Book of Common Prayer

In the Book of Common Prayer there are two dates on which the Holy Cross is commemorated: May 3rd and September 14th.  The first festival is the Invention of the Cross.  The word ‘invention’ is from the Latin invenire, ‘to find’, and the festival commemorates the finding of the wood of the Cross in 335 AD.  The second festival is the Exaltation of the Cross which commemorates the restoration of the Cross to Jerusalem after its temporary removal. (10)

Common Worship

In the Common Worship Lectionary there is only one festival – Holy Cross Day.  It is celebrated on September 14th.  On this day we remember the finding of the Cross, the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the restoration of the Cross.  Much more importantly, however, we remember the Cross as the instrument of our salvation and we celebrate the victory of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.  It is all summed up in words from the Extended Preface for Holy Cross Day:

“Today we celebrate with songs of praise
the cross, the victory-sign of Christ.
Once through the fruit of the forbidden tree we fell,
now through this tree our Saviour cancels all our sin.
An instrument of shameful death
has become for Christ a throne of glory”. (11)

The liturgical colour for Holy Cross Day is red.

References

1. Hoffmeier, J.K. (2008) The archaeology of the Bible, Oxford: Lion Hudson plc.

2. Murphy-O’Connor, J. (2008) The Holy Land.  An Oxford Archaeological Guide from earliest times to 1700, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

3. Murphy-O’Connor, J. (2008) The Holy Land.  An Oxford Archaeological Guide from earliest times to 1700, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

4. Gray, J. (1969) A history of Jerusalem, London: Robert Hale.

5. Murphy-O’Connor, J. (2008) The Holy Land.  An Oxford Archaeological Guide from earliest times to 1700, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

6. Murphy-O’Connor, J. (2008) The Holy Land.  An Oxford Archaeological Guide from earliest times to 1700, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

7. Eusebius Pamphilius (260-339 AD) Church history: life of Constantine, Chapter XL, ‘Of the number of his offerings’.  Available from:
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iv.vi.iii.xl.html (Accessed 26 August 2011) (Internet).

8. Gray, J. (1969) A history of Jerusalem, London: Robert Hale.

9. Gray, J. (1969) A history of Jerusalem, London: Robert Hale.

10. Sparrow Simpson, W.J. (1901) The minor festivals of the Anglican Calendar, London: Rivingtons.

11. ©The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England (2008) Festivals.  Available from: http://www.churchofengland.org/media/41174/festivals.pdf (Accessed 26 August 2011) (Internet).

Short talk

A short talk for Holy Cross Day entitled Unpopular Christianity is now available in this section of the Holy Faith website.