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| Golgotha Source:neamericandiocese.org |
We are
half way through the holy lent. The Church has instituted a service for mid
lent, when Golgotha (cross placed on a big decorated cross like stand covered
with a red cloth) is set up in the middle of the Church during Holy Qurbana.
This service – the order of adoration and exaltation of the holy cross – is
rooted in the scripture where Jesus tells Nicodemus “And just as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
that whoever believes in him may have eternal life [John 3:14-15].
If
anyone has been lax in their observance of the holy lent (fasting, prayers,
almsgiving, etc.), then this is the time to begin. Everyone who enters the
Church sees the cross erected in the middle of the Church, and is reminded of
the importance of the holy lent. It is also a warning to depart from the old
ways and adorn a life of repentance.
We kiss
the Golgotha when we enter and leave the Church. Candles on the Golgotha are
lit in the same order as the candles on the altar. The same cross on the
Golgotha is used on Good Friday and Easter services also.
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| The Bronze Serpent [Numbers 21:4-9] Source:wikipedia.com |
We often
wonder if the Old Testament is relevant anymore, yet we see Jesus and the
apostles referring to the Old Testament time and time again. We read in Numbers
21: 8-9 “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous serpent, and set it
on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ So Moses made
a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit
someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.’ The
cross on Golgotha signifies the serpent of brass which Moses placed on the pole
for the healing of the people. That specific incident pre-figured Jesus’
crucifixion, but it was hidden from the eyes of the Israelites.
The
concluding hymn in the Holy Qurbana for mid lent sums up the importance of mid lent and Golgotha:
“Moses raised
the serpent in the tent and gave comfort to the people who sinned.
When the
faithful see the cross, the sign of victory, inside the Church, it gives life
to them.
We shall confess and bow down before the cross
which is the sign of life and salvation.”
.jpg "The Brazen Serpent, as in Numbers 21:1-9, illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company")