Holy Cross Church at Mwnt is a special place, says retired Cardigan vicar

I feel sad that people have not been able to enter during this pandemic.

T.J. Hughes, in his book “Wales’s Best One Hundred Churches”, writes: “Mwnt is a survival of the ancient urge to worship where nature is most elemental.”

It is a “thin” place, where there is little distinction between Heaven and Earth and where the presence of God is felt.

Holy Cross Day is on September 14.

Legend has it that the three crosses of Golgotha - that of Christ and of the robbers crucified with him - were found by St Helena, a devout Christian and the mother of Constantine the Great, and that the “true cross” was identified by a miracle.

This may well have happened during the excavations for the building of the great basilica church on the sight of the Holy Sepulchre.

We honour the cross of Christ, not as a legend, but as a fact of history that brought salvation to human kind. You will find this salvation beautifully outlined ion Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 1 verses 18 to 25.

Yn yr Hen Destament ysgrifennodd y proffwyd Eseia am rywun oedd yn ufudd i Dduw, ac eto’n dioddef am y drygioni a gyflawnodd pobl eraill. Er ei gyfansoddi rai canrifoedd cyn i iesu ddod, gallai fod wedi’i ysgifennu wrth droed y groes.

“Cafodd ei ddirmygu a’i wrthod gennym;

goddefodd ddioddefaint a phoen.

Ni wnâi unrhyw un edrych arno hyd yn oed-

ei anwybyddu a wnaethom fel petai’n ddim.

Ond cymerodd y ddioddefaint oedd i fod i ddod i ni,

a’r poen y dylasem ni fod wedi’i ddwyn.

Drwy’r adeg roeddem yn tybio fod ei ddioddefaint

yn gosb wedi’i hafnon gan Dduw.

Ond am ein pechodau ni y cafodd ei anafu,

a’i guro am y drygioni a wnaethom ni.

Rydym ni wedi’n hiacháu drwy’r gosb a ddioddefodd ef,

a’n gwneud yn iawn am iddo ef gael ei guro.

Roeddem i gyd fel defaid ar goll,

bob un yn mynd ei ffordd ei hun.

Ond parodd yr Arglwydd i’r gosb ddisgyn arno ef,

y gosb ye oeddem ni i gyd yn ei haeddu.

Gafodd ei gam-drin, ond goddefodd y cwbl yn wylaidd;

nid agorodd ei enau.

Fel oen ar fin cael ei ladd, fel dafad ar fin cael ei chneifio,

nid ynganodd air.

Cafodd eio arestio a’i ddedfrydu a’i arwain ymaith i farw,

a doedd neb yn malio am ei dynged.

Cafodd ei ladd dros bechodau ein pobl.”

Isaiah 53/Eseia 53

If you want to know why Jesus was crucified read chapter 53 of the Prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament.

Cecil Francis Alexander (1818-95) explains the Cross beautifully.

“There is a green hill far away,

without a city wall,

where the dear Lord was crucified,

who died to save us all.

-

He died that we might be forgiven,

He died to make us good,

That we might go at last to heaven,

Saved by his precious blood.”

William Williams (1717-91) writes about the efficacy of the Cross.

“Dros bechadur buost farw,

dros bechadur, ar y pren,

y dioddefaist hoelion llymion

nes it orfod crymu pen;

dwed i mi, ai fi oedd hwnnw

gofiodd cariad rhad mor fawr-

marw dros un bron â suddo

yn Gehenna boeth i lawr?

-

Dwed i mi, a wyt yn maddau

Cwympo ganwaith i’r un bai?

Dwed a ddeui byth i galon

Na all gynnig ‘difarhau?

Beth yw pwysau’r beiau mwyaf

a faddeui? O ba ri?

Pa un drymaf yw fy mhechod

ai griddfannau Calfari?

Prayers:

Almighty God,

who in the passion of your blessed Son

made an instrument of painful death

to be for us the means of life and peace:

grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ

that we may gladly suffer for his sake;

who is alive and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit

one God, now and ever. Amen.

Hollalluog Dduw,

gwnaethost i offeryn angau dolurus

fod i ni yn fywyd a thangnefedd

trwy ddioddefaint dy Fab gwynfydedig:

caniatâ i ni orfoleddu yng nghroes Crist

fel y bydd i ni ddioddef yn llawen er ei fwyn ef;

sydd yn fyw ac yn teyrnasu

gyda thi a’r Ysbryd Glân,

yn un Duw, yn awr ac am byth. Amen

Rev John Powell

Retired vicar of Cardigan