A meditation on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious Cross by Archpriest Alexander Garklavs:

 

A meditation on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious Cross by Archpriest Alexander Garklavs:

The origin of this holy day is not based on an event or specific moment in Christ’s life. Its being observed on September 14 is connected to the construction and consecration of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem in the mid-4th century. Although the scripture readings and hymns all refer to the critical event of Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion, the focus of the Feast of the Exaltation is on the Holy Cross itself, as a spiritual object and concept that is at the center of Christian salvation. Proclaimed as “life-giving,’ “honorable,” glorious,” “beautiful,” “strong,” “victorious,” “weapon of peace,” “guide of the faithful,” “hope of Christians,” “universal power,” etc., these attributes of the Holy Cross describe the spiritual states within our inner being. Because of its centrality in Christianity, the Cross is “present” in hymns, liturgy, and iconography in a variety of ways, through the entire year; but the Feast of the Exaltation is unique in its liturgical and spiritual splendor. The “glory” of the Cross is also understood to be the source and confirmation of God’s supreme love for humanity, Who “so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The veneration of the Holy Cross on September 14 and days following is one of the spiritual “high points” of the entire Church Year.