September 14: Triumph of the Holy Cross

When the Sacred Body of Christ was taken down from the Cross, the Cross itself was buried to prevent the the followers of Christ from finding it. In 312, Constantine, not yet a Christian, was doing battle for the throne. He prayed to the Christian God to aid him in his struggle. In answer to his prayers, a cross appeared in the heavens bearing the inscription: "In This Sign You Will Conquer." In gratitude for the victory over his foe, Constantine had the Sign of Christianity placed on the Roman standards and shields.

When the Edict of Milan was issued (granting freedom of worship to

Christians), Constantine's mother, St. Helena, gladly converted. According to tradition, she is credited with finding the true cross in 326. She engineered a dig around its burial place. The wood was declared the true cross when a woman experienced a cure when she touched it. The wood was enshrined in a silver casket and placed within a church on that spot. This event is celebrated on May 3 on the "The Invention of the Cross." (Invention in Latin means 'to come upon, to discover')

In the year 614, the king of Persia, invaded, sacked Jerusalem, and carried off the relics of the True Cross. The Emperor of Constantinople, Heraclius, in response, invaded Persia and forced them to sue for peace. Part of the deal was to restore the True Cross. Heraclius piosuly brought the the relics back to Jerusalem. When he reached the city gate to Calvary, he laid aside every robe and mark of royalty and, wearing only sackcloth, carried the relics back to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (burial place). These events are celebrated on September 14 in the feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross.

Let us ever glory in the cross of Christ,
our salvation and our hope.
Let us bow in homage to the Lord of Life,
who was broken to make us whole.
There is no greater love, as blessed as this:
to lay down one's life for a friend.
Let us ever glory in the cross of Christ
and the triumph of God's great love.

Glory in the Cross -Dan Schutte