Basil (Ocimum basilicum), a sweet smelling herb that heals the body and flavors our foods, has been associated for centuries with the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, September 14.

Stories from the Orthodox tradition say that when the Empress Helena went to the Holy Land in the 4th century to pray where Jesus lived and died and rose again, she wanted, above all, to find the Cross on which he died. At first, she found nothing, but then on a bare hill in Jerusalem she smelled a basil bush and ordered workers to dig where the basil grew. They found the remains of the Cross.

Today, in many eastern churches, a relic of the Cross surrounded by basil leaves and plants is carried in procession through the church on the feast.

Another story says the women who went to the tomb on Easter Sunday found a basil plant in the tomb where the body of Jesus was placed. Stories like this illustrate how the eastern churches brought creation into the mystery of salvation.

Basil is a sign of life. it deserves to be before our altar as we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.