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Holy Spirit, glory to Jesus Christ. Today is

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the third Sunday of Lent, and the Church in her

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wisdom has made this Sunday the Sunday of the

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precious and life -giving cross. And as Orthodox

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Christians, we make the sign of the cross physically

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when we cross ourselves. We display crosses on

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the tops of our churches. Take a look when you

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go outside at the beautiful dome and the cross

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on top. We display crosses inside our church.

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And even the very architecture of this building

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is the shape of a cross. And the cross is the

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very symbol of our faith. And all this is true.

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because the Son of God, Jesus, our Lord and God

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and Savior, was crucified on a cross. When we

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look at the cross, we see Christ. And we see

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also our redemption from sin and death, for it

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is upon that cross that Jesus was crucified in

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order to redeem us all. And thus the cross represents

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our salvation, God's love for us, his plan for

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our redemption. And so we venerate that cross

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because of God's great love for us. John 3, 16

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and 17 says, For God so loved the world that

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he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes

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in him should not perish, but have everlasting

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life. For God did not send his Son into the world

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to condemn the world, but that the world through

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him might be saved. And all this is accomplished

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through the cross. But the cross is a paradox.

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What is a paradox? It is something that at first

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glance seems contradictory, that through this

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object of death, somehow we have life. The paradox,

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though, when you look at it more deeply, then

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it makes sense. An example of a paradox is the

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saying, the louder you are, the less they hear.

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For when you speak more loudly, people hear better,

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but yet if you look at the deep level, people

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won't listen. Or perhaps you might remember the

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movie The Godfather, and there is a paradox in

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the line, I'm going to make him an offer he can't

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refuse. For in an offer, you would have a choice.

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But we know the deeper level. There is no choice

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in this matter. Offers can be refused. The deeper

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meaning is seen when you reflect upon it. And

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there is a paradox with the cross as well. For

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this object of Roman executions, a thing giving

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death, and yet we call it precious. We call it

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life -giving. For there is something deeper going

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on when Christ is crucified. This deeper level

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can be seen in viewing the two other crosses.

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at that same crucifixion, one on either side

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of the Lord Jesus. Jesus hangs in between these

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two thieves, both sinners deserving death. Christ,

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in the middle, is performing the sacrifice of

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redemption for the whole world. These two thieves

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react to Christ in opposite ways. One thief blasphemes

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Christ. If you are the Christ, save yourself

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and us. And there is total unbelief and even

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ridicule in his words. The other thief says,

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Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

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And Jesus responds to him saying, Assuredly,

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I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise.

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And this paradox. This deeper meaning to the

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cross is found in today's gospel in Mark 8, 36

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and 37, where Christ asks, For what will it profit

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a man if he gains the whole world and loses his

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own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange

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for his soul? And you and I, we can choose to

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be like either one of those thieves on either

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side of Christ. We can reject the saving work

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and with lack of faith miss out on salvation.

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Or we can humbly come before Christ and we can

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say, Lord, remember me when you come into thy

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kingdom. What about you? Which thief are you

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more like? Take a careful look at your life,

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at your actions, for they truly reveal your heart.

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Are you fleeing from sin and clinging to the

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Lord? Or are you avoiding the Lord so that you

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can continue in sin? Jesus says, whoever desires

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to come after me, let him deny himself and take

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up his cross and follow me. For whoever desires

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to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses

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his life for my sake and the gospels will save

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it. And this is the paradox of the cross. We

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must lose our life to save it. Saint Tikhon of

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Zadonsk says this. We honor Christ who suffered

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for us when we hate sin. and follow his holy

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word and the example of his blameless life. As

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he says, if any man serve me, let him follow

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me. For honoring Christ and serving Christ are

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one in the same. He taught us by word and by

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example how to live a virtuous life. As we read

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in his holy gospel, if we want to honor him heartily,

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we must listen to him. We cannot honor him without

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obedience. He himself, Jesus, says, Why call

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ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which

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I say? True honoring is shown not by words only,

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but also by deeds. And so let us, each one of

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us, determine and pick up our cross and follow

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the Lord. in not just word, but also in action,

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and follow the Lord Jesus Christ example and

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walk into eternity with him. Glory to Jesus Christ.