Myth No. 1. The pectoral cross cannot be removed under any circumstances.
The cross really cannot be removed. He protects people. He must always be on us. By wearing a cross, we confess Christ. But there are times when, say, in a hospital during treatment, it is advisable to remove the cross. This does not mean that it should be removed altogether. You can put it on your hand or put it in your pocket. When I had the operation, the doctors told me to remove the cross. But I put it on my hand.
The cross should always be either on the person or next to him. When a person has a cross, he is with the power of God. But, on the other hand, there is no need to treat the cross as some kind of talisman or amulet. The cross is not a talisman. This is the banner of our salvation.
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 community about how people, for some reason, lost their cross, and immediately misfortune befell them. There is a story about an Orthodox Christian who took off his cross while going to the bathhouse. In the steam room, he accidentally stepped on 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 takes down 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.
Myth No. 4. Several crosses are better than one
You can often see that people wear a cross, an icon, and an amulet. On one hand there is a bracelet with icons, on the other there is a bracelet with a cross, on the belt there is a bandage with a prayer... But this is downright paganism. It seems to a person that the more he puts something on himself, the more protection he will have. This is what the pagans thought - the more sacrifices I make to the gods, the more amulets I put on, the better the gods will protect me.
An Orthodox Christian understands that a pectoral cross is quite enough. There is no need to “strengthen” it with anything. As advanced youth say now, there is no need to “upgrade”. One pectoral cross is enough. But two or three crosses are absolutely useless. After all, then it turns out that a person does not believe in the power of his cross.
Church opinion
Many clergy argue that you should not remove the image of Christ’s suffering from your body unless absolutely necessary. Removing the cross at night is also not recommended by church leaders. Please note that priests do not recommend removing the cross during medical operations.
The cross is a symbol of Orthodoxy. But there is no need to extol too much the significance of the cross specifically as a physical object. The main thing is faith and repentance in the soul. However, the cross is part of faith, which is why it is impossible for people who believe in God to remove it from themselves.
But it is necessary to clarify that removal only for necessary reasons (for example, the rope is wet and needs to be dried) is not considered something terrible. Is it possible. But if we are talking about removing the cross in the sense of some kind of renunciation of faith by the human mind and soul, then this should not be done.
It is also important to understand that clergy can answer the question in completely different ways: is it permissible to remove a pectoral cross? But most of them claim that it symbolizes God in some sense. It is important for a person to have a material object so that, if necessary, he can look at the cross and remember the Lord, the commandments and a righteous life.
That is, wearing a cross is important, but there is nothing wrong with the fact that you need to take it off for a short period of time.
Additional Information. Previously, churchgoers drew or tattooed crosses on their bodies. This necessity existed during the years of the USSR or during periods of persecution of Christians. This measure was necessary so that the symbol of the crucifixion would always remain with a person, even if not in the form of an iron cross.
Myth No. 11. A pectoral cross that is broken should be thrown into the river or buried
A broken pectoral cross should be taken to the temple. Every church gathers a lot of similar things that people bring. These things are simply stored. Old icons whose faces have already been erased, broken crosses. They are kept in a holy place
In our Intercession Church of Zaitsevo, at the top of the choir, there is a sacristy, and in it there is a specially designated place where such icons and crosses are preserved, which people brought to the temple with the words “Father, we don’t know what to do with them.” Zaitsevo is an old village, and many people had such things at home. It is imperative to bring such shrines to the temple so that they are not trampled on or someone throws them away.
If the cross is made of noble metal, gold or silver, the owner can take it to a jewelry workshop and ask for it to be melted into another cross. But you cannot smelt it into any other product. It would be wrong to sell it.
Under no circumstances should you throw the shrine anywhere - into a river or lake, or bury it. You can't treat a cross like that. Even if the temple is far away, the person who wears the cross still visits it.
The cross is the banner of our salvation. We don't bury our banners. A banner that becomes unusable is handed over to a museum, where it is kept with honor. If your cross is broken or is already old, take it to the temple, where it will be kept with honor.
Pectoral cross as evidence of faith
According to the church canon, one of the main reasons why you cannot 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.
Myth No. 12. If you exchange crosses, people will become closer to each other spiritually
It is not true. Indeed, there is such a custom among the people: they exchange crosses and after that consider themselves godbrothers. When someone wanted to express gratitude to another person or become closer to him, he would perform such a symbolic action as a sign of his friendship.
In my understanding, this is nothing more than a good, kind custom. There is certainly no point in attaching mystical significance to this. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, in the spiritual sense, and brothers and sisters even in the physical sense. We all come from Adam and Eve, and each person is a brother to another.
interviewed by Maria Tsirlina
website of the Gorlovka and Slavic diocese
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, in hazardous work, body 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.
Pectoral cross - when to wear and when to take off
The cross is the most important attribute of every Christian of any denomination.
