Understanding the Day
Season
Eastertide
Week
Week 5 of Eastertide
Rank
Second-class feast
The Finding of the Holy Cross is celebrated during Eastertide, the fifty-day season from Easter through Pentecost that focuses on Christ’s Resurrection and the dawning of new life. In plain terms, this feast remembers the discovery of the True Cross used in Jesus’ crucifixion and places that remembrance within the joy of the Resurrection season. The canonical rank given here is “Double of the II Class,” which means it is an important feast with its own proper prayers and readings, to be observed with greater liturgical solemnity than ordinary memorials but below the highest solemnities like Easter itself. No octave or special vigil is indicated in the supplied details, so it is observed on its appointed day without an eight-day extension or required night-before liturgy.
Introit (Daily Prayer)
Ps 97:1; 97:2
Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle, alleluia: because the Lord hath done wonderful things, alleluia. He hath revealed his justice in the sight of the Gentiles, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Ps 97:1
His right hand hath wrought for him salvation, and his arm is holy.
Glory Be to the Father…
Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle, alleluia: because the Lord hath done wonderful things, alleluia. He hath revealed his justice in the sight of the Gentiles, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Ps 97:1
His right hand hath wrought for him salvation, and his arm is holy.
Glory Be to the Father…
O God, of Whom it cometh that the minds of thy faithful people be all of one will, grant unto the same thy people that they may love the thing which Thou commandest, and desire that which Thou dost promise, that so, amid the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found.
Through our Lord…
Through our Lord…
Weekly Prayer
Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Weekly Formation
Commandment 2
The Ten Commandments
Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
The Second Commandment protects the holiness of God’s name and everything specially dedicated to Him. It forbids using sacred names carelessly or falsely and requires reverence in oaths, vows, prayer, and speech about holy things.
Saint & Feast
Principal celebration
Finding of the True Cross
Finding of the Holy Cross
Roodmas was a Christian celebration associated with the finding of the True Cross by Helena in Jerusalem.
Roodmas was a Christian celebration associated with the finding of the True Cross by Helena in Jerusalem. The finding was traditionally commemorated on May 3, while September 14 marked the Exaltation of the Cross.
Learn more about Finding of the True CrossCommemorationCalendar title
Fourth Sunday after Easter
A biography or feast reflection has not yet been prepared.
Today in Church History
Fifth Lateran Council Opens
1512CouncilThe Fifth Lateran Council, the last ecumenical council before the Protestant Reformation, opened on May 3, 1512. It addressed Church reform and condemned certain heresies.
The Fifth Lateran Council highlights the Church's ongoing need for reform and renewal.
Catechism
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of Christian faith, affirming His divine authority and fulfilling the promises of Scripture. It signifies not only liberation from sin through His death but also the invitation to a new life in grace, where we are adopted as God's children and called to share in the life of Christ. This transformative event assures us of our future resurrection, as Christ, the firstborn from the dead, offers us a glimpse of divine life. For Catholic families, this means embracing a life rooted in faith, living not for ourselves but for Christ, and fostering a hope that looks forward to the fullness of life in Him.
At Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit made the Church manifest to the world and began the age in which Christ makes present and communicates his saving work. God’s eternal plan blesses us in Christ and calls us to be holy and blameless before him as his children through Jesus Christ. Throughout salvation history, God’s blessings guide humanity toward life, and Scripture recalls these saving gifts with praise and thanksgiving. In the Church’s liturgy, the Father’s blessings of creation and salvation are fully revealed and communicated. As we pray together, we can respond with adoration, praise, thanksgiving, and trust in the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In the Catechism, we learn that Christ, seated at the right hand of the Father, acts through the sacraments to communicate his grace to the Church, his Body. In the liturgy, he makes present his Paschal Mystery—his death, burial, Resurrection, and being seated at the Father’s right hand. This saving mystery is not confined to the past: the Cross and Resurrection abide and draw everything toward life. Through the Holy Spirit, Christ entrusted the apostles, and through them their successors, with his sanctifying power. He is present in the Church’s liturgical celebrations: in the Sacrifice of the Mass, especially in the Eucharistic species; in the sacraments; in his word when Scripture is read; and when the Church prays and sings. For Catholic families, participating in the sacraments and liturgy is a way of joining the Church in worshiping the Father through Christ, receiving his grace, and looking forward with hope to the heavenly liturgy and eternal glory.