On September 27, we celebrate the Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. In 2026, the feast falls on the 17th Sunday after Pentecost and remains a fasting day, even though it falls on Sunday.
At this feast, the Cross is brought into the middle of the church and offered for the veneration of the faithful. We stand before the sign of our salvation and remember the love with which Christ gave Himself for the life of the world. The Church approaches the Cross with reverence and gratitude. We remember the reality of the Lord’s suffering, and we also confess His victory over death. The Cross and the Resurrection belong together in our faith and worship.
What Does “Exaltation” Mean?
“Exaltation” means a lifting up or raising on high. The feast recalls the elevation of the Cross in Jerusalem so that the gathered faithful could see it and venerate it.
Saint Macarius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, raised the Cross before the people after its discovery by the holy Empress Helen. That event is remembered in the solemn rite still performed at this feast. The word “Universal” expresses the breadth of the celebration: the whole Church glorifies the Cross through which Christ accomplished our salvation.
How Was the Cross Found?
The Church’s traditional account places the finding of the Cross in the fourth century, during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great. His mother, Saint Helen, went to Jerusalem to seek the places connected with the Lord’s earthly life and the Cross upon which He had been crucified. Excavations uncovered three crosses. According to the account preserved in the Church, the true Cross was revealed when a dead person was restored to life through contact with it. Saint Macarius then raised it before the assembled faithful, who prayed for God’s mercy.
The feast is also connected with the dedication of the Church of the Resurrection, known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem in 335. The celebration of the Cross followed its dedication. These events established a lasting place for the Exaltation in the Church’s liturgical life.
The Return of the Cross to Jerusalem
The feast also recalls the return of the Cross after it had been taken from Jerusalem by the Persians in the seventh century. The traditional account tells how Emperor Heraclius brought it back, but found himself unable to carry it forward while dressed in imperial splendor. Following the counsel of Patriarch Zacharias, he laid aside his rich garments and approached humbly, barefoot. The account teaches a lesson that belongs to the whole feast: we draw near to the Cross with humility. Earthly rank and outward magnificence cannot take the place of a heart turned toward Christ.
Why Is the Cross Called “Life-Giving”?
A cross was an instrument of execution. Through Christ’s saving death and Resurrection, it became the sign of His victory and our deliverance.
Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco explains: “But after Christ's death on the Cross it became the instrument of our salvation.” The life-giving power of the Cross comes from the Lord Who was crucified upon it. He entered death and overcame it, opening the way to eternal life. When we honor His Cross, we glorify the crucified and risen Christ.
In his sermon for the Exaltation in 2023, Metropolitan Nikolai reminded the faithful: “But we must remember that God is love, and by His love the Lord saves us.” This love is at the heart of the feast. Looking at the Cross, we remember that our salvation was accomplished through the willing self-offering of the Son of God. We approach it with thanksgiving for His mercy and with hope in His victory.
What Happens at the Festal Vigil?
Near the end of Matins, during the concluding part of the Great Doxology, the priest carries the Cross out of the altar. It has been prepared on a tray and adorned with flowers. The faithful gather before it for veneration. In cathedrals and in other places where the solemn Rite of Exaltation is served, the Cross is lowered and raised while the people repeatedly ask for the Lord’s mercy. The rite recalls the raising of the Cross before the people of Jerusalem. In the Russian tradition, fragrant rose water may be poured over the Cross during this ceremony. The repeated prayer allows us to bring our whole life before Christ: our gratitude, our repentance, our loved ones, and the burdens we carry.
Why Do We Make Prostrations, Even on Sunday?
Ordinarily, Orthodox Christians stand for prayer on Sundays in honor of the Resurrection. The veneration of the Cross is a particular exception: prostrations are made before it on the Sunday of the Cross in Great Lent and when the September feast falls on a Sunday.
A prostration joins the movement of the body to the prayer of the heart. We bow to the ground and rise again. The hymn sung at the veneration brings both actions into focus: it honors the Cross and glorifies Christ’s Resurrection. This is why the gesture belongs within the joy of the feast. We bow before the Lord Who died for us, and we rise in the hope of the life He gives.
What Do We Hear in the Scripture Readings?
At Matins, the Gospel is John 12:28–36. Christ speaks of being lifted up from the earth and drawing all people to Himself. The Gospel explains that He is speaking about the death He would undergo. At the Divine Liturgy, the Epistle is 1 Corinthians 1:18–24. Saint Paul teaches that the message of the Cross is the power of God for those who are being saved. The Gospel reading, John 19:6–11, 13–20, 25–28, 30–35, brings us to the Lord’s Crucifixion. We hear of His condemnation, His being led to Golgotha, His Mother standing beside the Cross, and His death. These readings keep our attention on Christ Himself. The feast’s history leads us back to the saving event from which the Cross receives its meaning.
Why Do We Fast on a Great Feast?
