On May 7th we celebrate the appearance of the Cross over Jerusalem in 351. We read in the Synaxarion that this was at a time when the emperor, Constantius, had Arian leanings – even though the first ecumenical council had already condemned Arianism.

St Kyrill of Jerusalem write: “a huge cross made of light appeared in the sky above the holy Golgotha extending as far as the holy Mount of Olives. It was revealed to one or two people alone, but it appeared unmistakably to everyone in the city. It was not as if one might conlcude that one had suffered a momentary optical illusion; it was visible to the human eye above the earth for several hours. THe flashes it emitted outshone the rays of the sun…It prompted the whole populace at once to run together into the holy church, overcome both with fear and joy at the divine vision. Young and old, men and women of every age, even young girls confined to their chambers at home, natives and foreigners, Christians and pagans visiting from abroad, all together as if with a single voice raised a hymn of praise to God’s only-begotten and wonderworking Son. They had the evidence of their own senses that the Holy Faith of Christians is not based on the persuasive arguments of philosophy, but on the revelation of the Spirit and power; it is not proclaimed by mere human beings but testified from heaven by God Himself. Accordingly we citizens of Jerusalem, who saw this extraordinary wonder with our own eyes, have paid due worship and thanksgiving to God the universal King and to God’s only-begotten Son- and shall continue to do so.”

St Kyrill saw the appearance of the Cross as a strengthening of the Orthodox view, that the Jesus Christ truly is God. The Church accepted his view, and even instituted today’s feast (7th May) to commemorate this event.

But what happened in 1925, when the Holy Cross appeared in the heavens above Athens during the All-night Vigil for the Exaltation of the Honourable and Precious Cross according to the old calendar? Did the Church institute a feast? No – the official church ignored the event.
This is what happened: More than two thousand faithful came for the Vigil. At 1130pm, a large Cross started appearing in the sky. It shone with light, which illumined the people and the ground. It was a Byzantine Cross with three crossbars, and it shone brighter than the stars. After midnight, the Cross rose up to a vertical position, just as when the Priest elevates the Cross during the liturgical service. Then it started to fade. By 4 am the Vigil was over.

But the people of the 20th century refused to see. Perhaps they were sleeping – as they had decided the feast of the Cross already passed 13 days ago…