Third Sunday of Lent
Mid-Lent:
The Veneration of the Holy Cross
THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF
THE HOLY CROSS AND ITS VENERATION
Apart from many other occasions on which the precious Cross of Christ is venerated in the Orthodox Church, there are two particular feasts completely devoted to its veneration. The first is the Third Sunday of Great Lent; the second is the Feast of the Raising (Exaltation) of the Holy Cross (September 14th). On the Third Sunday of Great Lent, the anniversary of the finding of the Cross by St. Helen is commemorated. St. Helen was the mother of the first Byzantine emperor, Constantine the Great. She was a devout Christian and supported the Christian cause with great zeal. In 326AD, at the age of 71, St. Helen visited the Holy Land where she discovered the Cross on which our Lord was crucified, according to the tradition widely circulated at the time and quoted by highly respected historians. She founded there the Basilicas on the Mount of Olives and at Bethlehem, as well as other Churches in both Constantinople and Rome.
Originally, the anniversary of the finding of the Cross was set to be celebrated on March 6th, but since March 6th usually falls within Great Lent and no Eucharist can be celebrated unless it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the celebration of the anniversary was shifted to the Third Sunday of Lent.
Basil leaves are used with flowers in the procession because its sweet scent was evident at the place where the Holy Cross was found.
Saturday, March 22nd — Great Vespers, 5 p.m.,
Sunday, March 23rd — Orthros, 8:30 a.m.; Service text
The Veneration of the Holy Cross Service text
Divine Liturgy, 10 a.m., Service text
