Exaltation of the Holy Cross-September 14

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 LETTER R1R 20260330

0914 Exaltation of the Holy Cross 2p A4 R1R 20260330

0914 Exaltation of the Holy Cross 9-day novena 2p LETTER R1R 20260330

0914 Exaltation of the Holy Cross 9-day novena 2p A4 R1R 20260330

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZsOAZhR80j0

“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.”

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘆

𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗵. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿, 𝗱𝗶𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗵’𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀, 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝗺 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿: “𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲, 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻! 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲.” 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻, 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳: 𝗣𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀: 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲: 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲. 𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 “𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲” 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 (𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆) 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲, 𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲, 𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲.

𝗚𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹 (𝗠𝘁. 𝟭𝟲:𝟮𝟭-𝟮𝟳)

𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺. “𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗱, 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱! 𝗡𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂.” 𝗛𝗲 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿, “𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲, 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻! 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗱𝗼.”

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀, “𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲? 𝗢𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲? 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁.”

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀

𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗻, 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹. 𝗛𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 ‘𝘆𝗲𝘀’ 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹. 𝗜𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲, 𝘁𝗼𝗼, 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 ‘𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁’ 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘆 ‘𝘆𝗲𝘀” 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 “𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗶𝗺” 𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀’ 𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗲. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 “𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁” 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗺.

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).