Sept 14: The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross
Text from “The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology for Worship”; Pg. 685
First Antiphon
Verse 1: O God, my God, hear me; why have You forsaken me? The words of my transgressions put salvation far from me (Ps 21:2).
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Verse 2: O God, I will call to You by day but You will not listen; and by night, yet it will not be foolish of me (Ps 21:3).
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God O Saviour, save us.
Verse 3: But You, the praise of Israel, dwell in the holy place (Ps 21:4).
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God O Saviour, save us.
Glory… now…
If the second antiphon is sung: (Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God O Saviour, save us.)
Otherwise we sing: Only-begotten Son…
Second Antiphon
Verse 1: Why, O God, have You utterly rejected us? Why does Your anger rage against the sheep of Your pasture? (Ps 73:1)
Refrain: Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Verse 2: Remember Your congregation which You acquired from the beginning, which You redeemed with the sceptre of Your inheritance (Ps 73:2).
Refrain: Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Verse 3: Remember this mountain of Zion, where You have made Your dwelling (Ps 73:2)
Refrain: Son of God, crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Glory… now… Only-begotten Son…
Third Antiphon
Verse 1 (Soloist): The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned upon the cherubim, let the earth quake (Ps 98:1).
Troparion (Tone 1): Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance. Grant victory to Your faithful people against enemies and protect Your community by Your cross.
Verse 2 (Soloist): Great is the Lord in Zion and supreme above all peoples (Ps 98:2).
Troparion (Tone 1): Save Your people…
Verse 3 (Soloist): Let them profess Your great name for it is awesome and holy (Ps 98:3).
Troparion (Tone 1): Save Your people…
Entrance Verse (Soloist): Exalt the Lord our God, and bow in worship at the footstool of His feet for it is holy (Ps 98:5).
Troparion (Tone 1): Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance. Grant victory to Your faithful people against enemies and protect Your community by Your cross.
Glory… now…
Kontakion (Tone 4): By Your own choice, O Christ our God, You were lifted on the cross. Grant Your mercies to Your new community that bears Your Name. By Your power gladden the faithful people and grant them victory against enemies. May they have the help of Your instrument of peace, the invincible sign of victory.
Instead of “Holy God…”: To Your Cross, O Master, we bow in veneration, and we glorify Your holy Resurrection.
Prokimenon (Tone 7): Exalt the Lord our God, and bow in worship at the footstool of His feet for it is holy (Ps 98:5).
verse: The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble (Ps 98:1).
Epistle: (1Co 1:18-24) (Feast): Brethren, for the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but 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.
Alleluia (Tone 1): Remember Your congregation which You acquired from the beginning (Ps 73:2).
verse: But God is our king before the ages; He was wrought salvation in the midst of the earth (Ps 73:12).
Gospel: (Jn 19:6-11,13-20, 25-28, 30-35) (Feast): At that time when the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.’ The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.’
Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, ‘Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?’ Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.’
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, ‘Here is your King!’ They cried out, ‘Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but the emperor.’ Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. And that is what the soldiers did.
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.)
Instead of “It is truly…”: O my soul, magnify the most precious Cross of the Lord.
Irmos (Tone 8): You are a mystical Paradise, O Mother of God, who though untilled, have brought forth Christ. He has planted upon earth the life-giving Tree of the Cross. Therefore today as we raise it on high we bow low and we magnify you.
Communion Verse: Let the light of Your countenance, O Lord, shine upon us (Ps 4:7). Alleluia! (3x)
Great Vespers (Royal Doors):
PDF – Sept 14 – Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross – ENGLISH
DOC – Sept 14 – Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross – ENGLISH
G-DOC – Sept 14 – Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross – ENGLISH
Divine Liturgy:
PDF – Sept 14 – Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross – ENGLISH
PDF – Sept 14 – Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross – UKRAINIAN
PDF – Sept 14 – Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross – ENG-UKR
DOC – Sept 14 – Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross – ENGLISH
DOC – Sept 14 – Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross – UKRAINIAN