وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III




One of the differences between Orthodoxy and Protestantism is the Orthodox's wonderful veneration of the cross. Our brethren the Protestants do not sign themselves with the sign of the cross before or after prayer, and say: “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” They do not sign food with the sign of the cross before eating, nor do they use the cross to bless people or clothes.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III



Our brethren the Protestants are content that they believe in the cross in their hearts without using it. Until recently, they were not raising crosses on their churches. Many of them do not wear crosses and none of them hold crosses in their hands. Also, they do not celebrate the feasts of the cross nor do they make any processions holding crosses whilst singing hymns and praises. They neither kiss the cross nor take a blessing from it.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III



The emphasis of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross
Since the commencement of the Lord’s ministry, during His teaching and prior to His crucifixion, He laid great emphasis on the cross. He says: “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me" (Matt. 10:38) and “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt.16: 24); (Mark.8: 34). In His conversation with the rich young man, He said to him: ‘Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor... and come, take up the cross, and follow Me’ (Mark.10: 21). He also says: “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Lk.14: 27).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


The cross was the object of the Apostles’ glory
St. Paul the Apostle says: “But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal.6: 14). If we ask him the secret behind these words, he will continue and say: “by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal.6: 14).

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


When we make the sign of the cross, we remember many of its divine and spiritual meanings
We remember God's love for us, who for the sake of our salvation accepted to die for us: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Is.53: 6). When we make the sign of the cross, we remember “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John.1: 29), and that “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (IJohn.2: 2)

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


When we make the sign of the cross, we profess that we belong to the Crucified
Those who take the cross only by its spiritual meaning inside the heart without showing any manifest sign do not reveal this belonging openly which we proclaim in making the sign of the cross, in wearing and kissing the cross in front of all, in engraving it on our wrists and in upraising it on our places of worship,. By doing all these we are merely proclaiming our belief openly. We are not ashamed of Christ's cross in front of people but we glory in it, are called by it, celebrate its feasts and cling tort so that, even without us talking, our appearance professes our belief.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Man is not only spirit and mind but he also has corporeal senses which should sense the cross through the above-mentioned means
Not all people are of the same spiritual level and do not need the senses for their spiritual contemplation. The senses are nourished by all the above-mentioned means and are not confined within themselves but they transfer the effects they receive to the mind and the spirit. The mind by itself might not remember the cross or might not remember it much. But when it perceives the cross before it, through the senses, it remembers all the divine and spiritual feelings connected with the cross and the Crucified. Thus we worship God spiritually, intellectually and physically. All these strengthen each other.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


We do not make the sign of the cross in silence, but we say: “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. One God. Amen”
Therefore every time we make the sign of the cross, we profess our belief in the Holy Trinity who is the One God forever. Amen. Thus we are given the chance of constantly remembering the Holy Trinity.

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


In making the sign of the cross, we profess our belief in the Incarnation and the Redemption
We make the sign of the cross from up downwards and from left to right. We remember that God descended from heaven to earth and transferred people from the left to the right; from darkness to light; from death to life. How numerous are the contemplation we think of with our minds and feel with our hearts when we make the sign of the cross!

[Mary Naeem]

Pope Shenouda III


Making the sign of the cross is a religious teaching to our children and to others
He who makes the sign of the cross when he prays, when he enters the church, when he eats, when he goes to bed and all the time, is the one who remembers the cross. This remembrance is beneficial spiritually and is Biblically requested. It also teaches people, especially little children, that Christ was crucified.