Exaltation of the Holy Cross-14th September

THE STORY OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

Early in the fourth century, Saint Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ’s life. She razed the second-century Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held was built over the Savior’s tomb, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher on that spot. During the excavation, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman.

The cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in Jerusalem toward the end of the fourth century, according to an eyewitness, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus’ head: Then “all the people pass through one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after kissing the cross, they move on.”

To this day, the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the September anniversary of the basilica’s dedication. The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor Heraclius recovered the cross from the Persians, who had carried it off in 614, 15 years earlier. According to the story, the emperor intended to carry the cross back into Jerusalem himself, but was unable to move forward until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim.

0914 Exaltation of the Holy Cross 2p SMC 8.5 x 11 R1R 20240529

0914 Exaltation of the Holy Cross 9-day novena 2p SMC 8.5 x 11 R1R 20240826

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

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“Everything is a reminder of the Cross. We ourselves are made in the shape of a cross.”

“If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross… Christ endured much on the cross… he did not open his mouth.”

“Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.”

“Let us bear our cross and leave it to God to determine the length and the weight.”

“The Cross is exalted, for it lifts the world to salvation.”

PRAYER TO THE HOLY CROSS

Oh, Adorable Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you have suffered death on the Cross for our sins.

Oh, Holy Cross of Jesus, be my true light!
Oh, Holy Cross, fill my soul with good thoughts.
Oh, Holy Cross, ward off from me all things that are evil.
Oh, Holy Cross, ward off from me all dangers and deaths and give me life everlasting!
Oh, Crucified Jesus of Nazareth, have mercy on me now and forever.

In honour of the Precious Blood of Jesus, his death, resurrection and ascension which leads to everlasting life; true as Jesus was born on Christmas Day; true as Jesus was crucified on Good Friday; true as Joseph and Nicodemus took Jesus down from the cross and buried Him; true as Jesus ascended into Heaven; may He preserve me from my enemies visible and invisible forever.

Oh, Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me! Mary and Joseph pray for me.
Lord Jesus Christ, through Your suffering the Cross grant me strength to bear my Cross without fear or dread and give me the grace that I may follow You.

Amen.

PRAYER ON THE FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

O God, who willed that Your Only Begotten Son
should undergo the Cross to save the human race,
grant, we pray,
that we, who have known his mystery on earth,
may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

PRAYER

God of Glory, The Cross shines as a sign of obedience to your will and a symbol of your love for the world. Bless us who find salvation in the cross of Christ; May we always recognise his glory in the weak, suffering and condemned of the world. We ask this through Christ, crucified and exalted, who is Lord forever and ever.

Amen.

PRAYER BEFORE THE CROSS

Jesus, by this saving sign,
bless this listless soul of mine.
Jesus, by Thy feet nailed fast,
mend the missteps of my past.
Jesus, with Thy riven hands,
bend my will to loves demands.
Jesus, in Thy Heart laid bare,
warm my inner coldness there.
Jesus, by Thy thorn-crowned head,
still my pride till it is dead.
Jesus, by Thy muted tongue,
stay my words that hurt someone.
Jesus, by Thy tired eyes,
open mine to faith’s surprise.
Jesus, by Thy fading breath,
keep me faithful until death.
Yes, Lord, by this saving sign,
save this wayward soul of mine.

PRAYER TO JESUS CRUCIFIED

Lord Jesus Christ,
I thank Thee for loving me so completely.
Thou didst embrace the Cross so willingly,
Thou didst hang there so patiently,
Thou didst suffere so painfully,
and for me, a sinner,
Thou didst die and rise again on the third day.
Now, Lord, I commend myself to Thy love,
to the power of Thy Passion,
to the depths of Thy endless mercy.
Jesus Christ,
in Thy measureless pity,
keep alive in me the memory
of Thy Holy Wounds and bitter death.
Gentle Jesus,
defend me in all danger,
and keep me so that
I may stand before Thee in joy.
Protect my soul, Lord Jesus Christ,
which Thou hast bought with Thy Precious Blood. Amen.
O Cross of Christ, Immortal Tree
O Cross of Christ, immortal tree On which our Savior died,
The world is sheltered by your arms That bore the Crucified.
From bitter death and barren wood the tree of life is made;
Its branches bear unfailing fruit And leaves that never fade.
Give glory to the risen Christ And to his Cross give praise,
The sign of God’s unfailing love, The hope of all our days.

PRAYER BEFORE THE CRUCIFIX

Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus
while before Your face I humbly kneel and,
with burning soul,
pray and beseech You
to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments
of faith, hope, and charity;
true contrition for my sins,
and a firm purpose of amendment.
While I contemplate,
with great love and tender pity,
Your five most precious wounds,
pondering over them within me
and calling to mind the words which David,
Your prophet, said to You, my Jesus:
“They have pierced My hands and My feet,
they have numbered all My bones.”
Amen.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated each year on September 14 in the Catholic Church (as well as in the Eastern Orthodox and some Protestant traditions).

Meaning of the Feast

It commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, in Jerusalem around the year 326.
It also marks the dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in 335, built on the site of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.
The feast is not only about the historical cross itself, but above all about the mystery of the Cross of Christ: His suffering and death, which became the instrument of our salvation.

Spiritual Focus

The cross, once an instrument of shame and torture, is “exalted” as the sign of victory, redemption, and eternal life.
The Church highlights the words of Jesus: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32).
It is a day of deep reflection on the power of the Cross in Christian life—calling us to embrace sacrifice, humility, and the hope of resurrection.

Liturgy

The Mass for this day uses the red liturgical color, symbolizing both the Passion of Christ and the victory of His blood.
The readings focus on the serpent lifted up by Moses in the desert (Numbers 21:4–9) as a prefiguration of Christ lifted up on the cross (John 3:13–17).