Happy Roodmas Day!

"The Finding of the True Cross"  Agnolo Gaddi

Today is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, or Roodmas Day.  It commemorates the dedication of the Basilica of the Resurrection in Jerusalem, built by Constantine's mother, St. Helena, in 355 AD.  It also celebrates the finding of the True Cross, which happened during the Basilica's construction.  You may read my condensed but charming and highly edifying re-telling of the story of the Feast here.

If today is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, then Michaelmas Embertide is very near!  Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross are known as “Michaelmas Embertide.”  They come near the beginning of Autumn (September 22nd) and were formerly set aside as days of fasting and abstinence.  It's still a fruitful spiritual practice.  You may read more about that here.

"The holy cross shines in splendor"

                   "Heraclius entering Jerusalem with the Cross" by Piero della Francesca

Today is the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.  The feast celebrates the discovery of the true cross, which was uncovered during the construction of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.  In the fourth century AD, St. Helena, Constantine's mother, travelled to Jerusalem to search for the holy places in the life of Christ.  A tradition held that the Temple of Venus had been built over Christ's tomb, so Constantine ordered it razed and the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher erected in its place.  During excavation, three crosses were discovered.  According to tradition, the touch of the remnants of one of these crosses healed a dying woman, and therefore the cross from which these remnants came was deemed to be the true cross. 

The Persians sacked the Basilica and carried off the cross in 614 AD.   The emperor Heraclius re-captured the cross in 629.  There is a story that the emperor intended to restore the relics to the Basilica himself, but found he was unable to enter Jerusalem until he removed his imperial finery and proceeded as a barefoot pilgrim. 

The feast also celebrates the dedication of the Basilica of the Resurrection in Jerusalem in 355 AD.

From the office of Lauds for the feast:

God our Father,  in obedience to your will your Only-Begotten Son endured the cross for our salvation.  Grant that as we have come to know the mystery of the cross here on earth,  we may receive its rewards in heaven.