BIG C CATHOLICS

Feast Day - September 14th The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, recalls the retrieval of the Holy Cross, which had been found and preserved by Saint Helena. It commemorates three distinct historical events: the finding of the True Cross, its return in the 7th century, and its ineffable power as the instrument of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and our salvation. Regarding the later, our Savior's crucifixion imbues human suffering with dignity and divine purpose. Here is a reflection by Father René Butler, M.S., from his homily on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for today’s readings ) What do Judas, and the leaders of the Sanhedrin, and Pontius Pilate, all have in common with God the Father? You might find the question confusing, even bizarre, if not downright blasphemous, but the idea came to me when reading a commentary of St. Augustin

Feast Day - September 14th The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, recalls the retrieval of the Holy Cross, which had been found and preserved by Saint Helena. It commemorates three distinct historical events: the finding of the True Cross, its return in the 7th century, and its ineffable power as the instrument of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and our salvation. Regarding the later, our Savior's crucifixion imbues human suffering with dignity and divine purpose. Here is a reflection by Father René Butler, M.S., from his homily on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for today’s readings ) What do Judas, and the leaders of the Sanhedrin, and Pontius Pilate, all have in common with God the Father? You might find the question confusing, even bizarre, if not downright blasphemous, but the idea came to me when reading a comm

The finding of the True Cross ,  Nicola Filotesio, aka, Cola dell'Amatrice, c. 1516. Emperor Constantine, upon becoming Christian, wished to locate the True Cross. He sent his mother, Saint Helen, herself deeply devout, to Jerusalem with a letter to the Patriarch Saint Macarius. Centuries earlier, the Emperor Hadrian had constructed pagan temples over Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher. St. Helen ordered these destroyed. A Hebrew source said that the True Cross of Christ’s Crucifixion was under the Temple to Venus on Golgotha. Excavations revealed three crosses, four nails, and a sign inscribed in Greek, Aramaic, and Latin: "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews." Of the three crosses they could not discern which was the True Cross. An ailing woman was brought forward and instructed to kiss the crosses. After kissing the True Cross, she was healed. Popular piety attests that a funeral procession was halted and the corpse placed on each of the crosses. When laid upon the Tr

September 14th, is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It remembers the retrieval of the Holy Cross, which had been found and preserved by Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine, (with the assistance of Patriarch Saint Macarius) but had fallen into the hands of King Khosrau of Persia. Emperor Heraclius recovered the sacred relic and returned it to Jerusalem in 629. The feast commemorates three distinct historical events: the finding of the True Cross, its return in the 7th century, and its ineffable power as the instrument of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and our salvation. Regarding the later, our Savior's crucifixion imbues human suffering with dignity and divine purpose. Here is a reflection by Father René Butler, M.S., from his homily on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross : "Today’s feast is called the Exaltation, that is, the 'Lifting High' of the Holy Cross. Moses 'lifted up' the bronze serpent, and those who looked at it live