The Cross is a sign of victory over the demons, the knife against sin, the sword by which Christ wounded the serpent. The Cross is the will of the Father, the glory of the Only-begotten, the exultation of the Spirit, the adornment of the angels, the safety of your Church, the boast of Paul, the fortification of the saints, the light of all the world. 

—Homily on the Term “Cemetery,” and on the Cross of Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ

σταυρὸς τὸ κατὰ τῶν δαιμόνων τρόπαιον, ἡ κατὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μάχαιρα, τὸ ξίφος, ᾧ τὸν ὄφιν ἐκέντησεν ὁ Χριστός· σταυρὸς τὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς θέλημα, ἡ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς δόξα, τὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀγαλλίαμα, ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων κόσμος, σῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡ ἀσφάλεια, τὸ καύχημα Παύλου, τὸ τῶν ἁγίων τεῖχος, τὸ φῶς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης. (De coemeterio et de cruce, PG 49.396-397)

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