On September 14, the Church celebrates one of the most ancient and profound feasts in our liturgical calendar: the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. While Good Friday brings us to the foot of the Cross in sorrow and penance, this feast is a day of triumph, lifting high the Cross as the very sign of God’s victory over sin and death.
The origins of this feast go back to the 4th century. According to tradition, St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, journeyed to the Holy Land and discovered the True Cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Not long after, Constantine built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on the site of Christ’s death and resurrection. The dedication of that basilica, on September 14 in the year 335, marked the beginning of this feast. Since then, Christians across the world have paused each year to remember the Cross not as a tool of humiliation, but as the instrument of our salvation.
The Cross is a paradox. To the world, it appears as a sign of weakness and defeat; but for us, as St. Paul reminds us, “the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18). Through Christ’s suffering and death, God transformed the very symbol of shame into a source of grace and hope. The Cross teaches us that no suffering is meaningless when it is united to Christ. It shows us that love is stronger than hatred, and life stronger than death.
This feast also challenges us personally. The Cross is not only a historical event; it is part of our daily discipleship. Jesus tells us: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 16:24). Each of us carries burdens, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. The Cross reminds us that when we embrace these trials with faith, they can become paths to holiness and instruments of God’s grace in the world.
As we celebrate this feast, let us lift high the Cross in our own lives. Let us make the Sign of the Cross with reverence, wear it not as jewelry but as a testimony of faith, and see in it the unshakable proof of God’s love for us. May the Cross always be our hope, our strength, and our victory, leading us toward the joy of the Resurrection.
“We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.”
Practical Ways to Honor the Feast
- Begin the day by making the Sign of the Cross slowly and prayerfully, asking God to bless your day.
- Place a crucifix in a prominent place at home and gather as a family to pray the Stations of the Cross or the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.
- Offer your daily struggles, big or small, in union with the Cross of Christ.
- Attend Mass and receive the Eucharist, the fruit of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross.
- End the day with the prayer: “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.”
