Exaltation of the Cross

Roman Catholics, Orthodox (Eastern Catholics) and Anglicans celebrate the Exaltation of the Cross, one of twelve “Master feasts” of the Church to honor Jesus Christ, our Lord and Master.

We celebrate this feast of the Exaltation of the Cross for two reasons: 1) to understand the history of the discovery and recovery of the True Cross; and 2) to appreciate better the importance of the symbol and reality of Christ’s sacrificial love, namely, the cross in the daily life of every Christian.

Jesus connects his impending crucifixion to the Old Testament story of the bronze serpent. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent on a pole so that those bitten by snakes could be healed, Jesus, lifted on the cross, offers healing and eternal life to those who believe in him.

As He explains to Nicodemus that he, the Son of Man, is the one who has come down from heaven and must be “lifted up” like the serpent in the wilderness (Num 21:4-9).

This “lifting up” refers to the crucifixion of Jesus, which is not an end but a means of salvation. Through faith in him, those who believe can have eternal life. The passage emphasizes that Jesus came not to condemn the world, but to save it through his sacrifice.

The lifting up of Jesus on the cross is not a defeat, but a triumph. This triumph is a paradoxical event in which suffering and death lead to salvation, demonstrating God’s ultimate love for humanity and the possibility of new life for all who believe.

This feast is celebrated in memory of the first installation of the remnants of the true cross of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Mount Calvary, 14 September AD 335, and its reinstallation on 14 September AD 630.

The original cross on which Jesus was crucified was excavated in AD 326 by a team led by St. Helena, the mother of the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine. The Emperor built the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Calvary. It was consecrated on 14 September AD 335 and the remains of the cross were installed in it by Archbishop Maccharios of Jerusalem.

After three centuries, the Persians invaded Jerusalem, plundered it of all valuables and took with them the relic of the Holy Cross. In AD 630, Emperor Heraclius II defeated the Persians, recaptured the casket containing the holy relic, and reinstalled it in the rebuilt Church, which was destroyed by Muslims in 1009. The crusaders rebuilt it as the present Church of the Holy Sepulcher in 1149. The largest fragment of the holy cross is now kept in the Santa Croce Church in Rome.

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