Week of Holy Cross

EXALTATION OF THE CROSS
Safro

INTRODUCTION
DOXOLOGY
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as we begin and until we conclude.
May mercy and compassion be poured forth upon us
in this world and the next.
O Lord, our God, to you be glory forever. Amen.

OPENING PRAYER
O Christ our Savior,
may we celebrate in joy and gladness the feast of the cross
and honor the wood which was planted on Golgotha
for our salvation.
Grant that we may understand the meaning of your cross
and, following you, carry it towards the final victory
when we shall praise you with your Father and your Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.

GREETING
Peace be with the Church and her children.

PRAISE OF THE ANGELS
Glory to God in the highest,
peace on earth and good will to all.

Praise the Lord, all you nations,
glorify him, all you peoples!

For steadfast is his mercy toward us,
and the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever,
and peace on earth and good will to all.

PSALMODY
FIRST PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Lord,
may your cross which appeared to Constantine in the sky
be a light for the Church and its children.
Extend your reign over the hearts of all,
for all have been redeemed by the precious blood shed
on Golgotha.
May your cross be a sign of peace for the world and the
holy Church;
may all adore you and praise you,
now and forever. Amen.

PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon: Extol the Lord, our God,
and worship at his footstool.

Psalm 99: 1-5, 9

The Lord is king; the peoples tremble;
he is throned upon the cherubim; the earth quakes.

The Lord in Zion is great,
he is high above all the peoples.

Let them praise your great and awesome name;
holy is he!

The King in his might loves justice;
you have established equity;
justice and judgment in Jacob you have wrought.

Extol the Lord, our God,
and worship at his footstool; holy is he!

Extol the Lord, our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for holy is the Lord, our God.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and forever. Amen.

Antiphon: Extol the Lord, our God,
and worship at his footstool.

[HYMN]
Blessed are you, O Church, garden of the Beloved!
From a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, you have grown.
Your roots are in firm soil, sheltered from the winds;
In your branches are the martyrs, they are a display of blood shed for the faith.
The birds quench their thirst at this marvel.
Psalms and prophecies fill your vast space.
You are the land of the Spirit, the meeting place of the nations.
Blessed are you, dwelling place of the guest, neighbor of the One who is near.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Christ Jesus our Lord,
your cross has appeared resplendent in the sky
and it will appear again at the end of time
when you will return to judge the universe with justice.
May it appear over us this morning
and shine its light on our hearts and spirits.
Thus we shall see your glory and desire to encounter you
carrying your cross.
We shall enter in the procession of light to praise you,
forever. Amen.

NUHRO
The Light of the just and joy of the upright is Christ Jesus
our Lord.
Begotten of the Father, he manifested himself to us.
He came to rescue us from darkness and to fill us with the radiance of his light.

Day is dawning upon us; the power of darkness is fading away, From the true Light there arises for us the Light which illumines our darkened eyes.

His glory shines upon the world and enlightens the very depth of the abyss.
Death is annihilated, night has vanished, and the gates of Sheol are broken.
Creatures lying in darkness from ancient times are clothed in light.
The dead arise from the dust and sing because they have a Savior.

He brings salvation and grants us life.
He ascends to his Father on high.
He will return in glorious splendor and shed his light
on those gazing upon him.

Our King comes in majestic glory.
Let us light our lamps and go forth to meet him.
Let us find our joy in him, for he has found joy in us.
He will indeed rejoice us with his marvelous light.

Let us glorify the majesty of the Son and give thanks to
the almighty Father, who,
in an outpouring of love, sent him to us, to fill us with hope and salvation.
When he manifests himself, the saints awaiting him in
weariness and sorrow,
will go forth to meet him with lighted lamps.

The angels and guardians of heaven will rejoice in the glory of the just and upright people of earth;
together, crowned with victory, they will sing hymns and psalms.

Stand up then and be ready!
Give thanks to our King and Savior, who will come in great glory to gladden us with his marvelous light in his kingdom.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Alleluia.
[HYMN]
At the end of time, when the combat will end,
You will come in glory for the final gathering of the bridal party; You will revive the dead who are sleeping, the scattered and
the corrupt;
You will judge your servants with love – this is the happiness of paradise.
What has not occurred to the human heart and what the ear
has not heard,
You have prepared as a reward for the combatants,
at the fullness of time.

THIRD PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Creator and Savior of all,
you were raised on your cross between heaven and earth;
later it was the proof that you had risen from the dead
and conquered evil.
Save us each day and each hour.
May your cross be our companion every moment of our lives,
so that we may remain attached to the faith, have confidence
in you and love you.
Then we shall praise you with the whole world,
and glorify the Trinity of life,
now and forever. Amen.

MORNING PSALMS
Psalm 148
Alleluia.

Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights;

Praise him, all you his angels,
praise him, all you his hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created;

He established them forever and ever;
he gave them a duty which shall not pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all depths;

Fire and hail, snow and mist,
storm winds that fulfill his word;

You mountains and all you hills,
you fruit trees and all you cedars;

You wild beasts and all tame animals,
you creeping things and you winged fowl.

Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,

Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys,

Praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;

His majesty is above earth and heaven,
and he has lifted up the horn of his people.

Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Alleluia.

Psalm 149:1-6
Alleluia.
Sing to the Lord
a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.

Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.

Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing joy upon their couches;

Let the high praises of God
be in their throats.
Alleluia.

Psalm 150
Alleluia.
Praise the Lord in his sanctuary,
praise him in the firmament of his strength.

Praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his sovereign majesty.

Praise him with the blast of the trumpet,
praise him with lyre and harp.

Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipe.

