Feast of the exaltation of the cross

Liturgy of the Word:

Nm. 21:4-9;

Ps. 78:1-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38;

Phil. 2:6-11;

Jn. 3:13-17.

National Catechetical Day — On this day, part of the Mass collection is for the support of the Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education.

Some Notes on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross:

1. On 13 September 335, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (also called the Church of the Resurrection) was dedicated. The following day, the Cross that Empress Helena had discovered on 14 September 320 was venerated (exalted) in a solemn ceremony.

2. In 614, the Persian King, Chosroes II, conquered Jerusalem and confiscated many treasures, among which was the Cross of Jesus. The Byzantine emperor Heraclius initiated peace negotiations, but was rejected. He then waged war and won near Nineveh, asking for the restitution of the Cross, which was then returned to Jerusalem.

3. The feast of the Holy Cross was later associated with this recovery of the Cross. The Feast used to be called the Triumph of Holy Cross. It celebrates:

A. The finding of the True Cross by St. Helena;

B. The dedication of churches built by Emperor Constantine on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mt. Calvary;

C. The elevation of the True Cross at Hagia Sophia in Constantinople in AD 629 by the Emperor Heraclius.

4. Under Emperor Constantine around AD 327, Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem mandated excavations to be done to ascertain the location of Calvary as well as of the Holy Sepulcher. The excavations uncovered three crosses. Legend has it that the Cross of Jesus was identified when its touch healed a dying woman. The two other crosses were presumably those of the two thieves.

5. Constantine then built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. Pieces of the True Cross were distributed across the empire. One-third remained in Jerusalem, one-third was brought to Jerusalem, and one-third was taken to Constantinople.

6. The feast was mainly observed in Rome before the end of the 7th century. In 1960, Pope John XXIII set the Feast of the Holy Cross on 14 September to celebrate both the finding and the exaltation of the Holy Cross.

7. The 2nd Council of Nicea of 787 distinguished between the veneration of the cross and “latria,” which, according to our faith, belongs to the Divine nature alone. Our veneration of the image passes to the person whom it represents.

8. In early Christianity, the cross was a symbol of cruelty and death. Crosses were displayed in Rome with the decaying corpses of Christians who were killed for their faith during the persecutions.

Today, the cruelty of the Cross is not what is exalted, but the Love that God manifested by accepting death on the Cross: “Who, though in the form of God, emptied himself, taking the form of a slave. This is the glory of the Cross of Jesus!” (Pope Francis)

9. The feast celebrates the boundless impact of Christ’s Cross upon all of creation. It showcases God’s infinite power to use death to bring life and to transform the greatest act of cruelty ever known into the greatest act of mercy ever bestowed upon the world.

10. The Cross of Christ must transform us into becoming better disciples of Christ, following Jesus by taking up our cross daily. We share in his suffering, unite our own with his, thus receiving spiritual fruit in abundance.

11. Prayer — O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son should undergo the Cross to save the human race, grant, we pray, that we who have known his mystery on earth may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world.

Prayers, best wishes, God bless!