Metr. Sevastianos Reflects on 9/11 and the Exaltation of the Cross

ATLANTA, GA — Metr. Sevastianos of Atlanta reflected on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and the upcoming Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, drawing a connection between the destruction witnessed at Ground Zero and the Christian understanding of Christ’s Cross. In a pastoral message, he urged the faithful to remember the victims and their families while looking to the Resurrection for hope.

Metr. Sevastianos recalled that the passage of time has made September 11 increasingly a historical event for younger generations, while emphasizing the importance of preserving its memory. He compared the devastation at Ground Zero with the destruction St. Helen encountered when she traveled to Golgotha in 325 in search of the True Cross, finding the former place of Christ’s Crucifixion reduced to a garbage dump.

According to the Metropolitan, St. Helen’s search eventually led to the discovery of three crosses, with the True Cross identified after a sick woman was healed when she venerated it. He also recalled the tradition that the True Cross raised a dead man to life. Metr. Sevastianos connected St. Helen’s perseverance with the courage of first responders who risked their health in the aftermath of September 11 to recover victims and rebuild what had been destroyed.

The Metropolitan also reflected on the apparent contradiction of venerating an instrument of execution. Citing St. Paul’s teaching that “we preach Christ crucified,” he noted that the Cross demonstrates how God overturns human expectations: Christ, who entered the world as a poor child, conquered death not through earthly or angelic armies, but through His own death.

As the 25th anniversary is commemorated, Metr. Sevastianos urged Christians to remember both the suffering and the brotherly love that followed the attacks. He specifically pointed to New York City’s rebuilding and the restoration of the Archdiocese’s St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox National Shrine. He concluded by calling the faithful to find comfort beneath Christ’s Cross, remembering that the Crucifixion was followed by the Resurrection and the ultimate victory of light over darkness and life over death.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Abp. Elpidophoros joined the 9/11 memorial dedication in New York.