The months of September and October form a liturgical season in the Armenian Church that is designated to the commemoration of the Cross of the Lord—that horrible instrument of death that became the vehicle of our salvation. To emphasize the importance of the new meaning of the cross and the theology of the sacrifice of our Lord, the Armenian Church has designed four annual feasts of the Cross. The first and most important of these four feasts is the one celebrated on the Sunday nearest to September 14, which is called the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It is counted as one of the five major feasts of the Armenian Church. This year we will be celebrating the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on Sunday, September 14.

According to Armenian Church traditions, the first one to elevate the actual Cross of the Lord, after His ascension, was the Apostle James (Hagop), the "Brother of the Lord." The feast, however, is traditionally associated with the liberation of the Cross of the Lord by Emperor Heraclius (610-641 AD) from captivity in Persia where it had been  taken by the Persian armies after they invaded Jerusalem.

Basil has always been associated with the celebration of this feast. Some traditions say that this association is because basil is a symbol of royalty, befitting the Savior who was crucified as a king. Others preserve a beautiful story of the miraculous growth of basil at the foot of the Cross of the Lord after the cross had been removed. Basil continued growing there despite the fact that pious people continuously cut it and took it home.

On the Sunday of the Exaltation of the Cross, the Armenian Church liturgy includes the service of the Antasdan (blessing of the field or four corners) during which a procession is formed with the priest and two deacons on one side and the rest of the altar servers with a deacon carrying the processional cross on the other side. The processional cross is adorned with basil, and the four corners of the church are blessed as a sign of the sanctification and renewal of God’s creation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As we enter the season of the Cross, let us reflect upon the greatest love of all that led the immortal God to die for His Beloved—the men and women of His covenant.  Next time you make the sign of the cross or you look at a cross, give thanks to God for His love to you and me, and think about how we are, or should be, reciprocating that love.