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Writer's pictureMaria Knox

FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021



A reading from the epistle of Paul to Phil 2:6-11


Brothers and sisters:

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

Rather, he emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

coming in human likeness;

and found human in appearance,

he humbled himself,

becoming obedient to death,

even death on a cross.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name

that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.


REFLECTION:

"He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross."


One of our parish priests told us in one of his homilies that every once in awhile he is asked to come over to "bless a home" or to "get rid of the ghosts/apparitions/demons".


The first thing this priest would ask the people is if they attended Mass regularly (like every Sunday); if they prayed in their home, specially as a family; and if they had a crucifix prominently displayed in their home.


He tells us that only after a month of the people doing these, he agrees to come over and bless the house.


Our family was not really paying attention to this priest's advice, until we had a priest come and bless our home. This is a dear priest, whom we respect his opinion greatly.


When he was blessing our home, he asked us where was the crucifix. You see, we have smaller crucifixes in the bedrooms, but not one prominently displayed in our home. We really had never given it a thought.


Having this being the second, or third time we hear about it, my husband and I started talking about it, and finding one we could both agree for our home.


Upon researching why we need to keep a crucifix displayed in the home, we found out that this is a very ancient tradition. During those days there were no addresses, so people would hang a plaque outside their doors that would indicate who owned that home. This plaque was called "titulus".


Catholic homes would place a crucifix above their doorway to indicate the primacy of Christ in their homes and family. This meant that the home belonged to Christ.


We are talking about a crucifix: not a plain cross. A crucifix that fully reminds us of the passion and death of Our Lord: of His sacrifice for us, on how when we suffer, He also suffers. Making God prominent in our home, even making a room, just for God, might change our lives, and we might not even realize it.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy cross celebrates two historical events: the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, in 320 under the temple of Venus in Jerusalem, and the dedication in 335 of the basilica and shrine built on Calvary by Constantine, which mark the site of the Crucifixion.

The basilica, named the Martyrium, and the shrine, named the Calvarium, were destroyed by the Persians in 614. The Church of the Holy sepulcher which now stands on the site was built by the crusaders in 1149.
 
However the feast, more than anything else, is a celebration and commemoration of God's greatest work: his salvific death on the Cross and His Resurrection, through which death was defeated and the doors to Heaven opened.

The entrance antiphon for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is: "We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he is our salvation, our life and our resurrection: through him we are saved and made free." *

* Source: CNA


Pray with us the Litany of the Holy Cross found on our website HERE.


God bless y'all!



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