For Christians, a pectoral cross is not a simple decoration, nor a talisman. It means that a person belongs to the Christian church, and is an image of the Calvary cross on which Christ was once crucified. Therefore, believers treat this subject with reverence and care. There is even an opinion in the church community that once a Christian has put on a cross, he should never take it off again.

Pectoral cross as evidence of faith

According to the church canon, one of the main reasons why can't you remove the cross?- this is that by removing it, a Christian shows lack of faith and cowardice. Thus, he actually renounces faith in God. The lives of the ancient saints say that the Roman authorities demanded even less from them - just to pretend that they were praying to Jupiter. But the saints refused, because they considered even imaginary renunciation the most terrible sin. For this they were executed, and later glorified by the church.

Nowadays, there are believers who demand that border guard Evgeniy Rodionov be canonized. He was killed in Chechen captivity because he refused to take off his pectoral cross and convert to Islam. The desire to stand for the faith to the end and proclaim it, no matter what, is, according to the church, one of the greatest feats.

Cross as a weapon

• Christians believe that the cross protects them from evil spirits that are just waiting to attack a person. Therefore, removing it means being subject to their attacks. The symbol of the cross itself is also given special meaning - as John Chrysostom wrote, if two branches fall from a tree and lie crosswise, demons bypass this place.
• There are many legends in the church environment about how people, for some reason, lost a cross, and immediately troubles befell them. They talk about Orthodox Christian, who took off the cross while going to the bathhouse. In the steam room, he accidentally stepped on the soap, slipped, hit his head and received a concussion. Here, ordinary church canons are intertwined with superstition, since illiterate believers may consider the pectoral cross to be something of an amulet.
• In addition, there is an opinion that if a person dies the minute he removes the cross, then this is a direct road to hell - after all, God will immediately condemn him for such a crime. The church looks at such “magism” very skeptically.

When should you remove the cross?

In many situations, it is simply necessary to remove the pectoral cross. In a bathhouse or sauna, this piece of metal becomes very hot and can burn the skin. The cross cannot be worn in the X-ray room; it must be removed before fluorography, otherwise a dark spot against the background of the lungs will raise serious questions for the doctor.

Sometimes the pectoral cross is not combined with sports. For example, martial arts or choreography have their own specific safety precautions, and it requires removing any jewelry on the cord. The lace and metal pendants can cause injury, and if you are very unlucky, it can instantly make the athlete disabled. Anesthesiologists have similar requirements - before surgery, the patient must remove everything, including the cross.

When in contact with radiation or toxic chemicals, both the bearer of the cross and the object itself may suffer, becoming a source of infection. Therefore on harmful work Pectoral crosses must also be removed.

In conclusion, it is worth saying that faith in God should not reach the point of absurdity and turn into a kind of village magic. For believers, a cross is certainly a shrine, a sacred thing, but if it is lost, you should not be horrified, it is better to buy a new one and consecrate it in the church. If the demand to remove the cross does not have obvious anti-Christian overtones, it is better to calmly do what is asked and not think about betraying the faith. This is unlikely to interfere with your salvation.

When performing the sign of the Cross on himself, a Christian, firstly, remembers that he is called to follow in the footsteps of Christ, enduring sorrows and hardships for his faith in the name of Christ; secondly, he is strengthened by the power of the Cross of Christ to fight evil in himself and in the world; and thirdly, he confesses that he awaits the appearance of the glory of Christ, the Second Coming of the Lord, which itself will be preceded by the appearance in heaven of the sign of the Son of Man, according to the Divine words of the Lord Himself (Matthew 24:30): by this sign, according to the unanimous understanding of the Fathers of the Church, there will be a majestic appearance in the sky of the Cross.

How to make the sign of the cross correctly?

For the sign of the cross, the first three fingers (thumb, index and middle) right hand put together, and the last two (ring and little fingers) are pressed to the palm.

Making the sign of the cross, the fingers folded in this way are placed first on the forehead - for touching the mind, then on the womb (stomach) - for consecration inner feelings, then on the right and left shoulders - to sanctify bodily strength. Lowering your hand, bow. Thus they portray themselves Calvary Cross and worship him.

The lower end of the cross cannot be placed on the chest, since in this case an inverted cross is obtained - its lower end becomes shorter than the upper. The sign of the cross must be performed meaningfully and with prayer call Gentlemen.

