"Just as Moses lifted up the serpent (1), so must the Son of Man be lifted up" (3). "God highly exalted him" and made him Lord (2)! How unforgettable are his deeds (Ps)! This feast celebrates a double anniversary. In Jerusalem, Constantine erected a round church, the Anastasis, above the empty grave of Jesus, and a basilica, the Martyrium; in the square between the two churches, a shrine, Calvarium, marking the place of the crucifixion. Dedicated in 335, they were destroyed by the Persians in 614. The two churches were rebuilt by Patriarch Modestus of Jerusalem c. 626, but were later destroyed by the Muslims in 1009. The present church of the Holy Sepulcher, rebuilt by the Crusaders, was dedicated in 1149. Today also commemorates the discovery of the Lord's cross by the empress St. Helena. Nm 21:4b-9 Ps 78:1b-2, 34-38 Phil 2:6-11 Jn 3:13-17