The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Today is the feast of the finding of the true Cross by St Helena. Here are two related posts from Vultus Christi:

Fr Mark has a beautiful piece on "the life-giving and glorious Cross of Christ" here. There are scriptural and liturgical analogies, festal customs, and more.

The second post is here. I had no idea that

The aromatic herb, basil (Ocimum basilicum) has long been associated with the Holy Cross. . . .According to a pious legend, the Empress Saint Helena found the location of the True Cross by digging for it under a colony of basil.

There is more and the text of the blessing here.