You cannot make the sign of the cross hastily, carelessly, without touching your forehead with your fingers, but only making movements with your hand in its direction. “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord carelessly” (Jer. 48:10).

About those who signify themselves with all five hands, or bow without having yet completed the cross, or wave their hand in the air or across their chest, St. John Chrysostom said: “The demons rejoice at that frantic waving.” On the contrary, the sign of the cross, performed correctly and slowly, with faith and reverence, frightens demons and calms sinful passions and attracts Divine grace.

What is the meaning of the sign of the cross?

The sign of the cross, placed on oneself or depicted on oneself with the movement of the hand, is a silent, but open, confession of faith.

The first three fingers folded together express faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy as the Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity, and the two bent fingers mean that the Son of God after descending to earth became Man, being God, that is, it expresses the two natures of Jesus Christ - the Divine and human.

The sign of the cross reminds:

That the Son of God laid down His soul on the Cross in order to redeem the human race from sin and eternal death, therefore everyone must strive to lay down his soul for his brothers. In other words, the sign of the cross reminds us of God’s endless love for the human race and the duty of love of every person to God and each other.

Secondly, about the insignificance of everything temporary, perishable and about the greatness of the blessings prepared for believers by the love of Him Crucified for them in the Kingdom of Heaven;

Thirdly, about the unity of all Christians redeemed by the Cross;

Fourthly, about the unceasing gracious omnipresence of the Lord and His almighty power;

And, fifthly, about the undoubted fulfillment of all the promises of the Redeemer contained in the Gospel.

What power does the sign of the cross have on oneself?

The sign of the cross gives the soul strength and strength to drive away and defeat evil and do good. And this, of course, is the case if they perform the sign of the cross with faith, reverence and attention.

The power of the sign of the cross is unusually great. In the lives of saints, there are often stories about how demonic spells were dispelled after the sign of the cross. Therefore, those who are baptized carelessly, fussily and inattentively simply please the demons.

When should you make the sign of the cross?

The sign of the cross symbolizes the invocation of the name of God, and therefore it is usually performed with the words: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit” or at any other beginning of prayer. It also symbolizes the wording of God and is performed with the words: “Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit” or with some other wording and at the end of the prayer.

So, one should make the sign of the cross at the beginning of prayer, during prayer and after its end, as well as when approaching everything holy: when entering a temple, when kissing the cross, icons, holy relics. Believers are baptized before starting any work and after its completion, before and after eating, before leaving the house and when entering the house, in moments of danger, in grief, in joy and in many other situations.

All the Divine Sacraments are sanctified by the sign of the cross, and every thing necessary for life is sanctified by it.

What should I give to a person who doubts the power of the sign of the cross to read?

In Orthodox stores and church shops today it is not difficult to find many suitable books and brochures on this topic.

You can suggest the book “Interpretation of the Canon on the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord,” the works of Saint Cosmas, compiled by Nicodemus the Holy Mountain.

Translation from Greek edited by Professor I.N. Korsunsky.

Why should you wear a pectoral cross? Orthodox Christians must wear a cross so as not to deviate from the most ancient Christian tradition . When it is done to a person Sacrament of Baptism

, the hand of the priest puts on the cross, and the worldly hand should not dare to take it off. The cross is material evidence of a person’s belonging to Christian Church . At the same time, it is a sharp weapon in the spiritual struggle: “Let us mark the life-giving cross on our doors, and on our foreheads, and on our fingers, and on our lips, and on every member of ours, and let us arm ourselves with this invincible Christian weapon, the conqueror of death, the hope of the faithful, the light for the ends of the earth, a weapon that opens paradise, overthrows heresies, a confirmation of faith, a great repository and the saving praise of the Orthodox. Let us, Christians, carry this weapon with us in every place, day and night, at every hour and at every minute. Don't do anything without it; whether you are sleeping, getting up from sleep, working, eating, drinking, on a journey, sailing on the sea, crossing a river - decorate all your limbs life-giving cross

, and evil will not come to you, and no wound will come near your body (Ps. 90-10)” (Rev. Ephraim the Syrian).

The meaning of wearing a cross is revealed in the words of the Apostle Paul: “I was crucified to Christ” (Gal. 2:19).

Which cross to choose - gold or silver?

It does not matter what material the cross is made of - there are no rules about the material for crosses. Obviously, precious metals are also acceptable here, because for a Christian nothing can be more valuable than a cross - hence the desire to decorate it.

But the main thing is to wear the cross meaningfully, with faith, without taking it off.

