Holy Cross - Daytime Prayer

EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS
September 14

Daytime Prayer

Terce (Midmorning)

Nones (Midafternoon)

TERCE

Deus in adjutorium meum intende,
Domine ad adjuvandum me festina

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us.
Agios o theos, agios ischyros, agios athanatos,
eleison imas.
Sanctus Deus, Sanctus Fortis, Sanctus Immortális,
miserére nobis.

Antiphon: Save us, Christ our Saviour, by the power of your cross; you rescued Peter on the sea, have mercy on us.

1: When I was in trouble, I called to the LORD; *
I called to the LORD, and he answered me.
2: Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips *
and from the deceitful tongue.
3: What shall be done to you, and what more besides, *
O you deceitful tongue?
4: The sharpened arrows of a warrior, *
along with hot glowing coals.
5: How hateful it is that I must lodge in Meshech *
and dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6: Too long have I had to live *
among the enemies of peace.
7: I am on the side of peace, *
but when I speak of it, they are for war.

Levavi oculos

1: I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
from where is my help to come?
2: My help comes from the LORD, *
the maker of heaven and earth.
3: He will not let your foot be moved *
and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
4: Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel *
shall neither slumber nor sleep;
5: The LORD himself watches over you; *
the LORD is your shade at your right hand,
6: So that the sun shall not strike you by day, *
nor the moon by night.
7: The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; *
it is he who shall keep you safe.
8: The LORD shall watch over your going out and your coming in, *
from this time forth for evermore.

1: I was glad when they said to me, *
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."
2: Now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3: Jerusalem is built as a city *
that is at unity with itself;
4: To which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD, *
the assembly of Israel,
to praise the Name of the LORD.
5: For there are the thrones of judgment, *
the thrones of the house of David.
6: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: *
"May they prosper who love you.
7: Peace be within your walls *
and quietness within your towers.
8: For my brethren and companions' sake, *
I pray for your prosperity.
9: Because of the house of the LORD our God, *
I will seek to do you good."

Antiphon: Save us, Christ our Saviour, by the power of your cross; you rescued Peter on the sea, have mercy on us.

READING Hebrews 5:7-9
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
- By your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

COLLECT
O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son
should undergo the Cross to save the human race,
grant, we pray,
that we, who have known his mystery on earth,
may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Let us praise the Lord.
- And give him thanks.

SEXT

Deus in adjutorium meum intende,
Domine ad adjuvandum me festina

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us.
Agios o theos, agios ischyros, agios athanatos,
eleison imas.
Sanctus Deus, Sanctus Fortis, Sanctus Immortális,
miserére nobis.

Antiphon: Save us, O Saviour of the world. On the cross you redeemed us by the shedding of your blood; / we cry out for your help, O God.

Ad te levavi oculos meos

1: To you I lift up my eyes, *
to you enthroned in the heavens.
2: As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, *
and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
3: So our eyes look to the LORD our God, *
until he show us his mercy.
4: Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy, *
for we have had more than enough of contempt,
5: Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, *
and of the derision of the proud.

Nisi quia Dominus

1: If the LORD had not been on our side, *
let Israel now say;
2: If the LORD had not been on our side, *
when enemies rose up against us;
3: Then would they have swallowed us up alive *
in their fierce anger toward us;
4: Then would the waters have overwhelmed us *
and the torrent gone over us;
5: Then would the raging waters *
have gone right over us.
6: Blessed be the LORD! *
he has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.
7: We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; *
the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
8: Our help is in the Name of the LORD, *
the maker of heaven and earth.

Qui confidunt

1: Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, *
which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever.
2: The hills stand about Jerusalem; *
so does the LORD stand round about his people,
from this time forth for evermore.
3: The scepter of the wicked shall not hold sway over the land allotted to
the just, *
so that the just shall not put their hands to evil.
4: Show your goodness, O LORD, to those who are good *
and to those who are true of heart.
5: As for those who turn aside to crooked ways,
the LORD will lead them away with the evildoers; *
but peace be upon Israel.

Antiphon: Save us, O Saviour of the world. On the cross you redeemed us by the shedding of your blood; / we cry out for your help, O God.

READING          Ephesians 1:7-8
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.

RESPONSORY          See Galatians 6:14; Hebrews 2:9
We must glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ;
in him is our salvation, life and resurrection.
- Through him we are saved and set free.

Because he suffered death,
he is crowned with glory and honor.
- Through him we are saved and set free.

