Matthew 24 : 23-31
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
“Constantine beheld the Cross shining brightly in the sky. It made him victorious when fighting his foes.”
History tells us that the Emperor Constantine, before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (October 28, 312) had a vision of a cross (or Chi-Rho) in the sky. Alongside this vision came the words (recorded by the historian Eusebius) “In this sign, you will conquer”. Constantine ordered his soldiers to mark their shields with the Chi-Rho (the first two letters of “Christ” in Greek: X (Chi) and R (Rho).
The Emperor Constantine won the battle against Maxentius, which he attributed to the power of the God of the Christians.This event imprinted itself on Christian history, because after this event, Constantine ended the persecution of Christians with the Edict of Milan (313 AD) not only making Christianity legal in the Roman Empire but establishing it as the religion of the empire.
This event of Constantine marks a pivotal moment in Christian history, and symbolizes the power and transformation begun at the Cross on Good Friday. The victory that Christ obtained on the Cross is not limited to purely spiritual terms, but has consequences in everyday life, in the organization of societies and the building of civilization. When nations, families and cultures exult in Christ, everything is elevated, and the truth of the human person is honored. Sadly, history is littered with false Messiahs who have promised a paradise on earth without Christ, the Tree of Life.
Can we re-build the Garden of Eden without Christ, the Tree of Life?
No, we cannot. In fact, every effort to do so has resulted in the exact opposite. Without Christ, man only creates a living hell.
“When we attempt to live without God, what results is not heaven, but rather a desert of emptiness and death.” – Deus Caritas Est, Benedict XVI
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus