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b'Today in the Orthodox Church is the Sunday of the Holy Cross. Annually on the third Sunday or midpoint of Lent The Church commemorates the Cross of Jesus Christ through the Gospel reading, the hymnology and the procession of the Holy Cross at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. In reflecting on God\\u2019s love for us Father Paul shares with us a message of encouragement and hope about The Cross which Orthodox Christians boast about in many and various ways. In the Gospel reading taken from Mark 8:31 \\u2013 9:1, Jesus says to be His disciple we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. The Cross demands a response, which is not optional but rather a prerogative mandated by God Himself. Taking up our cross necessitates that we engage in two initiatives during the course of our lives, specifically we must humble ourselves in repentance and we must love, by working for the spiritual edification of our fellow man.'