Praise him with sounding cymbals,
praise him with clanging cymbals.

Let everything that has breath
praise the Lord!
Alleluia.

Psalm 117
Praise the Lord, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!

For steadfast is his mercy toward us,
and the truth of the Lord endures forever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Alleluia.
[CANTICLE]
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
You heavens and all you waters above the heavens,
bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, stars of heaven, every shower and dew,
all you winds, bless the Lord.
Mountains and hills, and everything growing from the earth,
bless the Lord.
Seas and rivers, dolphins and all water creatures,
bless the Lord.
All you birds of the air, all you beasts, wild and tame,
bless the Lord.
You sons of men, bless the Lord.
O Israel, bless the Lord.
Priests and servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, holy men of humble heart,
Hannaniah, Azariah, Mishael and Daniel, bless the Lord.
Prophets, apostles, martyrs and confessors, bless the Lord,
churches and monasteries and all those who dwell in the
house of the Lord, bless the Lord.
We bless the Lord and praise him, we adore and confess the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to him who descended from the heights, died and rose for our salvation.
He is the One who left his cross in witness to his death,
resurrection and victory over death.
To the Savior whose triumph the Church celebrates,
the Good One is due glory and honor this morning,

and all the day of our lives,
now and forever. Amen.
SEDRO
O Christ our God,
you give life and bestow benefits,
you became human, lived among us and accomplished your saving plan by realizing the sayings of the prophets.
For our salvation you were willing to be raised on the cross, and the light of your joyous resurrection illuminated the
whole world.
In paradise, the tree of life symbolized your cross,
and Moses showed the sign of the cross when he stretched out
his arms for the salvation of the people.
The brazen serpent was the symbol of your cross for the life
of whoever looked upon it was saved.
Your cross was stamped by the “Taw” written on the foreheads of the elect as spoken of by Ezekiel.
It is the cross which Isaac indicated by the wood of the sacrifice, and the wood of Noah’s ark, the vessel of salvation, was its image.
And now, we celebrate this spiritual feast with the whole Church and its children scattered throughout the world,
as we proclaim:
Blessed are you, O holy wood of the cross, symbol of power
and honor;
Blessed are you, O Cross of Christ, raised in our churches
and at the head of our processions as a sign of victory.
Be for us, night and day, the attentive guardian who will not allow the evil one to conquer us.
Be the true comforter of those whom this base world has deprived of its vain joys.
Accompany those who travel, strengthen the sick, give hope to the broken hearted and joy to the afflicted souls.
May your sign be printed in the hearts of believers.
May they live through you and carry you with zeal in all countries.
May they preach you and be clothed themselves with blessings by the pure blood shed on you.
O Christ,
may we who are with the sign of the victorious and faithful cross remain faithful to that seal by which we have been marked.
May we be worthy to see your cross of light on the day of
judgment
and to hear you say: “Come, blessed of my Father, take possess-
ion of the kingdom which is prepared for you.”
We shall praise you, forever and ever.

QOLO
Holy are you, O God, you revealed yourself among us to bring us back to the Father.
Holy are you, O Strong One, by your power you have triumphed
and saved us.
Holy are you, O Immortal One, you died and rose from the
dead, and left us your cross as a witness.
O Lord, you were crucified for your flock and made the cross of light shine on your flock. Today the flock honors and venerates your cross, have mercy on us.

ETRO
O Lord,
accept our prayers on this feast of your venerable cross.
May we boast of being sealed and marked with your glorious sign.
One day may we be worthy to celebrate the final triumph of your cross with all our dead in your kingdom,
where we shall glorify you, forever. Amen.

READINGS
MAZMOORO
By your cross, O Lord, preserve your Church from error,
and mark your children with the sign of life.

May your cross be a protective rampart for your spouse, the
Church, and may the evil one not rule over its children.

O Lord, by your cross grant peace to the world; may peace reign through your cross.

SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the Letter to the Romans
Romans 1: 16-32
For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek. For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous by faith will live.” The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes. Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Therefore, God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God handed them over to their undiscerning mind to do what is improper. They are filled with every form of wickedness, evil, greed, and malice; full of envy, murder, rivalry, treachery, and spite. They are gossips and scandalmongers and they hate God. They are insolent, haughty, boastful, ingenious in their wickedness, and rebellious toward their parents. They are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know the just decree of God that all who practice such things deserve death, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

HOOTOMO
GREAT DOXOLOGY
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and joy filled hope to all.

We praise you, we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord and Creator, King of heaven, God the Father almighty,
Lord God, only Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son and Word of the Father,
you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us;
you take away the sin of the world, hear us and receive our prayer.
You are seated in glory at the right hand of your Father,
forgive us and have mercy on us;
For you alone are holy,
you alone are the Lord, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.

At all times, and all the days of our lives, we worship
you and praise your holy and blessed name,
which is and has been from age to age.

Blessed are you, Lord almighty, God of our fathers.
May your name be glorified, praised and exalted forever.

To you be glory, praise and exaltation, God of all,
Father of truth, with the only Son and the living and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
O God,
you are before all ages and exist from age to age;
you are resplendent and glorified in unsearchable light;
through your word, you bring forth light and give us a new day.
O radiant Day and source of light,
we glorify you, adore you and offer you praise night and day; accept our praise and answer our prayer.
Send us your abundant blessings, through the mercy of
your Christ.
To him, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be glory, honor and power,
now and forever. Amen.
On the weekdays following the feast of the Exaltation
of the Holy Cross the office of the feast is celebrated
however, the Scripture Readings are
taken from the remaining days of the week of Pentecost
which was interrupted by the feast.