Mid Lent – Paathi Nombu – 25th Day of Lent – Mar 6 2024

 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”   John 3: 14-15            

This service of 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).

This signifies the following: Moses raised up the bronze serpent on a pole, in the middle of the desert (wilderness) around the middle of the Exodus journey from slavery, when the people of Israel walked halfway through their sojourn towards the Promised Land (Num. 21: 4-9). “
4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”

He lifted the serpent so that those who grumbled against the LORD Almighty and were bitten by the fiery poisonous serpent, looked at the brazen serpent, were healed and did not die. Similarly, the Holy Cross (Jesus) is lifted up in the middle of the Church, when the Holy Church has also walked halfway through their journey to the great feast of Resurrection, so that we faithful are reminded that those who are bitten by sin can look at Jesus, seek forgiveness, get healing and gain Eternal life by the Him.  As the Israelites who looked the bronze serpent and were healed, the faithful are healed from their sins on looking the cross which is hoisted in the middle of the Church. The erecting of Golgotha is a precursor event that pre-figures Jesus’ Crucifixion, though hidden from the eyes of the Israelites. It reminds us of our fallen nature and the only hope of eternal life in the shelter of the Victorious Holy Cross.

The ‘Mnortho’ symbolizes the Calvary where Jesus Christ was crucified. ‘Mnortho’ is given a greater importance, almost equivalent to the altar and candles are lit in the same order as the candles on the altar. So, whenever there is lighted candle on the altar, there should be a lighted candle on the ‘Mnortho’ too. According to our tradition, other than days of Passion Week we should bow down our head and kiss the ‘Mnortho’ while we enter and leave the Church. We Christian kiss you now with awe and glorify You God, Who was nailed for us. We cry aloud ‘O Lord, Who was crucified on the Cross, have mercy on us and save us, for Thou art Good and Loves mankind‘. During Passion Week we just bow down our head before the ‘Mnortho’.

In early Christianity, the Bishops used to sit in the middle of the Church, near the Golgotha and give sermons and teach the Church faith to the catechumens, who were to be baptised during the week after Resurrection (Haevore Week).

The Holy Cross, which is erected in the middle of the Church, in the Nave, also calls the faithful to come to the true faith and teachings of the Church and take the remaining of the lent with stricter, disciplined prayer life, sincere and true repentance and open hearted and freewill alms giving.

The Golgotha and erection of Cross in the middle of the Church, (and not in the Madbaha or chancel area, as we normally expect to find it), signifies that God came down from heaven and dwelt among us in this world, hence the Golgotha is kept in the middle of the Nave (Haikala) of the Church amongst us, the faithful laity gets opportunity for 25 days to look, touch, meditate and seek forgiveness. This Holy Cross signifies sacramental and sacrificial presence of Incarnate Jesus Christ amidst us.  After Hosanna Service the sleeba, is traditionally placed, in the Chancel (azhikakam), implying the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Thus It remains in the visibility of the laity, symbolizing the Public Ministry of Jesus, at the end of which it will be taken to Calvary for Crucifixion and then burial. On Resurrection Sunday, Jesus will rise from the dead and then the Holy Cross will be placed in the Sanctuary (Madbaha) for another 40 days till the Feast of Ascension. Between the Resurrection and Ascension, Jesus only revealed Himself to selected people (no public ministry), so the veiled cross will be seen only in the Madbaha during this time. This symbolizes Christ presence in the world, for forty days after His Resurrection till His Ascension. But during these days, He was not seen by all and could not be touched, except the chosen ones to whom He appeared too.  

Moses raised a serpent made of brass, an alloy of two contrasting characteristics, zinc and copper.  Zinc is rigid, brittle, easily breakable and has a dull color is. Pure Copper is a shining soft metal, very delicate and flexible too. So are the human and divine traits. Humans in their sinful state are very much rigid, inflexible and therefore, can break into decay. God in His purity shines and is very compassionately delicate, lovingly flexible, eagerly waiting for humans to turn back from their evil ways. These contrasting characteristics of metals fused to make an alloy called bronze can be compared to Jesus Christ in whom is a total union between divine and human.

The Gogultha, symbolizing Calvary was a great typology of Christ and God’s provision of our salvation, should be the focus of everyone who enters the Church and sees the Cross erected in the middle of the Church and should be reminded of the importance of the holy lent and our way to salvation. It is also a warning to depart from the old ways and adorn a life of repentance. A faithful is expected to bow and kiss the Golgotha, the symbol of salvation, whenever we enter and leave the Church. As we are in midst of Lent, Christ shall lead us up to the spiritual Jerusalem by His Resurrection…. for the Cross is called the Tree of Life, it is the tree that was planted in Paradise, and for this reason our fathers have planted it, in the midst of Holy Lent, remembering both Adams bliss and how he was deprived of it, remembering also that partaking of this Tree we no longer die but are kept alive…. Thus, refreshed and reassured,we begin the second part of Lent…… with a body and mind of purified, repented and spiritually activated.  

The Church has reached the mid of Lent today. On the one hand it is indeed a great joy because our three jars are full, up to the brim, with our prayers and fasting, alms giving and kind deeds, kneeling and prostrations, scripture readings and meditations. At the same time, we ought not forget that our three more jars remain empty.  Mid-lent should engulf us with a commingling of feelings so that we could draw impetus from them to carry on this transformative and explorative journey forward with great enthusiasm. 
Mid-Lent service is a call to rekindle our vocation of Christian witnessing. A call to be martyrs for Christ for the sake of the realization of the Kingdom of God. A call to honor and glorify the Life-bearing Tree of incorruption, The Power that swallowed death, the invincible Holy Cross.

The Feast of Mid Lent (phelgo d’sawmo), Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Hido dhewyo danhosho Slibo), the commemorations of King Abgar & St. Habib of Edessa (dukhrono d’Mor Abgar u Mor Habib), and the commemoration of the innocent Syriac Christian martyrs (dukhrono sahde Suryoye brire) according to the Liturgical Calendar of the Orthodox Syrian Church in Malankara.

Come, therefore and be illumined by our ascetic fast, let us kneel down, with joy and fear. Let all of us get healed from the One Who is elevated, in the midst of the Church, Jesus Christ, the foundation of the faithful and door to paradise!