The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Feast day: September 14
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The Church honors the Holy Cross, where Jesus died out of love to save all people (14/09)
What is this feast?
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross celebrates the Cross of Jesus. “Exaltation” means lifting high, giving honor. The Church does not worship a piece of wood; it adores Jesus, who died on the Cross to save us. Jesus said that when he is lifted up from the earth, he will draw everyone to himself (cf. Jn 12:32).
The story
According to tradition, around the year 326, Saint Helena, the mother of the emperor Constantine, went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and found the true Cross of the Lord. The emperor had a great church built over the place where the Lord was crucified and buried. The church was dedicated on 13 September 335. The next day, 14 September, the Cross was lifted high for the people to venerate. From then on, 14 September became the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Later, in the seventh century, the Persian army captured Jerusalem and took the Cross away. The emperor Heraclius won it back and brought the Cross home to the city. This event later came to be remembered on the feast too, but it is not where the feast came from, because the feast already existed.
Saint Paul writes that Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross, and that is why God greatly exalted him (cf. Phil 2:8-9).
Why does the Church celebrate it?
Because the Cross is where Jesus showed the greatest love: laying down his life for his friends (cf. Jn 15:13). Through the Cross and the Resurrection, the Lord opened heaven for us. Every time you make the Sign of the Cross, you proclaim that faith.
A lesson for you
- Make the Sign of the Cross carefully and slowly when you wake up, before meals and before going to bed.
- When something is hard or people misunderstand you, look at the Cross and ask the Lord to help you be patient.
- Treat the crucifix at home and in your classroom with respect.
Identifying marks
- A large, plain wooden Cross standing in the middle of the card: the Cross is “exalted,” which means lifted high and honored.
- A crown of thorns hanging where the two beams meet: a reminder of the crown of thorns Jesus wore in his Passion.
- Rays of light shining out from behind the Cross: the Cross is no longer a sign of defeat, but the sign of love’s victory.
- Two angels kneeling on either side, hands joined, with white wings: the angels adore the Lord at his Cross.
- The city of Jerusalem faint in the distance: the Lord was crucified on Calvary, outside the city; this feast began in Jerusalem.
The text on this page is the card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
Compiled by i-Catholic · About