The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Today, our celebration goes outside the normal routine of a Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today, we celebrate the feast of The Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different feasts of the Cross, All of them commemorate the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. While Good Friday is dedicated to the Passion of Christ and His Crucifixion, these days celebrate the cross itself, as the instrument of salvation. In English, this feast day is identified as The Exaltation of the
Holy Cross. That is the official translation of the Roman Missal, while the 1973 translation called it The Triumph of the Cross. In some parts of the Anglican Communion the feast is called Holy Cross Day, a name also used by Lutherans. The celebration is also sometimes called Feast of the Glorious Cross. According to legends that spread widely, the True Cross was discovered in 326 by St. Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, during a pilgrimage she made to Jerusalem. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was then built at the site of the discovery, by order of Helena and Constantine. The church was dedicated nine years later, with a portion of the cross placed inside it. Other legends explain that in 614, that portion of the cross was carried away from the church by the Persians, and remained missing until it was recaptured by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius in 628. Initially taken to Constantinople, the cross was returned to the church the following year. The date of the feast marks the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 335. This was a two day festival: although the actual consecration of the church was on September 13, the cross itself was brought outside the church on September 14 so that the clergy and faithful could pray before the True Cross, and all could come forward to venerate it. In Roman Catholic liturgical observance, red vestments are worn at church services conducted on this day, and if the day falls on a Sunday, its Mass readings are used instead of that for the occurring Sunday in Ordinary Time. The lectionary of the Church of England (and other Anglican churches) also stipulates red as the liturgical colour for 'Holy Cross Day'. Though the cross was used in Roman times as an instrument of torture and death, a cross now has a different meaning to Christians. It is the means for our salvation. It is because of Jesus’ death upon the cross and His subsequent resurrection that we have the opportunity for eternal life. Our gospel from John alludes to this. Eternal life comes to all those who believe. In His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus reiterates His purpose
in coming: that the world might be saved through Him. Do you believe this?