There are more pieces from the Holy Cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and one of them is taken out from the Holy Altar in this day. After the veneration, at the end of the Vigil, under the Holy Cross is put a mixture formed from water and flour. This dead mixture takes life from the Holy Cross and at the end of the Liturgy it is lump which grows and it is used by the fathers to make bread and prosfora till next feast of the Holy Cross. Hence the bread and prosfora are done at Vatopaidi without yeast. See photos…

Romanian

Astazi avem un nou fotoreportaj din seria “Fotografia Duhovnicească a Zilei” cu ocazia sărbătoririi Înălţării Sfintei Cruci.

Socotesc că astăzi nu există altă sărbătoare care să fie în atâta contradicţie cu intenţiile noastre reale, din viaţa noastră de zi cu zi.

Sărbătorim Sf. Cruce însă în acelaşi timp trăim o viaţă plină de plăceri păcătoase, o viaţă condusă de patimi. Nu avem curajul să ieşim din aceasta trăind, de fapt, un Război Civil în interiorul nostru.

Însă, în ultimă analiză, ce poate fi Civil într-un Război?

Uităm că Crucea este dragostea completă de ascetism şi este singurul drum către Înviere. Nu există înviere adevărată fără cruce şi nu există cruce adevărată fără înviere. Prin cruce a venit bucuria în lume. Prin cruce.

… şi pentru a arăta prin fapte că Sf. Cruce este de viaţă făcătoare, mai jos veţi vedea o minune care se întâmplă de fiecare dată la Sărbătoarea Sf. Cruci la Sf. M. Mănăstrie Vatoped din Sf. Munte.

La Vatoped sunt mai multe bucăţi din Sfânta Cruce pe care Domnul nostru Iisus Christos s-a răstignit şi una dintre ele este scoasă din Sf. Altar în această zi. După închinare, la sfârşitul privegherii, se pune sub Sf. Cruce o amestecătură formată din apă şi făină. Acest amestec mort primeşte viaţă de la Sf. Cruce şi la sfârşitul Liturghiei e deja frământătură care creşte şi este folosită de părinţi pentru facerea pâinii şi a prescurilor până la următoarea sărbătoare a Sf. Cruci. Deci pâinea şi prescurile sunt făcute la Vatoped fără drojdie.

Greek

Σήμερα έχουμε ένα καινούργιο “φωτορεπορτάζ” από την σειρά μιας “Η πνευματική φωτογραφία της ημέρας” με την ευκαιρία του εορτασμού του Τιμίου Σταυρού.

Νομίζω ότι στις μέρες μας δεν υπάρχει άλλη εορτή που βρίσκεται σε τόσο μεγάλη αντίφαση με τις πραγματικές μας προθέσεις στην καθημερινή μας ζωή.

Εορτάζουμε τον Τίμιο Σταυρό, αλλά ταυτόχρονα ζούμε μια ζωή γεμάτη αμαρτωλές ηδονές, μια ζωή που κινείται από τα πάθη. Δεν έχουμε το θάρρος να βγούμε από το να ζούμε στην πραγματικότητα έναν εσωτερικό εμφύλιο πόλεμο.

Ξεχνούμε ότι ο Σταυρός είναι η ολοκληρωτική αγάπη της άσκησης, και είναι η μόνη οδός προς την Ανάσταση. Δεν υπάρχει αληθινή Ανάσταση δίχως Σταυρό, ούτε αληθινός Σταυρός δίχως Ανάσταση. “Ήλθε δια του Σταυρού χαρά εν όλω τω κόσμω”. Δια του Σταυρού.

… και για να το δείξουμε με γεγονότα ότι ο Τίμιος Σταυρός είναι ζωοποιός, παρακάτω θα δείτε ένα θαύμα το οποίο συντελείται κάθε φορά στην εορτή του Τιμίου Σταυρού στην Ι. Μ. Μ. Βατοπαιδίου (Άγιον Όρος Άθως) .

Υπάρχουν περισσότερα κομμάτια του Τιμίου Σταυρού πάνω στον οποίο ο Κύριός μας Ιησούς Χριστός σταυρώθηκε και ένα από αυτά εξάγεται από το ιερό την ημέρα αυτή. Μετά την προσκύνηση, στο τέλος της αγρυπνίας, κάτω από τον Τίμιο Σταυρό τοποθετείται ένα μείγμα από νερό και αλεύρι. Αυτό το νεκρό μείγμα παίρνει ζωή από τον Τίμιο Σταυρό και στο τέλος της Λειτουργίας είναι μια μάζα που μεγαλώνει και χρησιμοποιείται από τους πατέρες για την παρασκευή ψωμιού και προσφόρων μέχρι την επόμενη εορτή του Τιμίου Σταυρού. Έτσι, στο Βατοπαίδι το ψωμί και τα πρόσφορα παρασκευάζονται χωρίς μαγιά.