The cross on which Jesus was crucified was thrown into a ditch or well and covered with stones and earth. This was so that no one could find it. In 312 AD Constantine the Great, while doing battle with Maxentius for the throne of the Roman Empire, prayed to the God of the Christians to help him. At this time Constantine was not yet a Christian. A luminous cross of Christ appeared in the heavens. It bore the inscription “In This Sign You Will Conquer.” He defeated Maxentius and had the sign of Christianity placed on the Roman standards and shields of his soldiers in 312. In 326, St. Helena found the True Cross in Jerusalem. A feast day celebrated the finding of the Cross on May 3. In 614 the King of Persia sacked Jerusalem and took the True Cross along with other treasures. Emperor Heraclius of Constantinople retrieved the Cross in 626 and brought it back to Calvary. After divesting himself of every sign or royalty and clothing himself in sackcloth and barefoot, he carried the Cross up to Calvary and restored it to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
FEAST DAY: September 14
CROSSES & CRUCIFIXES FOR THE HOME
Responsorial Psalm
Do not forget the works of the Lord!
QUIZ
Yesterday’s Answer-
b) The Prodigal Son
Today’s Question-
What is the major penitential season of the liturgical year?
