The basilica built by Constantine on the site where Christ had died and had risen from the dead was dedicated on September 13, 335. By the end of the fourth century, it had become customary that on September 14, the day following the anniversary of the basilica’s dedication, the relic of the wood of the true cross was exposed to the faithful for their veneration. This feast, known as the Exaltation of the Cross, quickly spread throughout the Eastern Church, and by the seventh century it was also celebrated in Rome. This feast is sometimes called The Triumph of the Cross, because by the cross Christ redeemed the world. This is the paradox: that the cross, the symbol of humiliation and of death, should become the efficacious sign of liberation and life. “Defeat” has become triumph. Our liturgy today begins with the antiphon exhorting us to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he is our salvation, our life, and our resurrection.
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