Feast commemorates the sacrifice of the cross, the heart of our faith
In celebration of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Bishop James Ruggieri celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland on Saturday, September 13.
Concelebrating the Mass with the bishop were Bishop Emeritus Robert Deeley, who delivered the homily, along with Father Seamus Griesbach, rector of the cathedral, and Father Daniel Greenleaf, rector of the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul in Lewiston.
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross commemorates the finding of the relic of the True Cross by St. Helena in the fourth century and the first construction of churches in Jerusalem at the sites that are most holy for Christians: the tomb where Jesus rose from the dead and the site of Calvary where he was crucified.
In his homily, Bishop Emeritus Deeley noted the significance of commemorating those events, but said that what is most important is remembering the sacrifice of the cross, which is at the heart of our faith.
“To speak in such a positive way, ‘exaltation’ of the cross, which is such an instrument of torture and death, seems contradictory. And yet, we do speak that way because that is the heart of our Christian faith. The cross of Christ is a promise of hope and life. It is through the humiliation of the cross that Jesus shows himself as our savior,” Bishop Deeley said. “In the cross, lies the source of our salvation. And so, it is good for us to have a feast where we focus on the cross and its saving importance. The feast gives us opportunity to see the cross in Jesus’s whole life and mission.”
In attendance at the Mass were members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, who are dedicated to aiding the Church in the Holy Land, protecting sacred Christian sites there, and supporting the Christians who still worship there.
“In particular, the order supports the works of the patriarch of Jerusalem as he leads a Church which, in the midst of incredible violence and upheaval, continually shrinks as the faithful flee these lands that have such historic importance for Christians and Catholics. It is a wonderful service that is performed by the Order of the Holy Sepulchre as it sponsors hospitals, schools, seminaries, and parish communities in the Middle East. The work that is done by the order is the very heart of Christian faith. It brings hope to a people who feel abandoned and alone. The Church is trying to reach out to the Christian population of the Middle East in the midst of the incredible cruelty and violence that are presently reigning there,” Bishop Deeley said.
The roots of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem date back centuries, although the modern era of the order began in 1847. When Blessed Pope Pius IX restored the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, he also reconstituted the equestrian order. The order falls under the protection of the Holy See and has tens of thousands of members throughout the world. The Portland Diocese falls within the Northeastern Lieutenancy, which also includes the Archdiocese of Boston, and the dioceses of Manchester, New Hampshire; Burlington, Vermont; Providence, Rhode Island; and Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester, Massachusetts.