It is not always possible to wear it, since there are situations in life when clergy and the Christian faith allow the cross to be removed. Don't worry if your cross is lost or broken. We previously described such a situation in one of our articles. 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
The priest gives a cross to a person at baptism. After performing the sacrament, you must put on the cross and never remove it if possible. Of course, there are situations in life when working conditions, safety measures or simply common sense force us to remove the cross. There is nothing wrong with this, since you are worried about the integrity of the cross, about its appearance. For example, when you go to a sauna, metal objects become very hot and can cause burns. In this case, it is better to remove the cross. If you work in a place where there are harmful substances that can damage the cross, then it is also better to remove it while working.
In other situations, it is better not to remove the cross, since it always protects you from any troubles, from evil and from fatal failures. By wearing this symbol of faith, you express respect for God. That is why you should not remove it, especially in dangerous situations. Many people note that they feel bad when they remove the cross, as if God’s mercy had abandoned them. Of course, this is not so, but there is still the smallest grain of truth in these words, so never remove the cross if possible. If you took it off, then before putting it on again, you can read a simple prayer, known to many believers: “Protect me, Lord, by the power of your honorable and life-giving Cross, and save me from all evil.”
What the church prohibits
The cross is an important attribute that symbolizes the crucifixion of Christ. This is a symbol of God's faith and his power. That is why you must always remember the important rules:
- Crosses can be passed on or given to loved ones for christenings. There are no prohibitions on this matter. But you cannot throw away the cross or use it as decoration, this is a sin.
- The Church prohibits treating pectoral crosses as if they were simple decorations. Crosses cannot be handed over to pawn shops, as if they are a thing that does not have some kind of spirituality and power.
- The Church and Orthodox rules prohibit wearing icons of the Mother of God or saints instead of a cross. Wearing a cross is mandatory, but in addition you can wear an icon.
- It is also forbidden to consecrate the cross and other church attributes yourself. This should only be done by a priest, who will consecrate the object in the church with the help of special prayers that only he is allowed to read.
- The Church categorically prohibits wearing an image of the Zodiac Sign along with a cross, since from the point of view of Christianity, astrology is an occult science and heresy. This is not only prohibited, but even sinful.
If your cross is broken, you can safely take it to a workshop for repairs, but if you are not going to do this or it is impossible to repair it, it is better to take it to the church.
It is useful to know that the cross can be without a crucifix and even decorated with precious stones. The main thing is that it be consecrated by the church.
Previously, we wrote about what else you can’t do with a cross. Many people do not take this attribute of faith seriously, although they should. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, taking upon himself the torment. The pectoral cross is a sign of respect for the deed of our Savior. This is the best way to escape from any troubles. Wear your cross always and don’t forget to press the buttons and
A pectoral cross for Christians 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.
What kind of cross can you wear?
There are superstitions that you simply shouldn't pay attention to. For example, this applies to a cross with a crucifix, which many people try not to wear, because they believe that it can bring a complex and difficult life on a person. But this is not at all true, and there is nothing wrong with such a cross. You just have to wear it correctly. So, such a cross with a crucifix is a symbol of the salvation and sacrifice of Christ.
When wearing such a cross, you must ensure that the crucifix is not located towards the body, it must be outside. And like any cross, it must be consecrated. The cross can be made of any metal, but it should not be a decoration. Therefore, it is better to buy it not in jewelry stores, but in a church. And it is not at all necessary that it be decorated with precious stones and expensive, the main thing is that it be consecrated in the church.
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Is it possible to remove a cross without a good reason?
If in the cases described above, the temporary absence of a pectoral cross is not considered a sin, then the church condemns the regular refusal to wear it. This is regarded as a deliberate act committed out of sinful thoughts.
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There are people who believe in God, go to church and, of course, wear a cross. But sometimes they remove it, so to speak, for aesthetic purposes. For example, a cross does not match a new dress or does not look very harmonious with other jewelry. Of course, the completeness of the image and the combination of costume details are important for women. And the desire to be beautiful cannot be called a sin. However, if the pectoral cross does not fit into a particular image, you can simply hide it under your clothes. By the way, priests recommend wearing a cross on your body (that’s why it’s called a cross), and not showing it off.
Ancient tradition
According to Protodeacon Sergius Shalberov, initially wearing a cross was a purely individual action and was regulated only by a person’s personal desire and piety. However, over time, this tradition transformed into one of the foundations of the Orthodox faith, in which refusal for any reason to constantly wear a cross around the neck began to be perceived as a sin and even apostasy from the faith.
Reflecting on this issue, the Monk Ephraim the Syrian in his work “A Sermon on the General Resurrection, on Repentance and Love, on the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” quotes from the Psalter [90: 10]: “Let us mark the life-giving cross both 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, the weapon that opens paradise, overthrows heresies, the affirmation of faith, the great repository and saving praise of the Orthodox. We will... 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 - decorate all your members with the life-giving cross, and evil will not come to you, and no wound will come close to your body.”
The pectoral cross hanging near the very heart, according to the understanding of the Apostle Paul (Galatians 2:19), is the physical embodiment of the phrase: “I have been crucified with Christ,” who in the Gospel of Mark [8: 34] utters the significant words: “If anyone wants according to Me go, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and come after Me.”