READING

From a discourse by Saint Andrew of Crete
(Oratio 10 in Exaltatione sanctae crucis: PG 97, 1018-1019, 1022-23)

The cross is Christ's glory and triumph

We are celebrating the feast of the cross which drove away darkness and brought in the light. As we keep this feast, we are lifted up with the crucified Christ, leaving behind us earth and sin so that we may gain the things above. So great and outstanding a possession is the cross that he who wins it has won a treasure. Rightly could I call this treasure the fairest of all fair things and the costliest, in fact as well as in name, for on it and through it and for its sake the riches of salvation that had been lost were restored to us.

Had there been no cross, Christ could not have been crucified. Had there been no cross, life itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if life had not been nailed to it, there would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be cancelled, we should not have attained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the tree of life and the gates of paradise would not stand open. Had there been no cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled. Therefore, the cross is something wonderfully great and honourable. It is great because through the cross the many noble acts of Christ found their consummation – very many indeed, for both his miracles and his sufferings were fully rewarded with victory. The cross is honourable because it is both the sign of God’s suffering and the trophy of his victory. It stands for his suffering because on it he freely suffered unto death. But it is also his trophy because it was the means by which the devil was wounded and death conquered; the barred gates of hell were smashed, and the cross became the one common salvation of the whole world.

The cross is called Christ’s glory; it is saluted as his triumph. We recognise it as the cup he longed to drink and the climax of the sufferings he endured for our sake. As to the cross being Christ’s glory, listen to his words: Now is the Son of Man glorified, and in him God is glorified, and God will glorify him at once. And again: Father, glorify me with the glory I had with you before the world came to be. And once more: “Father, glorify your name”. Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it and will glorify it again”. Here he speaks of the glory that would accrue to him through the cross. And if you would understand that the cross is Christ’s triumph, hear what he himself also said: When I am lifted up, then I will draw all men to myself.' Now you can see that the cross is Christ’s glory and triumph.

RESPONSORY
O glorious cross, your arms upheld the priceless ransom of captive mankind.
- Through you the world has been saved by the blood of the Lord.

Hail, O cross, consecrated by the body of Christ;
his members have made your wood more noble than precious pearls.
- Through you the world has been saved by the blood of the Lord.

COLLECT
O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son
should undergo the Cross to save the human race,
grant, we pray,
that we, who have known his mystery on earth,
may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Let us praise the Lord.
- And give him thanks.

NONES

Deus in adjutorium meum intende,
Domine ad adjuvandum me festina

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us.
Agios o theos, agios ischyros, agios athanatos,
eleison imas.
Sanctus Deus, Sanctus Fortis, Sanctus Immortális,
miserére nobis.

Antiphon: Save us by the power of your cross, O Christ our Redeemer, for by dying you destroyed death and by rising you restored life.

In convertendo

1: When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, *
then were we like those who dream.
2: Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
and our tongue with shouts of joy.
3: Then they said among the nations, *
"The LORD has done great things for them."
4: The LORD has done great things for us, *
and we are glad indeed.
5: Restore our fortunes, O LORD, *
like the watercourses of the Negev.
6: Those who sowed with tears *
will reap with songs of joy.
7: Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *
will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.

1: Unless the LORD builds the house, *
their labor is in vain who build it.
2: Unless the LORD watches over the city, *
in vain the watchman keeps his vigil.
3: It is in vain that you rise so early and go to bed so late; *
vain, too, to eat the bread of toil,
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
4: Children are a heritage from the LORD, *
and the fruit of the womb is a gift.
5: Like arrows in the hand of a warrior *
are the children of one's youth.
6: Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them! *
he shall not be put to shame
when he contends with his enemies in the gate.

1: Happy are they all who fear the LORD, *
and who follow in his ways!
2: You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
happiness and prosperity shall be yours.
3: Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
your children like olive shoots round about your table.
4: The man who fears the LORD *
shall thus indeed be blessed.
5: The LORD bless you from Zion, *
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of
your life.
6: May you live to see your children's children; *
may peace be upon Israel.

Antiphon: Save us by the power of your cross, O Christ our Redeemer, for by dying you destroyed death and by rising you restored life.

READING 1 Peter 1:18-19
You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.

The sign of the cross will appear in the heavens
- When the Lord comes to judge us.

COLLECT
O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son
should undergo the Cross to save the human race,
grant, we pray,
that we, who have known his mystery on earth,
may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Let us praise the Lord.
- And give him thanks.

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