Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

Early in the fourth century St. Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ's life. She razed the Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held was built over the Savior's tomb, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher over the tomb. During the excavation, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman.

The cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in Jerusalem toward the end of the fourth century, according to an eyewitness, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus' head: Then "all the people pass through one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after kissing the cross, they move on."

To this day the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the September anniversary of the basilica's dedication. The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor Heraclius recovered the cross from the Persians, who had carried it off in 614, 15 years earlier. According to the story, the emperor intended to carry the cross back into Jerusalem himself, but was unable to move forward until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim.


Quote:
"How splendid the cross of Christ! It brings life, not death; light, not darkness; Paradise, not its loss. It is the wood on which the Lord, like a great warrior, was wounded in hands and feet and side, but healed thereby our wounds. A tree has destroyed us, a tree now brought us life" (Theodore of Studios).


Taken from americancatholic.org

Memorial of the Holy Name of Mary

How beautiful it is that we honor our Blessed Mother’s holy name today! Who could ask for a more perfect model of perseverance and love for our Lord? Who could ask for a more perfect example of self-emptying for the good of humankind? True, all of those qualities and more were embodied by our Savior, but he was divine as well as human. Mary, the greatest of all the Saints, was merely human and nothing more, tempted just like the rest of us. But she said, “Yes”, to the greatest call of all time. She emptied herself completely, accepting the call to carry the Son of God, our Savior, in her own womb, allowing for the redemption of humankind. Through this “Yes”, Mary passed up the opportunity to ever experience the physical act of love and have multiple children. One may think this to be a tough decision, but in actuality, what more could one really want? What could be better than to give birth to the Son of God?

But what amazes me even more about this woman is that she responds in such a self-emptying manner. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Lk 1:46-49). In these words to her sister Elizabeth, Mary glorifies the Lord and thanks him for his blessing upon her as she expresses her unworthiness for the call she has received; a call that she would stay true to through many joys as well as pains and anguishes.

We truly do have a perfect model of how to live life in our Blessed Mother, Mary. This tree which bore the fruit of Christ truly is one worth honoring every single day.

The Pope on Sundays

Below is an article from Zenit.org that I thought was worth sharing.

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Sunday Mass Is a Necessity, Says Pontiff

Adds That It's Not Just a Rule

VIENNA, Austria, SEPT. 9, 2007, (Zenit.org).- Going to Sunday Mass is not just a rule to follow, but rather an "inner necessity," says Benedict XVI.

The Pope said this today during the Mass he celebrated at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, on the last day of his three-day apostolic trip to Austria.

About 40,000 people followed the Mass on large screens placed in St. Stephen's Square, since not all of the participants were able to be accommodated inside.

Rain in the morning prompted organizers to distribute plastic raincoats to the faithful.

The Holy Father's homily centered on the mantra of the early Christian martyrs of Abitene: "Without Sunday we cannot live."

The Pontiff said: "Sunday has been transformed in our Western societies into the weekend, into leisure time.

"Leisure time is certainly something good and necessary, especially amid the mad rush of the modern world. Yet if leisure time lacks an inner focus, an overall sense of direction, then ultimately it becomes wasted time that neither strengthens nor builds us up.

"Free time requires a focus -- the encounter with him who is our origin and goal."

Meaning

In the opening greeting, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, explained that there had been a movement in Austria to defend "Sunday from tendencies to empty this day of its meaning."

Recalling the example of the early Christians, Benedict XVI explained that for them Sunday Mass was not a "precept," but rather "an inner necessity."

"Does this attitude of the Christians of that time apply also to us who are Christians today?" the Pope asked.

The Holy Father answered: "Yes, it does, we too need a relationship that sustains us, that gives direction and content to our lives.

"We too need access to the Risen One, who sustains us through and beyond death. We need this encounter which brings us together, which gives us space for freedom, which lets us see beyond the bustle of everyday life to God's creative love, from which we come and toward which we are traveling."

But Sunday, said the Pontiff, also calls to mind the "the day of the dawning of creation."

He said: "Therefore Sunday is also the Church's weekly feast of creation -- the feast of thanksgiving and joy over God's creation.

"At a time when creation seems to be endangered in so many ways through human activity, we should consciously advert to this dimension of Sunday too."

After the Mass, the Pope recited the Angelus in St. Stephen's Square.

As he was leaving, the pilgrims waved yellow handkerchiefs and banners from countries such as Germany, Israel, Austria and even Iran, chanting the Pope's name in Italian, "Be-ne-de-tto! Be-ne-de-tto!"