Catholics honor Christ’s sacrifice on Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

September 14, which marks the Feast of the Holy Cross, is a threefold celebration of the discovery of the True Cross in Jerusalem, the first public veneration of the Cross, and the Eastern Roman Empire’s recovery of the Cross from the Persians.

The website My Catholic Life states that in 326, Saint Helena, the mother of the Holy Roman Emperor Constantine, went on a pilgrimage to Rome to establish churches at the sites of important events from the life of Jesus. This was shortly after the Edict of Milan in 313 allowed Christians to practice their faith throughout the Roman Empire.

When St. Helena was in Jerusalem, she found three discarded crosses near Mount Calvary. The local bishops confirmed the crosses were used to crucify Jesus and the two thieves who died with Him. In order to discover which cross belonged to Christ, a sick woman touched the crosses. She was immediately healed after touching one of them, which was taken as a sign that it was the True Cross.

Emperor Constantine ordered a church to be built including the sites of Mount Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre, and it housed the True Cross. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was dedicated on Sept. 13, 335. The next day, the Cross was brought outside the church for the faithful to venerate, marking the first Exaltation of the Holy Cross. 

The True Cross was kept in Jerusalem until the Persians invaded the city in 614, stole the Cross as a trophy, and refused to give it its proper veneration, as they were largely not Christians. In 626, Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius recovered the Cross after years of military campaigns, and he restored it to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem the following year.

After the restoration of the Cross, the universal Church began celebrating the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14.

The ancient antiphon “Adoramus Te Christe” offers a short and beautiful reflection on Christ’s cross. The translation is, “We adore you, oh Christ, and we bless you, for by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.” The antiphon has been set to music by various composers throughout the Church’s history.