FEAST OF THE EXALTATION
OF THE HOLY CROSS
‘God so loved the world that He gave
His only Son’
We celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of
the Holy Cross on September 14th because
this is the day in 335 when the relics of the
true Cross were brought outside the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre on the Hill of Calvary
in Jerusalem for public veneration. The
Hill of Calvary is the academy of love and
the Cross is the world’s greatest love story.
It is the summary of our faith. St. Francis
of Assisi called it his book where he learned
all of his wisdom. At first glance the Cross
appears to be but a dark symbol of pain,
humiliation and shame declaring the failure
of Jesus. For believers, however, it marks His
ultimate triumph. His outstretched arms
embrace every soul and whisper soothingly
the most astounding words of all: ‘I was born
for you; I lived for you; I died for you; I love
you this much’. St. Bernadette of Lourdes
used to reproach her Sisters in her convent in
Nevers with the words: ‘When you make the
Sign of the Cross you don’t seem to mean
it’. When we mark ourselves with the Sign of
the Cross we should do it with an attentive
heart. In the Cross is our salvation.
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