The Exaltation is a fasting day because the Church commemorates the Lord’s Passion with particular solemnity. Its joy is filled with reverence for the price of our salvation. September 27, 2026 remains a fasting day, although it is Sunday. The traditional observance excludes meat, dairy products, eggs, and fish; wine and oil are permitted. Personal fasting is kept with the guidance of one’s priest. The fast gives physical expression to our remembrance of the Cross. It can help us make room for prayer, restrain self-indulgence, and remember those in need. We should carry that restraint into our speech and behavior as well. A simple meal can be accompanied by a patient answer, a refusal to gossip, or a quiet act of generosity. These are ways of bringing our observance into daily life.
Why Do We Venerate the Cross?
When we kiss the Cross, we offer reverence to Christ, Who was crucified for us. A sermon from ROCOR’s Holy Cross Monastery explains that sacred images lead us toward the holy reality they represent. The honor we offer does not stop at the material object.
Our faith involves the whole person. We hear the Gospel, see the Cross, make the sign of the Cross, bow, and venerate. Through these actions, our bodies participate in our prayer. The question for us is whether our hearts participate as well. We can approach slowly, attend to the words being sung, and ask the Lord to help us receive His love and respond to it.
What Does It Mean to Bear Our Own Cross?
Christ calls His disciples to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him (Mark 8:34). Archbishop Averky (Taushev), writing about the veneration of the Cross during Great Lent, explains the Christian’s personal cross through the struggle against sin, the patient endurance of sorrows, and devotion to the will of God. Bearing our cross means following Christ through the actual circumstances of our lives. That calling reaches into ordinary decisions. It may mean asking forgiveness when pride urges us to defend ourselves, keeping a promise when it becomes inconvenient, or caring patiently for someone who depends on us. It also means continuing to pray when life is difficult and accepting help when our strength is small. We follow the Lord in dependence upon His grace, trusting that the way of the Cross leads toward resurrection and life.
Metropolitan Nikolai: Preserving the Inner Temple
In his sermon for the Exaltation in 2025, Metropolitan Nikolai said: “Each of us has our own inner temple, and it depends on us whether God dwells there or not.” He spoke of preserving that inner temple through prayer, fasting, humility, and patience, and urged the faithful to take up their personal cross and follow Christ. His words invite us to examine what we allow to occupy our hearts. Resentment, distraction, and habits we continually excuse can crowd out prayer and love for our neighbor.
The feast gives us an opportunity to begin addressing one of these things honestly. We can make time for prayer, bring a persistent sin to Confession, or take a concrete step toward reconciliation.
Bringing the Feast into Our Homes
The Cross already has a place in the daily life of an Orthodox Christian: we wear it, place it in our homes, and make its sign over ourselves in prayer. Through the sign of the Cross, we ask Christ’s blessing upon our lives and the good work before us.
This feast is a fitting time to teach children to make the sign of the Cross carefully and to explain why we wear a cross. We can read the feast’s Gospel together, pray before the Cross, and remember someone who needs encouragement or practical help. We can also prepare for the Vigil and Divine Liturgy by making space in our schedule and approaching the services attentively. On September 27, the Cross is raised before the Church. As we bow before it, let us ask the Lord for the faith to trust His love, the humility to repent, and the courage to follow Him.
Sources
- Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church, Palm Coast, September 2026 calendar and September 2026 service schedule. September 27 is the 17th Sunday after Pentecost and a fasting day.
- Saint Jonah Orthodox Church, Rubrics: Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Sunday. The bringing out of the Cross, flowers, and the feast’s Scripture readings.
- Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco, “On the Exaltation of the Precious Cross,” reproduced in Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church’s Redeeming the Time, March 1/14, 1999. The Cross as the instrument of salvation and the Church’s universal prayer.
- Eastern American Diocese, Metropolitan Hilarion leads Rite of Exaltation of the Cross and Festal Liturgy in Synodal Cathedral. The elevation of the Cross, its connection to Saint Macarius, and rose water in the rite.
- Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church, Saint Joseph the All-Comely Orthodox Texas Prison Ministry Newsletter, No. 1. The Church’s traditional account of the finding and the dedication of the Church of the Resurrection.
- Protection of the Holy Virgin Church, Cabramatta, Exaltation of the Cross. The return of the Cross and the traditional account of Emperor Heraclius approaching humbly.
- Eastern American Diocese, Metropolitan Nicholas officiates Celebration of Exaltation of the Cross in Synodal Cathedral, 2023. Direct quotation and teaching on God’s love and the Cross as victory.
- Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church, Redeeming the Time, March 8/22, 1998, answer 5. Sunday prostrations at the veneration of the Cross.
- Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Christian Menaion Calendar, September 14 / September 27. The feast is always a fast day, with wine and oil permitted.
- Holy Cross Monastery, Seeing Our Salvation: The Language of Icons, August 14, 2022. Veneration and the participation of the whole person in worship; this sermon was delivered for the Procession of the Cross.
- Archbishop Averky (Taushev), The Cross of Christ: Our Symbol and Our Weapon; Our Joy and Our Praise, The Official Website of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. The personal cross; this sermon concerns the Lenten veneration of the Cross.
- Eastern American Diocese, Metropolitan Nicholas officiates Exaltation Services in Synodal Cathedral, 2025. Direct quotation about the inner temple. The source uses the English name “Nicholas”; the article follows the requested usage “Nikolai.”
- The Cross, published on The Official Website of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Wearing the Cross and making its sign in daily life.
