Holy Cross Day 		September 14
Holy Cross Day is now most commonly observed for remembering and reflecting on the way Jesus died and on the cross as the primary Christian symbol.
Crucifixion involved both public degradation and a lingering, agonising death by thirst and exhaustion. This form of execution was taken over by the Romans from the Phoenicians and Persians. It was reserved for slaves and foreigners, especially in cases of robbery, rioting and sedition. Crosses were a common sight in Palestine during the Roman period. Apart from the usual implications of such a death, the death of Jesus by crucifixion created an additional obstacle to any Jewish follower, since Deuteronomy states, “Anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse” (Deuteronomy 21:23; cf. Galatians 3:13).
The early church, living in the triumph of Easter, showed no great interest in the cross as a sign or symbol. Then, in the fourth century, the growth of pilgrimages to Palestine created an interest in places and things associated with Jesus. The Romans had destroyed Jerusalem in 135 CE, and later built a new city, Aelia Capitolina, on the site. At that time the hill of Calvary was buried under tonnes of fill.
In the early fourth century, Constantine decided to erect a number of buildings to honour the principal places associated with Jesus. The excavations in Jerusalem for the new basilica, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, were supervised by the empress Helena, Constantine’s mother. She discovered in the rubble a piece of wood that she identified as a relic of the true cross. The buildings were dedicated on 14 September 335, and the feast of the dedication was kept annually. The relic of the cross was housed in the basilica.
For Liturgical Use
Holy Cross Day is associated with the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on 14 September 335. During the excavations for the new basilica, the empress Helena, Constantine’s mother, identified some wood found in the rubble as a relic of the true cross. The day is an occasion to remember and reflect on the humiliating and agonising method of Jesus’ saving death.
Sentence, Prayers and Readings as in A New Zealand Prayer Book - He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa, page 688