Finding Our Cross: Lessons from Saint Helena

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Helena, a woman whose faith led her on an extraordinary journey to the Holy Land in search of the True Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Imagine, if you will, this woman in her seventies, the mother of Emperor Constantine, traveling across the empire not for political gain or personal glory, but driven by a deep devotion to touch the physical reality of our salvation. Helena's quest began with a simple yet profound desire - to connect tangibly with the instrument of our redemption. Though nearly three centuries had passed since the Crucifixion, her faith told her that finding the Cross would strengthen not only her own faith but the faith of all Christians. What remarkable courage and conviction! Her story reminds us that faith often calls us to embark on journeys that others might consider impossible or foolish. Yet, as Saint Paul reminds us, 'The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.'

 

Saint Paul gives us these profound words in his letter to the Galatians: 'I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.' This verse captures the essence of our Christian journey. Paul is not speaking of physical crucifixion but of a spiritual reality - a daily dying to self and living for Christ. When Helena sought the physical Cross of Christ, she was, in a sense, embodying this scripture. She understood that the Cross is not merely a historical artifact but the living symbol of our transformation in Christ. For Paul, and for Helena, the Cross was not just an event in history, but a present reality that shapes our identity. Consider what it means to be 'crucified with Christ.' It means our old self - with its selfish desires, worldly ambitions, and sinful nature - is put to death. And in its place, Christ lives in us. This is not a one-time event but a daily surrender. Each morning, we wake to the challenge of Galatians 2:20 - will we live for ourselves today, or will we allow Christ to live through us? Helena's physical journey to find the Cross parallels our spiritual journey to live out this scripture.

 

Tradition tells us that when Helena arrived in Jerusalem around 326 AD, the site of Christ's crucifixion had been deliberately obscured by a pagan temple. Undeterred, she ordered excavations that eventually revealed three crosses. But which was the True Cross of our Lord? According to the accounts, a dying woman was brought to touch each cross, and upon touching the third, she was miraculously healed - thus identifying the True Cross of Christ. What can we learn from Helena's persistence? First, the cross we seek in our lives may be hidden beneath layers of distraction and worldly concerns. Like Helena, we must be willing to dig deep, to remove what obscures our view of Christ. Second, the true cross brings healing and transformation. When we truly encounter Christ's cross in our lives - when we embrace sacrifice, forgiveness, and selfless love - we experience spiritual healing. Third, Helena's age teaches us it's never too late to seek Christ more deeply. In her seventies, she embarked on perhaps the most significant journey of her life. Age, circumstances, past failures - none of these disqualify us from drawing closer to the Cross today. Finally, Helena didn't keep her discovery to herself. She shared fragments of the Cross throughout Christendom, building churches to house these relics. Similarly, when we find Christ's cross in our lives, we're called to share this treasure with others through our witness and service.

 

How do we, like Helena, find the Cross in our everyday lives? Unlike Helena, we aren't called to archaeological expeditions, but to spiritual excavations of our hearts and daily routines. First, recognize that your daily sacrifices are participations in Christ's cross. When you wake early to pray before your family rises, when you patiently bear with a difficult colleague, when you choose forgiveness over resentment - you are finding the cross in your life. Second, embrace suffering with purpose. Not all suffering is redemptive, but suffering accepted in union with Christ becomes meaningful. Saint Helena didn't merely find wood; she found meaning in what that wood represented. Similarly, our hardships, when united to Christ, become pathways to grace. Third, make time for silent prayer before the crucifix. Helena traveled thousands of miles to be near the physical cross. We need only enter a church or look to the crucifix in our homes to contemplate the same mystery. In that contemplation, ask: 'Lord, how am I living Galatians 2:20 today? How can I die to myself and let you live more fully in me?' Fourth, serve others sacrificially. Helena used her privilege and position not for elevating self but to strengthen the faith of others. Each act of selfless service is a discovery of the cross in our midst. Finally, share your faith journey. Helena's discovery would have meant little if kept to herself. When you share how Christ is working in your life - the crosses you've carried and the grace you've received - you help others find their own way to the cross.

 

Saint Helena's quest for the True Cross culminated not just in a remarkable discovery but in a deepened devotion that spread throughout the Church. Our own quest to live Galatians 2:20 - to be crucified with Christ so that He might live in us - is similarly meant to transform not just our individual lives but our entire community of faith. Let us carry with us this dual image: Helena digging through the earth to find the hidden Cross, and each of us digging through the distractions of daily life to uncover Christ's presence. The True Cross that Helena discovered was a sign of contradiction to the world - an instrument of torture transformed into the symbol of our salvation. Our lives, when lived in conformity with Christ crucified, become similar signs of contradiction - lives marked by sacrifice in a world that prizes comfort, by humility in a culture of pride, by service in a society of self-interest. Saint Helena, pray for us, that like you, we may seek the Cross with persistence, find it with joy, and share its power with love. And may each of us be able to say with Saint Paul, 'I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.' -F.D.