The Exaltation of the Holy Cross: History, Theology, and the Battle Standard of Heaven by Jeff Callaway

 

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross: History, Theology, and the Battle Standard of Heaven

by Jeff Callaway

Texas Outlaw Poet

September 14 isn’t just another date on the Catholic calendar—it’s a war cry. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross falls this year on a Sunday, crashing through the ordinary cycle of readings to put one thing front and center: the wood that saved the world. The Church stops everything to point to the Cross, that rough beam where death was destroyed and Hell was stripped bare.

How It All Began

This feast is anchored in three thunderclaps of history.

First comes Saint Helena, the tough-as-iron mother of Constantine the Great. Around 326 AD, she went to Jerusalem, shovel in hand and prayer on her lips, hunting for the True Cross. Tradition says she found it buried near Calvary, along with the crosses of the two thieves. They tested which was which by touching a dying woman to each one—when she was healed, the Cross of Christ was revealed. Pieces of that relic were sent across the Christian world, a banner of hope for Rome, Constantinople, and Jerusalem.

Second comes September 13, 335 AD, the day the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre was dedicated. This church was built on the very ground where Christ was crucified and rose from the dead. The very next day, September 14, the Cross was lifted high for the faithful to see and venerate. That’s where this feast got its date—and its name.

Third, fast-forward to 629 AD. Jerusalem had been sacked by the Persians, and the Cross was stolen like war loot. Emperor Heraclius fought to get it back. When he finally returned it to the city, he didn’t march in like a conqueror but came barefoot and humbled, carrying the Cross on his shoulders. That moment burned into history what this feast is really about: the triumph of Christ through the humility of the Cross.

By the 7th century, the feast spread across Christendom and became universal. In a world often hostile to the faith, the Church lifted the Cross like a battle flag, telling every generation: This is who we are. This is how we win.

What It Means

The Cross is not just a piece of wood. It is the throne of the King. Rome meant it as a tool of terror. Christ turned it into a key that unlocked Heaven.

The Cross is where the Lamb of God bore the sin of the world. Isaiah saw it coming in the prophecy of the Suffering Servant. Saint Paul shouted it from the rooftops: “May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Gal 6:14)

It’s also a promise. Jesus said, “When I am lifted up, I will draw all men to myself.” (John 12:32) The bronze serpent that Moses lifted in the desert pointed forward to this day. The Cross is where poison becomes antidote, where death becomes life.

And it’s a challenge. Philippians 2 tells us Christ emptied Himself, became obedient even unto death on a Cross—and then God exalted Him. That’s the road map for discipleship. Take up your cross. Follow Him. The Cross isn’t just decoration. It’s the cost of victory.

How We Celebrate

When this feast lands on a Sunday, it takes over. The readings switch to Numbers 21, Philippians 2, and John 3, all pointing to the Cross. The Collect prayer sums it up:

O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son should undergo the Cross to save the human race, grant that we who have known its mystery on earth may merit its redemption in heaven.

In many places, crosses are blessed or processed through the streets. Eastern Catholics adorn the Cross with flowers and raise it high for the faithful to venerate. Wherever Catholics gather, we look at the Cross and see not defeat, but victory.

Why It Still Matters

In a world drowning in despair, the Cross still cuts through the noise. It is a weapon against hell, a sign that no suffering is wasted, and that death never has the last word.

When we exalt the Cross, we exalt Christ. We proclaim that the devil is a liar, that the grave has been robbed, and that Heaven is wide open for those willing to kneel at the foot of the Cross.

September 14 is not just a feast. It’s a dare. A call to pick up our own crosses, to fight the good fight, and to live like we actually believe that the wood of the Cross is the wood of life.

~ Jeff Callaway

Texas Outlaw Poet

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