The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated every year on September 14. On this day, the Church celebrates both the discovery and the recovery of the True Cross of Jesus Christ. The Holy Cross is a symbol that is both essential and inseparable from our Christian identity.

The beginnings of this feast can be traced back to Jerusalem and the dedication of the Church built on the site of Mount Calvary. According to historians, the Roman Emperor Constantine’s mother, St. Helena, a convert to Christianity, went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to locate where the important events in the life of Jesus Christ occurred and to preserve the relics of the Christian faith that remained there. One of her goals was to find the actual Cross on which Jesus, the Son of God, was crucified. She discovered the True Cross on May 3rd, 326 A.D.  St. Helena had a Church built on the original site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, known as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  Her son Constantine dedicated this church on September 14 in the year 335 A.D.

Christianity without the Cross is meaningless. Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Following Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly; but our true commitment to Him is revealed during trials. Let us look at the cross frequently, and realize that the cross is a sign of strength and protection. It does not explain pain and misery nor does it give us any easy answers. But it does help us to see our lives united with Christ and the victory that He gained for us. May our faith be strengthened as we live through the difficulties and uncertainties of this life.

Nancy Fernandes