Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
TODAY is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In the old calendar of the Roman Catholic Church, this feast was being celebrated on May 3 and was more popularly known as the “Crouchmas” (for “Cross Mass” or the Mass of the Cross). It is believed to be the anniversary of the finding of the cross of Christ as ordered by Queen Helena of Constantinople.
In the early years of fourth century Queen Helena, the revered mother of then Roman Emperor Constantine, went with her soldiers to the Holy City of Jerusalem to look for the cross of Christ. She ordered the demolition of the second-century temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held was built over the tomb of Jesus. Constantine then built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher over the tomb.
It is said that during the excavation, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch brought healing to a dying woman. From then on, the cross of Jesus Christ immediately became an object of veneration.
Today, the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the anniversary of the Consecration of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the place where the cross of Jesus was found.
The cross is a very important symbol for Christians. In Christian places of worship, one would always find a cross at the center of the altar. The cross is a symbol of Christ’s love for all humanity and for all God’s creatures. It was on the cross on Mount Calvary on that very first Good Friday that Christ gave His life that we may live our lives to the full. Christ was not defeated when he died on the cross. His great love for us made him triumph even amidst a very shameful death. Love redeems. Love always prevails.
The love of Christ that was poured out for all on the cross must encourage us to have love for one another. As Christ Jesus shared His own life for our sake, we, too, must share our life with others, especially with the forgotten and the neglected in our society. As we celebrate the Year of the Poor, Christ invites us to look at Himself no longer crucified on the cross but still suffering in the person of the poor, the hungry, the lame, the homeless, the prisoner, the migrants around us. He is present in these, our suffering brethren. Let us look at them with love. Let us share our lives with them that they may live as dignified sons and daughters of God.