Is it possible to wear an unconsecrated cross?

Can. St. John Chrysostom writes that demons go around the place where just two sticks (twigs) fell from a tree and lay crosswise. But it is customary to consecrate crosses in the church.

Is it possible to wear a cross on a chain?

There is no fundamental difference between a chain and a braid. It is important that the cross holds firmly.

Is it possible to wear a cross that my sister wore if she bought a new one?

Can. The cross is a shrine, a symbol of salvation, no matter who wore it.

A pectoral cross is a sign of belonging to the Church of Christ, and the zodiac sign, amulets, and amulets are evidence of adherence to various superstitions, so you cannot wear them at all. “What does light have in common with darkness? What agreement is there between Christ and Belial? Or what is the complicity of the faithful with the infidel?

What is the relationship between the temple of God and idols? For you are the temple of the living God, as God said: I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people” (2 Cor. 6:14-16).

Do I need to remove the cross when washing in a bathhouse?

The cross accompanies a person throughout his life. You can only replace it if necessary. You can wear a consecrated wooden cross during an operation or in a bathhouse.

A person who takes off his pectoral cross or does not wear it at all after Baptism suffers from lack of faith and lack of true church consciousness. In Rus' they said about an immoral person: “There is no cross on him.” Sometimes one glance at the holy cross is enough to clear up a clouded memory and awaken a faded conscience in the soul.

Should Orthodox believers venerate a four-pointed cross or only an eight-pointed one? Orthodox Church

equally reveres both the eight-pointed and four-pointed cross, as an instrument of the suffering of Christ the Savior. The shape of the cross is not a dogmatic question, but a historical and aesthetic one.

It is the Old Believers who claim that the true and life-giving cross of Christ is only an eight-pointed cross, that is, consisting of a straight tree, a transverse tree, a foot and a tablet with an inscription. The four-pointed cross is not the true cross of Christ, but a heretical, Latin one.

But this teaching of the Old Believers completely disagrees with the teaching of the Church Fathers, who clearly testify that the four-pointed cross is the true cross of Christ. Thus, St. Ephraim the Syrian calls the cross that we place on ourselves, life-giving, which means four-pointed. The Old Believers unfairly claim that Christ was crucified on an eight-pointed cross, since it is known that the tablet with the inscription “Jesus Christ King of the Jews” was placed by Pilate after the moment of the crucifixion. This means that the Savior was crucified on a six-pointed cross. Material monuments also testify against the Old Believer opinion about the four-pointed cross. So, in a Byzantine copper four-pointed cross of St. Mark of the Cave (11th century) is kept. All sacraments are performed under the seal and the image of a four-pointed cross. Many priests wear on their chests not an eight-pointed, but a four-pointed cross. And the Old Believers themselves, when they pray, depict a four-pointed cross on themselves.

By honoring the four-pointed and eight-pointed cross, the Orthodox Church honors not two crosses, but one cross of the Lord, as for example, when honoring the full and half-length image of Christ the Savior, it honors One Savior.

Any cross: four-pointed, six-pointed or eight-pointed, made of wood, metal or any other material is not considered appearance or material, but is revered as an image and symbol of Christ's Suffering. “For whenever there is a sign, there He Himself will be” (St. John of Damascus).

How to distinguish an Orthodox cross from a Catholic one?

By church tradition the Orthodox cross can be eight-pointed or four-pointed; Catholic - usually four-pointed with a more elongated vertical crossbar, with or without the image of the Crucified One. The image of Jesus Christ on it is also distinctive. On Catholic crosses with a crucifix, the body of Jesus Christ is depicted sagging heavily and with his legs nailed to the cross with a single nail. On Orthodox crosses Christ's feet are nailed with two nails, each separately. On top was a sign with the inscription: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Standing on an Orthodox crucifix Slavic letters: IHCI, in Catholic Latin: INRI (Iesus Nazareus Rex Iudaorum). On the back of Orthodox pectoral crosses, according to tradition, the inscription “Save and Preserve” is made. These external distinctive shapes Orthodox and Catholic crosses have no fundamental difference, being a reflection of different church traditions.

Is it possible to pick up a cross found on the street and what to do with it?

A cross found on the street must be picked up, since it is a shrine and should not be trampled under foot. The found cross can be taken to the Church or consecrated and worn if you don’t have your own, or given to someone who will wear it.

Peace be with you, dear visitors of the Orthodox website “Family and Faith”!

