On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (or Triumph of the Cross) we honor the Holy Cross by which Christ redeemed the world. The public veneration of the Cross of Christ originated in the fourth century, according to early accounts. The miraculous discovery of the True Cross on September 14, 326, by Saint Helen, mother of Constantine, while she was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, is the origin of the Ā tradition of celebrating the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on this date. Constantine later built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the site of her discovery of the cross. On this same pilgrimage she ordered two other churches built: one in Bethlehem near the Grotto of the Nativity, the other on the Mount of the Ascension, near Jerusalem.
In the Western Church the feast came into prominence in the seventh century ā after 629, when the Byzantine emperor Heraclitus restored the Holy Cross to Jerusalem, after defeating the Persians who had stolen it.
It remained in Christian hands until the Battle of Hattin in 1187, when the Moslem leader Saladin captured the relic. Saladin after the Battle of Hattin and the capture of Jerusalem, would ride his horse through the streets with the Holy Relic dragging behind his mountās tail.
Christians āexaltā (raise on high) the Cross of Christ as the instrument of our salvation. Adoration of the Cross is, thus, adoration of Jesus Christ, the God Man, who suffered and died on this Roman instrument of torture for our redemption from sin and death. The cross represents the One Sacrifice by which Jesus, obedient even unto death, accomplished our salvation. The cross is a symbolic summary of the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ ā all in one image.
The Cross ā because of what it represents ā is the most potent and universal symbol of the Christian faith. It has inspired both liturgical and private devotions: for example, the Sign of the Cross, which is an invocation of the Holy Trinity; the ālittleā Sign of the Cross on head, lips and heart at the reading of the Gospel; praying the Stations (or Way) of the Cross; and the Veneration of the Cross by the faithful on Good Friday by kissing the feet of the image of Our Savior crucified.
Placing a crucifix (the cross with an image of Christās body upon it) in churches and homes, in classrooms of Catholic schools and in other Catholic institutions, or wearing this image on our persons, is a constant reminder ā and witness ā of Christās ultimate triumph, His victory over sin and death through His suffering and dying on the Cross.
lord by your cross and ressurection u have saved the world and so i plead with u to save and protect my grandchild from substance abuse and menrtal illness and allow him to hold on to your cross when temptation comes.especially today ,also guide and heal him and his mom from any disease known or unknown to them.i ask all this in jesus,s name amen and amen.thanks for answered prayers.
It is quite sad that in our modern times of tolerance, the secularisation in a few countries that were traditionally Christian implicitly forbid any display of religious items like the cross. Faith and the practice of one’s faith is deemed a private matter. The feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is certainly the occasion for us to pray that leaders of nations while accepting that they should not show a preferential leaning towards one denomination or faith community might see external practice of one’s faith, as long it does not infringe in the rights of other members of the population, should not be discourage or legislated against.
It is quite sad that in our modern times of tolerance, the secularisation in a few countries that were traditionally Christian implicitly forbid any display of religious items like the cross. Faith and the practice of one’s faith is deemed a private matter. The feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is certainly the occasion for us to pray that leaders of nations while accepting that they should not show a preferential leaning towards one denomination or faith community might see external practice of one’s faith, as long it does not infringe in the rights of other members of the population, should not be discourage or legislated against.
Comment:indeed the cross of Jesus has really set us free from fear and grief their is power in the cross of Jesus
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Pray for us!
What happened to the Cross?
āNo one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.ā
I cannot believe people are saying “Hail, O Holy Cross” talk about false idols. Why would you praise the weapon that killed Jesus unless you wanted him dead?