September
14
This feast is a yearly commemoration of the erection, at Jerusalem, by Constantine the Great, and his mother, Saint Helena, of the cross on which Christ died. This took place under the Emperor Heraclius, by whom the holy cross, which Khosroo, King of Persia, had carried into his own conntry, was, after fourteen years, recovered, brought back to Jerusalem, and borne by the emperor himself to the hill of Calvary, whither it had been borne by the Saviour. Upon this occasion a miracle occurred. As Heraclins was about to carry the cross to the proper place on his shoulders, out of veneration for it, he found that while wearing the imperial dress he could not move it, until, by the advice of the patriarch Zachary, he laid aside his royal ornaments, dressed himself plainly, took off his shoes, and in such manner made himself like the humble Saviour. Introit of the Mass:
"But it behooves us to glory in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection."
Prayer:
O God, Who on this day givest us joy by the annual solemnity of
the exaltation of the holy cross, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may
deserve the reward of His redemption in heaven Whose mystery we have
known upon earth. through the same Lord Jesus Christ, etc. Amen.
Epistle:
Philemon 2:5-11 Brethren: Let this mind be in you, which was also
in Christ Jesus, Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery
to be equal with God, but emptied, Himself, taking the form of a
servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a
man. He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the
death of the cross. For which cause God also hath exalted Him, and
hath given Him a name which is above all names, that in the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth,
and under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that the
Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.
Gospel:
John 12:31-36 At that time Jesus said to the multitudes of the
Jews: Now is the judgment of the world; now shall the prince of this
world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw
all things to Myself. (Now this He said, signifying what death He
should die.) The multitude answered Him: We have heard out of the
law, that Christ abideth forever; and how sayest Thou: The Son of man
must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Jesus therefore said to
them: Yet a little while the light is among you. Walk whilst you have
the light, that the darkness overtake you not. And he that walketh in
darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Whilst you have the light,
believe in the light that you may be the children of light.
Instruction
on the Devotion of the Way of the Cross
What
is the Holy Way of the Cross?
It
is a devotional exercise by which we meditate upon the passion and
death of Jesus, and particularly upon His last way of sorrows, from
the house of Pilate to Mount Calvary. Tradition testifies that after
Christ's ascension the Christians living in Jerusalem were accustomed
particularly to venerate the holy places which had been sanctified by
the passion of the divine Redeemer. But after Jerusalem fell into the
hands of the infidels, so that it became dangerous, and often
impossible, to pass over the ground which Our Lord had trod, the
children of Saint Francis of Assisi began to erect in their churches
the fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross, by meditating on which
the faithful might, in spirit, accompany the pilgrims to Jerusalem on
the way to Calvary, dwelling in thought on what Christ had suffered
for men. Station here means a place to pause, a resting-point for
meditation. This devotion has been examined and approved by many
Popes, enriched with indulgences, and earnestly recommended to
Christians. It may be found in any prayer-book. No exercise is more
profitable to our souls than this. What can bring before us the love
of God and the abominableness and frightfulness of sin in a more
vivid manner than the sufferings of the God-man? How can we any
longer indulge in hate when we hear Jesus pray for His enemies? How
can we give ourselves up to sensuality and lust when we see the
divine Saviour scourged, crowned with thorns, and hanging on the
cross? How can we murmur at our trials when we think that Jesus
innocent takes up the cross for us guilty? In truth, we should see
our coldness and indifference disappear, as ice melts in the heat, we
should grow more and more zealous in the way of virtue, if we would
but rightly meditate upon the passion of Christ.
- How are visits to the Stations of the Cross to be made?
Rightly
to visit the Stations of the Cross, and to draw therefrom real
benefit, we should at each station consider with attention, with
devotion and sorrow, what Jesus has done and suffered for us. We
should not content ourselves with merely reciting at each station the
proper prayers and meditations, but should pause, to impress upon our
hearts what is there represented, that we may be moved and quickened
to wholesome resolutions. In order to gain the indulgences we must
endeavor to be in the state of grace, and therefore at least, by way
of beginning we must have perfect contrition for our sins.
– Goffine's
Devout Instructions
