It was of Your own free will that You were raised upon the Cross. * Generously bestow Your mercies upon Your new community named for You, O Christ God! * By Your power gladden the faithful * and let them triumph over every evil, * for Your Cross is their ally and their weapon is peace, * assuring unfailing victory.
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross originated in Jerusalem in the year 355 to commemorate the dedication of the Basilica of the Resurrection. When the true Cross of Jesus was found shortly afterwards, this event was commemorated on the same day. In time, the Feast of the Exaltation supplanted the feast of the dedication.
In 395, St. John Chrysostom wrote of three crosses which were discovered beneath Golgotha by the Empress Helena. Many other writers speak of miracles which occurred through contact with the true Cross. It was through one of these miracles that the true Cross was recognized by St. Helena and St. Macarius, the Bishop of Jerusalem.
The Holy Cross was kept in the Basilica of the Resurrection in Jerusalem until 614, when the Persians conquered the city and burned the Church. In 628, Emperor Heraclius III defeated the Persians and returned the Holy Cross to Jerusalem. A portion of the Cross was taken to Rome in the seventh century by Sergius I, a Pope of Byzantine origin.
As we celebrate this Major Feast let us remind ourselves that the power of the Cross is given to each and every Christian. But just as a soldier must learn to properly wield his weapons in battle, so a warrior of Christ must learn how correctly to make the sign of the Cross. A shield has no effect if carelessly waved about in the air. Likewise, there are many who receive no benefit from the sign of the Cross because they make it mechanically or haphazardly.
The Cross, once a tool of death, has become a means to life, an instrument of our salvation; it gives strength to resist temptation, to refrain from gossip or harsh words and it dispels fear. Amen.
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