The Feast of the Cross -- Holy Cross Day

September 14 marks the Feast of the Cross,

 called Holy Cross Day in the Anglican Communion.

There are three reasons for this celebration on this day:

1. The finding of the 'true cross' -- what she believed was the cross of Christ -- by St. Helena, mother of Constantine, who had upon his conversion to Christianity, declared it to be the faith of his empire;
2. The dedication of the two churches erected by Constantine: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the church on Mount Calvary; and
3. The restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem by Byzantine Emperor Heraclius in 629 A.D. (C.E.), following his defeat of the Persians who had removed it fifteen years earlier.

Today we recall Jesus' sacrifice for all the world, in his death on the cross, and in that, acknowledge the unity of all who follow him, and whose ministry is to spread the Good News of the salvific love and grace of God found in Christ and his teachings.

The Collect for Holy Cross Day

Almighty God,

whose Son our Saviour Jesus Christ

was lifted high upon the cross

that he might draw the whole world to himself,

may we who rejoice in the mystery of our redemption,

have grace to take up our cross and follow him,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

AMEN.

Jesus is Given His Cross - a Poem from Malcolm Guite

He gives himself again with all his gifts

And now we give him something in return.

He gave the earth that bears, the air that lifts,

Water to cleanse and cool, fire to burn,

And from these elements he forged the iron,

From strands of life he wove the growing wood,

He made the stones that pave the roads of Zion

He saw it all and saw that it is good.

We took his iron to edge an axe’s blade,

We took the axe and laid it to the tree,

We made a cross of all that he has made,

And laid it on the one who made us free.

Now he receives again and lifts on high

The gifts he gave and we have turned awry.

-- Malcolm Guite, Sounding the Seasons, Canterbury Press, 2012

To hear the poet read this and three addtional sonnets on The Cross, click HERE.

 

And finally, a hymn to mark the day...from the choir and congregation of the First Plymouth Church, Lincoln, Nebraska, recorded in March 2017. The lyrics were written by   Rev. G.W. Kitchin (1827 - 1912) and modified later by Shirley Erena Murray of New Zealand (b. 1931).  It is sung to the tune, Crucifer, composed by Sidney H. Nicholson (1875 - 1947).

May this bless your day

and the week ahead.