Many of us remember the time when the Soviet atheistic regime prohibited wearing a cross. But, that time has passed.

Now it has even become fashionable to wear a cross. In any Orthodox church you can buy a silver and even a gold cross, not to mention in jewelry stores.

But, nevertheless, in our time there are situations when a person, for some reason, takes off his pectoral cross.

Is it possible to take off your pectoral cross? And what does this shrine give to a person?

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers:

“We must definitely wear a cross so as not to deviate from the ancient Christian tradition. When the sacrament of baptism is performed on a person, the hand of the priest puts on the cross, and the worldly, unconsecrated hand does not dare to take it off. The cross accompanies us throughout our lives. We can only replace it if necessary. You can wear a consecrated wooden cross during an operation or in a bathhouse.

Hieromonk Job Gumerov

, the hand of the priest puts on the cross, and the worldly hand should not dare to take it off. Church of Christ. At the same time, it is a sharp weapon in the spiritual struggle: “Let us mark the life-giving cross on our doors, and on our foreheads, and on our foreheads, and on our lips, and on every member of ours, and let us arm ourselves with this invincible Christian weapon, the conqueror of death, the hope of the faithful, the light for the ends of the earth, a weapon that opens paradise, overthrows heresies, a confirmation of faith, a great repository and the saving praise of the Orthodox. Let us, Christians, carry this weapon with us in every place, day and night, at every hour and at every minute. Don't do anything without it; Whether you are sleeping, getting up from sleep, working, eating, drinking, on the road, sailing on the sea, crossing a river - adorn all your members with the life-giving cross, and evil will not come to you, and no wound will come near your body (Ps. 90: 10)" (Efrem the Syrian, Venerable. A Word about the General Resurrection, about repentance and love, about the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Part 1. Word 103).

A person who takes off his pectoral cross or does not wear it at all after baptism suffers from lack of faith and lack of true church consciousness. In Rus' they said about an immoral person: “There is no cross on him.” In the story by I.A. Bunin's "Birds of Heaven" a beggar to whom a student offers money says: "Only the demon is poor, he has no cross."

Discussion: 6 comments

I took off the cross in the hospital for an x-ray. I took it off, although for just a minute I felt as if I was naked without protection. I put it on when it was a completely different matter. I don’t know how people walk without a cross. Now I bought myself a wooden one for this case and now in the bathhouse I wear it even in the hospital. When I go to bed, I don’t take off the cross. It’s always on me.

Answer

There is a parable: The devil asks his servant: “Why didn’t you push the women passing the gorge into the abyss?” -So the first one had a cross on her body. How can I push her over?” “Okay, but the second one didn’t have a cross, she forgot to put it on.” “But approaching the abyss, this woman crossed herself. How could I push her? -Okay, but the third one didn’t have a cross and didn’t cross herself before the abyss, so why didn’t you push her? -But how could I push her, because when leaving the house, her mother crossed herself after her. This parable makes everything clear. Yes, you need to wear a pectoral cross. And I wear a wooden cross to the bathhouse. But you can’t go as far as obscurantism: I once read the story of one person that he and his son went to a water park and the guard didn’t let them in with a cross, because... According to safety rules, it is forbidden to have something on the neck, because it can get caught and cause injury, at a minimum. This dad found a way out by not letting his son into the water park. By doing this he deprived the child of joy and offended him. And who will the child be offended by God? Or on dad, but dad will get away with blaming everything on God. What if security had let us through and God forbid something happened? Who would dad blame then? I think you can take off the cross at night, kiss it and put it under the icon. In the morning, kiss and put on. What do you think about this?

Answer

1. Hello, Alexander!
   I think that wearing a cross will not save a person from danger if he is an unbeliever. By putting on a cross, we believe that everything will be fine, the Lord will protect. My children were at the water park and wore crosses, and the Lord preserved them. I teach children not to remove the cross anywhere. I was taught this way from childhood. I know another parable. One person was shown how crosses were removed from people, and then there was an explanation that these were people who did not wear a cross during their lifetime, and their relatives put a cross on them after death.
   If we accept the idea that it is not so important to wear a cross, in some cases you can take it off, then people come to the conclusion that they almost never wear it. For example, a man took off his cross in the bathhouse and then forgot to put it on. Or I took it off for the night, and in the morning there is a fuss, and then a person only remembers it in Church a month later, but I still have the cross in the images at home. Therefore, it is better not to think about removing the cross, and to wear a cross on your body.
   With God blessing!

