How precious is the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! Inthe cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree ofparadise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruitof this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This treedoes not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return. Bythe cross death was slain and Adam was restored to life. The cross isthe glory of all the apostles, the crown of the martyrs, thesanctification of the saints. By the cross we put on Christ and castaside our former self. By the cross we, the sheep of Christ, have beengathered into one flock, destined for the sheepfolds of heaven. -St. Theodore the Studite