Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…
Hymn
Take up your cross, the Savior said,
If you would my disciple be;
Deny yourself, the world forsake,
And humbly follow after me.
Take up your cross, let not its weight
Fill your weak spirit with alarm;
His strength shall bear your spirit up,
Shall brace your heart and nerve your arm.
Take up your cross then in his strength,
And ev’ry danger calmly brave,
To guide you to a better home,
And vict’ry over death and grave.
Take up your cross and follow Christ,
Nor think till death to lay it down;
For only he who bears the cross
May hope to wear the glorious crown.
To you, great Lord, the One in three,
All praise for evermore ascend;
O grant us here below to see
The heav’nly life that knows no end.
Opening Sentence
And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. Zechariah 12:10-11
Examination of Conscience and Confession of Sins
Psalm 95 Invitatory. Christ suffered and died for us. Come, let us adore him.
1 Come, let us sing to the Lord;*
let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving*
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God,*
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hands are the depths of the earth,*
and the heights of the hills are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,*
and his hands have moulded the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down and bend the knee,*
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.*
O that today you would hearken to his voice!
8 Harden not your hearts
as your forebears did in the wilderness,*
at Meribah and on that day at Massah,
when they tempted me.
9 They put me to the test,*
though they had seen my works.
10 Forty years long I detested that generation and said,*
'This people are wayward in their hearts;
they do not know my ways.'
11 So I swore in my wrath,*
'They shall not enter my rest.'
Invitatory. Christ suffered and died for us. Come, let us adore him.
Psalms 6 Domine, ne in furore
LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger; *
do not punish me in your wrath.
Have pity on me, LORD, for I am weak; *
heal me, LORD, for my bones are racked.
My spirit shakes with terror; *
how long, O LORD, how long?
Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; *
save me for your mercy's sake.
For in death no one remembers you; *
and who will give you thanks in the grave?
I grow weary because of my groaning; *
every night I drench my bed
and flood my couch with tears.
My eyes are wasted with grief *
and worn away because of all my enemies.
Depart from me, all evildoers, *
for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
The LORD has heard my supplication; *
the LORD accepts my prayer.
All my enemies shall be confounded and quake with fear; *
they shall turn back and suddenly be put to shame.
12 Salvum me fac
Help me, LORD, for there is no godly one left; *
the faithful have vanished from among us.
Everyone speaks falsely with his neighbor; *
with a smooth tongue they speak from a double heart.
Oh, that the LORD would cut off all smooth tongues, *
and close the lips that utter proud boasts!
Those who say, "With our tongue will we prevail; *
our lips are our own; who is lord over us?"
"Because the needy are oppressed,
and the poor cry out in misery, *
I will rise up," says the LORD,
"and give them the help they long for."
The words of the LORD are pure words, *
like silver refined from ore
and purified seven times in the fire.
O LORD, watch over us *
and save us from this generation for ever.
The wicked prowl on every side, *
and that which is worthless is highly prized by everyone.
First Reading
Isaiah 53:10-12
Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied ;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Canticle
1 Who is this that comes from Edom,*
coming from Bozrah, his garments stained crimson?
2 Who is this, in glorious apparel,*
marching in the greatness of his strength?
3 'It is I, who announce that right has won the day,*
it is I', says the Lord, 'for I am mighty to save.'
4 Why are your robes all red, O Lord,*
and your garments like theirs who tread the winepress?
5 'I have trodden the winepress alone,*
and from the peoples no one was with me.'
6 I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,*
the praises of the Most High;
7 All that God has done for us in his mercy,*
by his many acts of love.
8 For God said, 'Surely, they are my people,
my children who will not deal falsely',*
and he became their Saviour in all their distress.
9 So God saved us by his love and pity;*
he lifted us up and carried us
through all the days of old.
Glory . . . Isaiah 63. 1-3a, 7-9
Second Reading
John 12:20-26
Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
Responsory
By your own blood, Lord, you brought us back to God By your own blood, Lord, you brought us back to God From every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You brought us back to God Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit By your own blood, Lord, you brought us back to God Antiphon: Father, give me the glory that I had with you before the world was made. Benedictus Antiphon:Father, give me the glory that I had with you before the world was made.
Collects and Prayers O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Let us pray to Christ our Savior, who redeemed us by his death and resurrection:
Lord, have mercy on us.
You went up to Jerusalem to suffer and so enter into your glory,
lead your Church into the Paschal feast of heaven. (R.) You were lifted high on the cross and pierced by the soldier's lance,
heal our wounds. (R.)
You made your cross the tree of life,
grant its fruit to those reborn into baptism. (R.)
On the cross, you forgave the repentant thief,
forgive us our sins. (R.) Lord's Prayer
Father, may we receive your forgiveness and mercy as we celebrate the passion and death of the Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Bow down before the Lord.
May the life-giving cross
be the source of all our joy and peace. Amen.