Church of the Holy Sepulcher, JerusalemSeptember 14 is an important date in the Liturgical Calendar of the Church because it is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The veneration of the Holy Cross was indeed an ancient practice of the Church. This practice originated in September 14, 326 when St. Helena, the mother of Constantine miraculously discovered the true cross.[i] “The observance of the Feast of the Exaltation (probably from a Greek word meaning "bringing to light") of the Cross has been celebrated by Christians on September 14 ever since. In the Western Church, the feast came into prominence in the seventh century, apparently inspired by the recovery of a portion of the Cross, said to have been taken from Jerusalem the Persians, by the Roman emperor Heraclius in 629.”[ii]
In Philippine folk tradition, there is a very interesting cultural practice that often is taken for granted. This is called “SantaCruzan”. Usually this Santacruzan festival is held on the month of May celebrated in the Philippines as the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Santacruzan features the mystical finding of the true cross by St. Helena. This is a novena festival where the members of the community every evening would recite novena prayers and after novena prayers there will be a long procession where the members of the community processed carrying lighted paper lanterns. The final day of the novena culminates in the “Katapusan” where a person personifying Helena and Constantine would be dressed up and paraded through the town. This is also a merriment and exciting time for children because as an incentive, children are given candies or cookies after the procession.
"We bless thee O Christ for because of the Thy Holy Cross you have redeemed the world."St. Helena of Constantinople
I would like to reflect now on the personalities involved in this story. First we have St. Helena, recognized by both the Western and Eastern Churches as a Saint of renown. St. Helena is the mother of Constantine I, refuted as the first Christian Emperor who proclaimed the edict of Milan which made religious toleration as the official policy of the Roman Empire and thereby put an end to the persecution of the Church. Very little is known about her life except that she was estimated to have been born in 250 AD. She undertook the pilgrimage to Palestine to seek the true cross when she was eighty (80) years old. Here is how she was described in a Wikipedia article:
Helena gave birth to the future emperor Constantine I in 272. In 293, Constantius was ordered by emperor Diocletian to divorce her in order to qualify as Caesar of the Western Roman Empire, and he was married to the stepdaughter of Maximian, Theodora. Helena never remarried and lived in obscurity, though close to her only son, who had a deep regard and affection for her. Constantine was proclaimed Augustus of the Roman Empire in 306 by Constantius' troops after the latter had died, and following his elevation his mother was brought back to the public life and the imperial court, and received the title of Augusta in 325. Helena died in 330 with her son at her side. Her sarcophagus is on display in the Pio-Clementino Vatican Museum. During her life, she gave many presents to the poor, released prisoners and mingled with the ordinary worshippers in modest attire, exhibiting a true Christian spirit.[iii]
I don’t know much about St. Helena and I have never said any novena in her honor, but reading about her life and works has enkindled a spiritual liking for her and now I can invoke her in my prayers to seek her intercession in our most trying time. St. Helena, Pray for us.
Saint Helena, Depicted in Coinage
Constantine
Constantine was credited for the Edict of Milan which gave Christianity the freedom it never had experienced in the previous Emperors. From a persecuted minority Christianity became a tolerated religion and later became the Religion of the Roman Empire.
Constantine the Great
It was said that in the midst of his struggle with Maxentius, Constantine saw the sign of the Cross emblazoned in the sky and he heard the voice “under this sign conquer”. Thus Constantine ordered his men to place the sign of the cross on their shields and clothes and he was convinced that this was the reason why he triumphed. His victory was met with jubilations by the Romans. He was magnanimous in victory and promised that there will be no revenge for the supporters of Maxentius. Unlike former victors, Constantine ignored the Capitoline Hill and never offered a Sacrifice in honor of the Pagan god Jupiter. Perhaps this was because of the influence of her Christian Mother, St. Helena. Constantine loved her mother and had great respect for her. And in many ways St. Helena had given her son good advices. St. Helena was a great woman and because of her Christian example won the love and respect of her son. That despite of her misfortunes in early life and in marriage, God gave her a son who would love and protect her. Her Son became instrumental in the spread of Christianity and the end of the persecutions. For a detailed story of Constantine’s life read more Wikipedia.[iv]
[1] Women for Faith and Family. “The Exaltation of the Holy Cross”. http://www.wf-f.org/ExaltCross.html
[1] ibid
[1] WIKIPEDIA. “St. Helena of Constantinople”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_of_Constantinople
[1] WIKIPEDIA. “Constantine I”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I
No comments:
Post a Comment