The Exaltation of the Holy and Lifegiving Crosstranslated

Every year on September 27, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Exaltation of the Holy and Lifegiving Cross. For each Christian, this feast is a call to bear their own life's cross worthily and without complaint – difficulties, responsibilities, and trials.

The history of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross dates back to the 4th century during the reign of the holy co-emperor Constantine the Great. At that time, the persecution of Christians ceased, and Christianity was firmly established. Emperor Constantine's mother, the equally apostolic Empress Helena, a deeply devout Christian, set out for Jerusalem with the purpose of finding the Cross on which the Savior was crucified.

After long searches in a deep cave, they found a plaque inscribed: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," as well as three wooden crosses. It was necessary to determine which one was the True Cross. According to another tradition, when one of the crosses was touched to a dead person during a funeral procession, the dead man rose from the dead. Another account states that upon touching the True Cross, a severely ill woman was instantly healed.

The news of this great miracle spread throughout Jerusalem. People began to…