Every September 14, the Church pauses to celebrate something that at first glance seems strange: the Exaltation of the Cross. The word exaltation means “lifting up” or “glorifying.” It’s a reminder that the instrument once used for shame and execution now stands as the very sign of salvation and hope. We do not merely remember the crucifixion on this feast — we rejoice in the triumph of Christ’s love poured out on the wood of the Cross.

The Cross is not only an event in history; it is the key that unlocks the whole Christian mystery. To exalt the Cross is to recognize that in this sign of suffering, God has revealed His deepest love. As St. John Vianney once said, “Everything is a reminder of the Cross. We ourselves are made in the shape of a cross.” The Cross is imprinted not only on the Church’s liturgy, but in the very design of our bodies and our lives.

The History and Meaning of the Feast

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross has deep roots in both East and West. As early as the fourth century, Christians in Jerusalem celebrated the dedication of Constantine’s basilicas at the Holy Sepulchre, where the relic of the True Cross was venerated.

According to tradition, it was St. Helen, the mother of Constantine, who discovered the relic of the True Cross during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land around 326 A.D. She had a church built on the site of Calvary to safeguard this most precious relic, and its veneration became a central part of Christian devotion.

Later, the September 14 date became associated with the recovery of the Cross after it was captured by the Persians and triumphantly returned to Jerusalem in 629. By the seventh century, the Roman Church adopted the feast, which gradually spread throughout the West.

Today, the feast is celebrated worldwide on September 14. Though not a solemnity, it carries the weight of a major feast: proper prayers, readings, and a focus entirely on the mystery of the Cross. The Church highlights the paradox of our faith: a cruel Roman tool of execution has become the instrument of eternal life.

The Scriptures proclaimed at Mass reinforce this theme. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (Jn 3:14–15). To exalt the Cross, then, is to proclaim that in the very place of Christ’s suffering and death, God has lifted humanity into hope.

Jesus the True Bridge

One of the most powerful ways to think about the Cross is as a bridge. Humanity, through sin, created a great chasm between ourselves and God. No amount of effort, no tower of human achievement, could reach heaven. And so, in His mercy, God came down. In Jesus Christ, divinity and humanity meet.

The Cross becomes the True Bridge: Christ’s outstretched arms unite heaven and earth, God and man. Just as a bridge takes planning, effort, and cooperation, so too does evangelization. Christ lays down the foundation, but He invites us to walk across, and even to help extend this bridge to others. Through the sacraments we receive grace, and through our daily witness we help build pathways for others to encounter Him.

To exalt the Cross is to recognize that Jesus has done the impossible: He has spanned the unbridgeable gap. Every time we trace the Sign of the Cross on ourselves, we are remembering that the path home to God has been restored. And as St. Rose of Lima once said, “Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.”

The Cross as Anchor and Tree of Life

The Cross is also an anchor — something firm and steady to cling to when the storms of life rage. When our lives feel tossed about by anxiety, illness, or loss, we can hold fast to the wood of the Cross. Like a ship’s anchor sunk deep beneath the waves, Christ’s sacrifice holds us secure even when we cannot see where we are going.

But the Cross is more than security; it is new life. The Church Fathers often described it as the New Tree of Life. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve stretched out their hands to a tree that brought death. On Calvary, Christ stretched out His hands on a tree that brings life. From the side of Christ flowed blood and water — baptism and Eucharist — the very sacraments by which we share in His life.

To exalt the Cross is to rejoice that what looked like defeat is, in truth, victory. The tree of death has become the tree of life. And in the words of Christ Himself: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mk 8:34). Exalting the Cross means more than gazing on it — it means carrying it, following Christ through trials into glory.

The Cross and the Paschal Mystery

The feast of the Exaltation comes at a fitting moment in the Church year. As summer fades and autumn approaches, the Church sets before us this anchor of hope. The Cross stands at the center of the Paschal Mystery: Good Friday’s suffering joins inseparably with Easter’s joy.

Without the Resurrection, the Cross would remain only an execution device. Without the Cross, the Resurrection would be empty triumphalism. Together, they reveal God’s love in full. Christ transforms suffering into redemption, death into life, despair into hope.

To stop at Good Friday is to misunderstand the Cross. It is not a sign of loss. It is the door that opens into eternal life. The Resurrection proclaims that love has the last word, and the Cross forever stands exalted as the sign of that love.

Living the Feast

How can we live this mystery in our own lives? The Church suggests simple but profound practices: attending Mass, venerating the Cross, praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, or meditating on John 3:13–17.

In my own family, I’ve tried to make this feast tangible for my children. This summer we began praying the Liturgy of the Hours together, starting small with Night Prayer since it repeats every evening. But for special solemnities and feasts, I want my family to pray Evening Prayer, which is longer and full of rich references to the mystery we celebrate. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is one of those days. To prepare, I’ll place an image of the Holy Cross in our prayer space for the children to look at during the days leading up to September 14. In this way, Evening Prayer becomes not just routine but catechesis — a way to enter the mystery of the Cross with both heart and mind.

Above all, we are invited to carry our own crosses with faith. When difficulties weigh us down, we remember that Christ has already walked this path. He has transformed suffering into a bridge, an anchor, and a tree of life. To exalt the Cross is not to glorify pain for its own sake, but to glorify the God who can bring life out of death.

In this feast, the Church lifts high the Cross not as a relic of the past, but as the living sign that in Christ, all things hold together. September may mark the fading of sunlight, but the Cross shines all the brighter as our surest sign of hope.

Related Links

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Daily Readings for Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

The Exaltation of the Cross in art