Morning Prayer
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross September 14 ______
Lord open our lips And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One. Have mercy on us (3x)
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
O tree of beauty, tree of light!
O tree of Christ's blood stain-ed bright.
Elect on whose triumphal breast
those holy limbs should find their rest.
Blest tree, whose chosen branches bore
the wealth that did the world restore,
the price of humankind to pay,
and spoil the spoiler of his prey.
Upon its arms, like balance true,
he weighed the price for sinners due,
the price which none but he could pay,
and spoiled the spoiler of his prey.
O cross, our one reliance, hail!
Still may thy power with us avail
to give new virtue to the saint,
and pardon to the penitent.
To thee, eternal Three in One,
let homage meet by all be done:
whom by the cross thou dost restore,
preserve and govern evermore.
The Psalter
Psalm 66 Jubilate Deo
Ant. 1:To destroy the power of hell Christ died upon the cross; clothed in strength and glory, he triumphed over death.
1 Be joyful in God, all the earth; * 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 shall bow before you. 3 ‘All the earth shall worship you, * sing to you, sing praise to your name.’ 4 Come now and behold the works of God, * how wonderful he is in his dealings with humankind. 5 He turned the sea into dry land; the river they passed through on foot; * 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, O you peoples; * make the voice of his praise to be heard, 8 Who holds our souls in life * and suffers not our feet to slip. 9 For you, O God, have proved us; * you have tried us 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 liberty.
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 come into your house with burnt offerings and will pay you my vows, * which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. 13 I will offer you fat burnt sacrifices with the smoke of rams; * I will sacrifice oxen and goats. 14 Come and listen, all you who fear God, * and I will tell you what he has done for my soul. 15 I called out to him with my mouth * and his praise was on my tongue. 16 If I had nursed evil in my heart, * the Lord would not have heard me, 17 But in truth God has heard me; * he has heeded the voice of my prayer. 18 Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, * nor withheld his loving mercy 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 His foundation is on the holy mountains. * The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. 2 Glorious things are spoken of you, * Zion, city of our God. 3 I record Egypt and Babylon as those who know me; * behold Philistia, Tyre and Ethiopia: in Zion were they born. 4 And of Zion it shall be said, ‘Each one was born in her, * and the Most High himself has established her.’ 5 The Lord will record as he writes up the peoples, * ‘This one also was born there.’ 6 And as they dance they shall sing, * ‘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.
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.
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. '
Second Canticle 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.
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: 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.
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 redeem us. (R.)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.)
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.