This date, the 3rd of May of every year, is also known as the Feast of the Cross or the May Cross. It is celebrated in countries such as Spain, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Colombia, and Venezuela.

 

In some of the places where this date is celebrated, the public space is usually decorated with crosses covered in bright flowers, while processions, dances, or parades take place in the streets.

 

 

According to the Archdiocese of Bogotá, Colombia, the history of this religious tradition is linked to the 4th century, when Emperor Constantine had to fight a battle against Maxentius.

 

The night before, Constantine had a dream in which he saw a luminous Chi-Rho sign in the sky and heard a voice that said to him: “With this sign you will conquer.”

 

The following day, as the battle began, Constantine ordered Chi-Rho signs to be placed on the standards of his battalions, and exclaimed: “I trust in Christ in whom my mother Helena believes.” That day, the victory was total, and with it, Constantine won the right to be emperor and decreed freedom for the Christians who were being persecuted at that time by the pagan rulers.

 

After these events, Saint Helena, Constantine’s mother, traveled to Jerusalem in search of the Holy Cross on which Christ died. It is said that on the 3rd of May of 326 A.D. she found three crosses, which gave rise to the dilemma of which one would be the original.

 

 

For centuries, the feast was celebrated annually on 3 May. Additions to the Roman calendar moved the Feast to 7 May, a date significant in the Armenian calendar as the Apparition of the Holy Cross over Jerusalem in 451 A.D., as recorded by St. Cyril of Jerusalem. In 1960, the feast was removed from the Roman calendar by Pope John XXIII, and was incorporated into the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, celebrated on the 14th of September. This three-fold Feast celebrates not only the finding of the true cross, but also the dedication of the Constantinian Basilica built over the sites of Calvary and the Tomb, and the return of the Cross to Jerusalem in 629 A.D., captured in the Persian conquest of Jerusalem.

 

 

 

In Latin American countries, particularly Colombia, the beautiful tradition and devotion of the “Rezo de los mil Jesúses” or the One Thousand Jesus Prayer, has been established. This practice is based on a passage from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

 

The “Devoción de los Mil Jesús”, or Devotion of the Thousand Jesus, is a religious practice that involves invoking the name of Jesus 1000 times to drive away evil from homes and the lives of those who pray it. This tradition is associated with the discovery of the true cross in 326 AD by St. Helen. The devotion can be practiced by setting up a small altar with a cross, two candles, flowers, and holy water. The name of Jesus is recited 50 times on each decade of the rosary, totaling 1000 times. The practice is recommended for May 3rd, but can be done any time. It is advised to confess, fast, and receive communion to keep one’s home free from sin. The devotion ends with a final prayer and a blessing with holy water.

 

 

This devotion consists of invoking the Name of Jesus 1000 times to defeat the forces of evil in homes. As a testament to the triumph of good over evil, a wooden or olive branch cross is made or any that we have at home is used.

 

 

And when a complete rosary is finished (50 times), an Our Father and Glory be

are said. Once 20 rosaries have been counted, the 1000 Jesus’ are completed.

 

Once completed the following is said: “O God, who today recalling the discovery of the true cross, renewed the miracles of your passion, grant that by the power of that sacred wooden life, we may reach effective help and aid from heaven for eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen.”