Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, also known as the Exaltation of the Holy Cross or the Elevation of the Cross. To understand what this Feast is all about, we must back up in time to the third century AD. The Roman Emperor Constantine's mother - Saint Helena (who was a convert to Christianity) - went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in search of the locations where the important moments in the life of Jesus took place, and in order to preserve the relics of the Christian faith. One of her goals was to locate the cross on which Jesus died and the place where he had been crucified.
She interviewed many of the locals and enlisted the help of the Bishop of Jerusalem, Saint Macarius. Eventually, she located the spot and found the true cross which had previously been hidden. According to the historian Rufinus, the identity of the true cross was confirmed by a miraculous healing which took place on 3 May 326. Saint Helena had a church built on the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Her son Constantine dedicated it and named it the Church of the Holy Sepulcre on 14 September 335.
The true cross was considered the most valuable of the Church's treasures and became a highly venerated object. The Feast honouring the Triumph of the Cross has continuously been celebrated - on 3 May in the old Roman calendar (the date of its discovery) and on 14 September in Jerusalem and on the new Roman calendar (the date when the church was dedicated).
Today, let us remember the words of Jesus, spoken to Nicodemus: the son of man has been lifted up so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life (Jn 3:14).
Have a great day.
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