   Answer

Hello. I went to confession and there’s a lot I can’t understand. I didn’t ask my father any questions and spent 3 hours either calling me over or asking her to wait. Father said that to conceive a child it is necessary to always remove the cross, miscarriages are an abortion, and that I am to blame for them. Although I was waiting for everyone and didn’t take anything for this, especially since I never went to the hospital even after a miscarriage, I said for my sins, but I got married and lost twins at 10 weeks (my drunk husband drove me to hysterics and everything went into shock because it was with It was the first time he behaved like this, and for 5 years we have been waiting for this, probably me but not him). He said that first the registry office, and then the bed, only this time more than a year As with my husband being divorced, he took off my crown while still married, but I still can’t see men. Who gives a child to one for adoption, but she couldn’t give birth herself, is it worth starting again? Why is it that those who don’t need them give birth and run for an abortion, but you don’t have any abortions, you’re true, but the result is the same. Thank you. I hope for an answer, please help me with a word.

Answer

1. Hello, Marina!
   The cross cannot be removed under any circumstances or circumstances; it is a body cross and must always be on a person. As for the registry office, he said it right.
   I advise you to rely on the will of God, to put your life in His hands. We must show humility and trust before God. The Lord knows when and what to give you. You pray, live according to God’s Commandments, do good deeds, and the Lord will give you everything you need in life. He Himself said about this: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all other things will be added to you.” And “The Kingdom of God is within you”. That is, you need to first of all take care of your soul, then the Lord Himself will give everything, a good husband and children and everything else.
   Peace and God's blessing to you!

   Answer

“The cross is not in the logs, but in the ribs,” is a proverb that is more than half a thousand years old. Nowadays, wearing a cross has become an ostentatious, multimillion-dollar fashion, without any awareness or reverence. One must not indulge oneself in belonging to Christianity, but BE a Christian, without clinging to external paraphernalia and procedures. We must LIVE like a Christian - in aspirations, aspirations, deeds and results. “God is Spirit” - (John 4:23, 24)!!!

Answer

Pectoral crosses are worn by both Christians and representatives of any other religious denomination. Even half-extinct religions, such as paganism, have their own symbols in the form of a cross. In other words, the cross is a universal attribute of a believer. The article will focus on the Christian confession, because many people wonder how often they can remove the cross and other issues related to wearing this element of faith.

When should you wear a cross?

The Christian Church does not prohibit removing the cross from time to time. For example, when going to the bathhouse or when working in places where the cross could be damaged by either high temperatures or chemical substances, it is better to remove it for a while and put it in a place where it will not get lost. It is also worth filming when traveling to unsafe places, for example, Islamic states, given the current political situation, this action will ensure safety.

Sometimes there are cases when a person subconsciously wants to temporarily remove protection - this is also normal if this does not turn into a daily ritual. In other cases, it is better not to remove the cross, since it is given by the priest at baptism for life. Some people have such a strong spiritual attachment to their talisman that, having taken it off once, they felt mentally unprotected and weak.

The exception is if the cross is lost. Then you can go to the temple and ask the servants or priest for a new one.

What is prohibited by the church?

The Church does not prohibit crosses from being inherited or donated good intentions for christening. However, treating the cross as a mere trinket is sinful and disrespectful to God. Even esotericists tend to believe that the power of a cross, even the simplest one, is enormous and they cannot be handed over somewhere, for example, to pawn shops, as a trinket, even in financial difficulties.

The cross is a symbol that, sooner or later, will help solve any difficulties. A mistake many beginners make is wearing an icon without a cross. Of course, wearing an icon of your guardian by name is not a sin, but it is a sin to refuse the main symbol of faith. The most optimal way to enhance the effect of such a talisman would be to wear an icon and a cross together on one chain - this is not prohibited by the church.

The church does not prohibit a passion for astrology and esotericism, although it is considered a kind of heresy. It is much more unforgivable for a Christian to replace the cross with a zodiac symbol.

The cross is the most important attribute of every Christian of any denomination. You can’t always wear it, as there is life situations when the clergy and Christian faith They are allowed to remove the cross.

Don't worry if your cross is lost or broken. We are all human and each of us can make a mistake or act carelessly. In the end, a cross is just a thing that can always be replaced. The importance of the cross is given by your attitude, and not by church rules.

When to wear a pectoral cross

What the church prohibits