Evening Prayer II
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross September 14 ______
O God, make speed to save us. O Lord, make haste to help us.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One. Have mercy on us (3x)
We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. - 1 Cor 1:23-24
O Cross of Christ, immortal tree
On which our Savior died,
The world is sheltered by your arms
That bore the Crucified.
From bitter death and barren wood
the tree of life is made;
Its branches bear unfailing fruit
And leaves that never fade.
Give glory to the risen Christ
And to his Cross give praise,
The sign of God's unfailing love,
The hope of all our days.
The Psalter
Psalm 118 Confitemini Domino
Ant. 1:We worship your cross, O Lord, and we commemorate your glorious passion. You suffered for us; have mercy on us.
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; * his mercy endures for ever. 2 Let Israel now proclaim, * ‘His mercy endures for ever.’ 3 Let the house of Aaron now proclaim, * ‘His mercy endures for ever.’ 4 Let those who fear the Lord proclaim, * ‘His mercy endures for ever.’ 5 In my constraint I called to the Lord; * the Lord answered and set me free. 6 The Lord is at my side; I will not fear; * what can flesh do to me? 7 With the Lord at my side as my saviour, * I shall see the downfall of my enemies. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord * than to put any confidence in flesh. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord * than to put any confidence in princes.
Ant. 1:We worship your cross, O Lord, and we commemorate your glorious passion. You suffered for us; have mercy on us.
Ant. 2:We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
10 All the nations encompassed me, * but by the name of the Lord I drove them back. 11 They hemmed me in, they hemmed me in on every side, * but by the name of the Lord I drove them back. 12 They swarmed about me like bees; they blazed like fire among thorns, * but by the name of the Lord I drove them back. 13 Surely, I was thrust to the brink, * but the Lord came to my help. 14 The Lord is my strength and my song, * and he has become my salvation. 15 Joyful shouts of salvation * sound from the tents of the righteous: 16 ‘The right hand of the Lord does mighty deeds; the right hand of the Lord raises up; * the right hand of the Lord does mighty deeds.’ 17 I shall not die, but live * and declare the works of the Lord. 18 The Lord has punished me sorely, * but he has not given me over to death. Ant. 2:We adore you, O Christ and we bless you, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Ant. 3:Christ died on the Cross in weakness, but he lives by the power of God; and we who share his weakness shall by the power of God live with him.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, * that I may enter and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord; * the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me * and have become my salvation. 22 The stone which the builders rejected * has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing, * and it is marvellous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the Lord has made; * we will rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Come, O Lord, and save us we pray. * Come, Lord, send us now prosperity. 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; * we bless you from the house of the Lord. 27 The Lord is God; he has given us light; * link the pilgrims with cords right to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God and I will thank you; * you are my God and I will exalt you. 29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; * his mercy endures for ever. Ant. 3:Christ died on the Cross in weakness, but he lives by the power of God; and we who share his weakness shall by the power of God live with him.
First Reading
Genesis 3:1-15
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God say, "You shall not eat from any tree in the garden"?' The woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die."' But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?' He said, 'I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.'
He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?' The man said, 'The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.' Then the LORD God said to the woman, 'What is this that you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent tricked me, and I ate.'
The LORD God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.'
Canticle Benedicite
Glorify the Lord, all you works of the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, you angels and all powers of the Lord, *
O heavens and all waters above the heavens.
Sun and moon and stars of the sky, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, every shower of rain and fall of dew, *
all winds and fire and heat.
Winter and Summer, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold, *
drops of dew and flakes of snow
Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O nights and days, *
O shining light and enfolding dark.
Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Let the earth glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O mountains and hills,
and all that grows upon the earth, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O springs of water, seas, and streams, *
O whales and all that move in the waters.
All birds of the air, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O beasts of the wild, *
and all you flocks and herds.
O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Let the people of God glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O priests and servants of the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O spirits and souls of the righteous, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
You that are holy and humble of heart, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Let us glorify the Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord, *
praise him and highly exalt him for ever.
Second Reading
1 Peter 3:17-22
For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil.
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.
And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
Second Canticle Magnificat
Antiphon: For the joy that lay ahead of him,+ Jesus endured the cross making light of its disgrace / and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Antiphon: For the joy that lay ahead of him,+ Jesus endured the cross making light of its disgrace / and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
Responsory
O glorious cross, on you the king of angels was victorious. O glorious cross, on you the king of angels was victorious.
And he has washed away our sins in his own blood. On you the king of angels was victorious.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to he Holy Spirit O glorious cross, on you the king of angels was victorious.
Collect Almighty God, whose Son our Saviour Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the Cross that he might draw the whole world to himself: Mercifully grant that we, who glory in the mystery of our redemption, may have grace to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Intercessions
Let us pray with confidence to Christ who endured the cross to save us. (R.)Lord, through your cross bring us to the glory of your kingdom.
O Christ, you emptied yourself, taking the form of a servant and being made like us,
- grant that your people may follow the example of your humility.(R.)
O Christ, you humbled yourself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross,
- grant that your servants may imitate your obedience and willing acceptance of trials.(R.)
O Christ, you were raised up by the Father and given the name that is above every name,
- may your people, strengthened in the hope of a heavenly resurrection, persevere to the end.(R.)
O Christ, at your name every knee in heaven, on earth and under the earth will bend in adoration,
- pour out your love upon all people that they may join together in proclaiming your glory.(R.)
O Christ, every tongue shall confess that you are Lord to the glory of God the Father,
- welcome our brothers and sisters who have died into the unfailing joy of your kingdom.(R.)
Our Father…
Closing Prayer:
God our Father,
in obedience to you
your only Son accepted death on the cross
for the salvation of mankind.
We acknowledge the mystery of the cross on earth.
May we receive the gift of redemption in heaven.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Who live and reigns with you and Holy Spirit
One God, forever and ever, Amen.