Morning Prayer
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
September 14
______

Domine labia mea aperies
et os meum adnuntiabit laudem tuam.

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.

We see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. - Hebrews 2:9-10

HYMN

Vexilla Regis prodeunt;
fulget Crucis mysterium,
quo carne carnis conditor
suspensus est patibulo.

Quo vulneratus insuper
mucrone diro lanceae,
ut nos lavaret crimine,
manavit unda et sanguine.

Impleta sunt quae concinit
David fideli carmine,
dicendo nationibus:
regnavit a ligno Deus.

Arbor decora et fulgida,
ornata Regis purpura,
electa digno stipite
tam sancta membra tangere.

Beata, cuius brachiis
Saecli pependit pretium
Statera facta corporis
Praedamque tulit tartari.

O Crux ave, spes unica,
in hac triumphi gloria!
Auge piis justitiam
Reisque dona veniam.

Te summa Deus Trinitas
Collaudet omnis spiritus
Quos per crucis mysterium
Salvas rege per saecula. Amen.

The Royal Banner forward goes,
The mystic Cross refulgent glows:
Where He, in Flesh, flesh who made,
Upon the Tree of pain is laid.

Here the fell spear his wounded side
With ruthless onset opened wide:
To wash us in that cleansing flood,
Thence mingled Water flowed, and Blood.

Fulfilled is all that David told
In true prophetic song, of old:
Unto the nations, lo! saith he,
Our God hath reignčd from the Tree.

O Tree! In radiant beauty bright!
With regal purple meetly dight!
Thou chosen stem! divinely graced,
Which hath those Holy Limbs embraced!

How blest thine arms, beyond compare,
Which Earth's Eternal Ransom bare!
That Balance where His Body laid,
The spoil of vanquished Hell outweighed.

O Cross! all hail! sole hope, abide
With us now in this Passion-tide:
New grace in pious hearts implant,
And pardon to the guilty grant!

Thee, mighty Trinity! One God!
Let every living creature laud;
Whom by the Cross Thou dost deliver,
O guide and govern now and ever! Amen.


Fortunatus; tr. "The Psalter of Sarum": London 1852; Konrad Ruhland, Choralschola, Capella antiqua München


Antiphon: Christ is reigning from the Tree: * Come, let us adore him.

Venite (Psalm 95:1-7)


Come let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have molded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *

Today, if you hear to his voice *
harden not your hearts.

Antiphon: Christ is reigning from the Tree: * Come, let us adore him.


PSALMODY


Ant. 1:To destroy the power of hell Christ died upon the cross; clothed in strength and glory, he triumphed over death.
    Psalm 66
    Jubilate Deo
1
Be joyful in God, all you lands; *
     sing the glory of his Name;
     sing the glory of his praise.
2
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! *
     because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.
3
All the earth bows down before you, *
     sings to you, sings out your Name."
4
Come now and see the works of God, *
     how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people.
5
He turned the sea into dry land,
so that they went through the water on foot, *
     and there we rejoiced in him.
6
In his might he rules for ever;
his eyes keep watch over the nations; *
     let no rebel rise up against him.
7
Bless our God, you peoples; *
     make the voice of his praise to be heard;
8
Who holds our souls in life, *
     and will not allow our feet to slip.
9
For you, O God, have proved us; *
     you have tried us just as silver is tried.
10
You brought us into the snare; *
     you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.
11
You let enemies ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water; *
     but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.
Ant. 1: To destroy the power of hell Christ died upon the cross; clothed in strength and glory, he triumphed over death.


Ant. 2: How radiant is that precious cross which brought us our salvation. In the cross we are victorious, through the cross we shall reign, by the cross all evil is destroyed, alleluia

12
I will enter your house with burnt-offerings
and will pay you my vows, *
     which I promised with my lips
     and spoke with my mouth when I was in trouble.
13
I will offer you sacrifices of fat beasts
     with the smoke of rams; *
     I will give you oxen and goats.
14
Come and listen, all you who fear God, *
     and I will tell you what he has done for me.
15
I called out to him with my mouth, *
     and his praise was on my tongue.
16
If I had found evil in my heart, *
     the Lord would not have heard me;
17
But in truth God has heard me; *
     he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
18
Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, *
     nor withheld his love from me.
Ant. 2: How radiant is that precious cross which brought us our salvation. In the cross we are victorious, through the cross we shall reign, by the cross all evil is destroyed, alleluia



Ant. 3: I have been crucified with Christ; the life I now live is not my life but the life which Christ lives in me.

    Psalm 87
       Fundamenta ejus
1
On the holy mountain stands the city he has founded; *
     the LORD loves the gates of Zion
     more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
2
Glorious things are spoken of you, *
     O city of our God.
3
I count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me; *
     behold Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia:
     in Zion were they born.
4
Of Zion it shall be said, "Everyone was born in her, *
     and the Most High himself shall sustain her."
5
The LORD will record as he enrolls the peoples, *
     "These also were born there."
6
The singers and the dancers will say, *
     "All my fresh springs are in you."      
Ant. 3: I have been crucified with Christ; the life I now live is not my life but the life which Christ lives in me.


FIRST READING          Numbers 21:4-9
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.


CANTICLE          Te Deum Laudamus

You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord; we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
     Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
     heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
     Father, of majesty unbounded,
     your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
     and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun the Virgin's womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God's right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
     Come then, Lord, and help your people,
     bought with the price of your own blood,
     and bring us with your saints
     to glory everlasting.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,:
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.


SECOND READING          John 3:11-17
Jesus said, 'Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. '


BENEDICTUS

Antiphon: We worship your cross, O Lord + and we praise and glorify your holy resurrection/ for the wood of the cross has brought joy to the world.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

To give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,:
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Antiphon: We worship your cross, O Lord + and we praise and glorify your holy resurrection/ for the wood of the cross has brought joy to the world.


RESPONSORY

We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
We adore you O Christ and we bless you.
By your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
And we bless you.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
We adore you O Christ and we bless you.


PRAYERS

Our Father...


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.


Let us pray with confidence to Christ who endured the cross to redeem us.

           - Save us through your cross, O Lord.

Son of God, you healed the people of Israel when they looked upon the bronze serpent,
- protect us this day from the deadly wound of sin.(R.)

Son of Man, just as Moses raised up the serpent in the desert, so you were lifted up on the cross in the sight of all the nations,
- raise us up to share in the triumph of your cross.(R.)

Only begotten Son of the Father, you were sent into the world so that those who believe in you might not perish,
- grant unending life to all who long to see you face to face.(R.)

Beloved Son of the Father, you were not sent to judge the world, but to save it,
- grant faith to our brothers and sisters and bring them on the last day to the joy of heaven.(R.)

Eternal Son of the Father, you came to cast fire on the earth and you longed to see its flame kindled in the hearts of all men,
- grant that through the holiness of life we may come to share in the undying light of your glory.(R.)


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.



 
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