Feast: September 14
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross commemorates two great events in Christian history:
- The Finding of the True Cross (c. 326) by St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine.
- The Recovery of the Cross from the Persians (628) by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, after it had been carried off in war.
Though the Cross is an instrument of suffering, the Church exalts it as the sign of victory, redemption, and eternal life.
St. Helena and the Discovery of the Cross
After the Edict of Milan (313) brought peace to the Church, St. Helena journeyed to the Holy Land. There, desiring to glorify the Passion of Christ, she sought the instruments of His crucifixion. Guided by divine inspiration and the testimony of local Christians, excavations were made near Calvary, where three crosses were uncovered.
To discern which was the Cross of Christ, the Bishop of Jerusalem, St. Macarius, placed them in turn upon a dying woman. At the touch of the True Cross, she was immediately restored to health. Thus the Cross of the Lord was revealed. Constantine then built the magnificent Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre over the site, consecrated on September 13, 335. The following day, the relic of the Cross was solemnly exalted before the faithful—an act commemorated annually by the Church on September 14.
The Recovery of the Cross
In 614, the Persians captured Jerusalem and carried off the relic of the True Cross. Fourteen years later, the Emperor Heraclius defeated them and solemnly restored the Cross to Jerusalem. Tradition relates that, robed in imperial majesty, he sought to carry the relic back to Calvary, but was mysteriously restrained. An angel revealed that he must lay aside his imperial regalia and walk barefoot, in humility like Christ. Doing so, he was able to bear the Cross back to its shrine.
Theological Meaning
The Cross is both the tree of shame and the tree of glory. The Fathers often compare it to the Tree of Life in Paradise: from the wood of death has sprung the fruit of eternal life.
- St. Andrew of Crete calls this feast “a lifting up of our fallen state, the restoration of the sinner to his former dignity.”
- St. John Chrysostom proclaims: “The Cross is the trophy of victory over the demons, the sword of the Spirit, the bulwark of the faithful, the glory of Christ.”
Thus, the Church does not merely remember the wood of the Cross, but rejoices in the triumph of Christ’s Passion, which has redeemed the world.
Devotional Practices
On this feast, the faithful are invited to:
- Venerate the sign of the Cross with renewed faith.
- Meditate upon the Passion of Christ, uniting their own sufferings with His.
- Pray the Stations of the Cross or the Litany of the Holy Cross.
- Embrace the daily cross with the words: “We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.”
📜 In sum:
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is a feast that unites history and mystery: the historical events of St. Helena and Emperor Heraclius, and the eternal mystery of salvation wrought on Calvary. It is the glorification not of suffering itself, but of the infinite love of Christ revealed in His willing sacrifice.