Today we celebrate the two fold recovery of the cross. Firstly when St. Helen found the cross under the temple of Aphrodite (built by Hadrian over the site of Golgotha) in AD 324. There were all three crosses, that of Christ and the two thieves. According to tradition, St. Helen was at a loss as to which was the “true” cross. The local bishop, Macarius however, had a clever solution, and brought a certain lady from the city, who was near to death, and asked her to touch the crosses. The one that cured her, was the true cross – the “Tree of Life”.

Later in the seventh century the Persians sacked Jerusalem, and took the cross as a war trophy in AD 614. In AD628 the Emperor Heraclius recovered it in a military campaign. According to the legend he went to Jerusalem to restore it to its place in the shrine of the Resurrection, arrayed in his splendid imperial attire, but was prevented from entering by “an invisible hand”. Zacharias, the then Archbishop of Jerusalem stepped forward saying: “Beware your Majesty! These precious vestmens and priceless jewels are the marks of human pride: this does not conform with the poverty of Jesus Christ, nor with his humility in bearing the cross.” Chastised, Heraclius stripped, borrowed a simple cloak, and proceeded barefoot from there, whereupon the assembly prostrated themselves before the cross singing the hymn we still sing today:

“We bow before your cross O Christ, and we sing a hymn of glory to your resurrection!”

One lesson we can learn from this legend – which is more than appropriate in our indie context – is that titles, vestments, jewellery, all “ekklesiastical bling” is meaningless before Christ. All that matters is living the teachings of the Master, with integrity and humility.