According to tradition, this feast was established in Constantinople in the Middle Ages. Late summer was a time of sickness, and the Cross was carried through the city, accompanied by prayers for health and deliverance from plague. In modern living conditions, at least for many of us, late summer is no longer associated with dangerous miasma and threat of mortal illness. However, as we celebrate the Cross during the torpor of these dog days, we should bear in mind that, just as the summer fades into fall, so will our life in this world eventually wither like a blossom or blade of grass. May this late-summer celebration remind us of the need to escape from the spiritual plagues of laziness and indifference, taking refuge, not in our own efforts, but in the saving power of the Cross of Christ.
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