THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
Seasonal note
When 14 September is a Sunday, then the readings for the feast are used instead of the regular readings for that day.
Historically, the feast commemorates the day in 628 that the piece of the cross taken by the Persian Empire was recovered by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius.
Readings
First: Numbers - The Israelites lose patience as they travel through the desert. God send fiery serpents among them - they appeal to Moses, who prays and follows God's instructions to create a way to protect the people.
Psalm: 77 - Never forget the deeds of the Lord / Give heed my people, to my teaching / When he slew them they would seek him / But the words they spoke were mere flattery / Yet he who is full of compassion.
Second: Philippians - His state was divine ... he was humbler yet, even to accepting death on a cross. But God raised him up ....
Gospel: John - Jesus said ... the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. ... For God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that everyone who believes may not be lost.
Themes
The cross as the instrument of salvation, the symbol of Jesus victory over evil. Redemption.
https://www.liturgytools.net/2013/09/hymns-for-exaltation-of-the-holy-cross-catholic-lectionary-themes.html
Copyright information
Picture: Bizantine Emperor Heraclius Marching in Jerusalem with the True Cross. Painting by Cristovão de Figueiredo 1521.
