DAILY OPENING PRAYER

Jesus, your love

for your Father
brought you
 to the cross.
We are gathered
before this
magnificent
symbol of our
faith to recall
the events
of Calvary
 and to thank
you for your
great sacrifice
for us.
Your cross is
our life. Your
death brought
us salvation.
 As we ponder
on the meaning
of your death,
we ask you
to send us the
Holy Spirit that
we may be
able to accept
the truth that
without
sacrifice, we
can never be
your disciples.
Give us
the courage
to believe
 that our major
challenge in life
is the
acceptance
 of suffering
and death. You
have glorified
your suffering,
 dying, and
rising from the
dead. Inspire
us to believe
 that without
the cross, there
is no glory.
Amen.
ACT OF CONTRITION
Most sweet
Jesus, whom
did sanctify
the wood of the
Cross by the
contact of
Your divinity,
in order to wash
away my sins in
it with Your
Precious Blood,
 I am most
heartily sorry for
having offended
You by my sins.
 With the help of
Your grace, I am
firmly resolved
to amend my life,
trusting that out
of Your infinite
mercy, you have
forgiven me.
 Jesus, you
manifested your
power through
your miracles,
 but in carrying
the cross, you
showed that God
preferred to be
powerless than
to be powerful.
You did this
to show
your oneness
with the
powerless
of the earth.
You took the
side of
the helpless
because
 you want to
shame the
arrogant and
the powerful.
 May we, Lord,
in our
relationship with
our brothers
and sisters,
avoid
domineering
attitudes,
and instead, be
of service to
them. May the
glory of your
 cross help us
understand that
hearts can never
be conquered
 through
imposition or
arrogance
but through
 disinterested
service. Make us
servants to one
another, and
may self-giving
characterize our
relationship.
Amen.
I salute the most
Holy Cross,
together with all
the Prophets.
With them I give
thanks to our
Lord Jesus
Christ because
 He humbled
Himself and
honorably carried
the Cross;
hence, the Cross
revealed His
Divine Person
and became
the cornerstone
of His Church
militant. O Jesus
on the Holy
 Cross, with
the Seven
Sacraments and
the treasures
 of the divine
mysteries, you
have enriched
us, Your Church.
 May you,
O Lord, be
blessed forever,
Amen.
Through your
Holy Cross,
save us.
Through your
Holy Cross,
save us.
Through your
Holy Cross,
save us.
Glory be to
the Father.
Glory be to
the Father.
Glory be to
the Father.
LITANY OF THE
HOLY CROSS
Have mercy
on us.
 Christ,
graciously
hear us.
Have mercy
on us.
We greet thee.
We hail thee.
We adore thee.
We praise thee.
We hail thee.
We accept thee.
We await thee.
We follow thee.
Be our salvation.
We fly to thee.
To the Gentile
foolishness,
be our love.
 We follow thee,
O blessed Cross.
We seek thee, O
blessed Cross.
We hope in thee,
O blessed Cross.
We hold fast to
thee, O blessed
Cross.
Lead us to
the Father.
 Deliver us, O
blessed Cross.
Redeem us, O
blessed Cross.
 We confess,
“Verily, this was
the Son of God!”
Pardon us,
O Jesus.
Hear us,
O Jesus.
Have mercy in
us, O Jesus.
Hear us.
Have mercy
on us.
Because by your
Holy Cross, you
have redeemed
the world.
 O God, you
willed that your
Son should take
upon Himself
the infamy of the
Cross in order
to break the
power of evil
over us. Grant
that now we,
your servants,
may obtain
 the grace of
his Resurrection.
Have mercy,
O Lord,
on your people
and enable us
once more to
breathe freely
 amid the
tribulations
under which we
suffered long.
 Through our
Lord Jesus
Christ, who
lives and reigns
 with the
Almighty Father,
in the unity of
the Holy Spirit,
 One God,
forever and ever,
Amen.
ANTIPHON

O Most Holy
Cross, more
resplendent
that all the stars,
and holier that
all the saints;
to the world
 to the world
most renowned;
to men most
lovable;
who alone was
counted worthy
to uphold the
ransom of
world; sweetest
wood, sweetest
iron, sweetest
sufferings
 which the Lord
Jesus bore for
our redemption,
 save all
Christians who
today sing
your praises.
We adore you,
Lord Jesus
Christ, and
praise you.
Because by your
Holy Cross, you
have redeemed
the world.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
O Most Holy
Cross, noblest
among all shady
bowers,
 you embellish
pleasant garden
of the Church
Militant,
you brought
forth the
kingdom of
the Father,
 and is the
scepter of the
Son, and seal of
the Holy Spirit.
 You are the
honor and glory
of the Crucified
Master,
the guarantee of
God’s miracles,
the hope of
Christians,
 the life of the
dead, the staff of
the weak, the
guide of the blind
 the help of
orphans, the
defense of
widows,
 the repose
of those in
tribulations, the
light that dispels
 our ignorance,
the harbinger of
the prophets, the
inspiration of
the apostles, the
glory of martyrs,
the talisman of
confessors,
 the purity of
virgins, the bliss
of saints, the joy
of priests,
the security of
the just, the
cornerstone of
the Church,
the strength of
the feeble, he
health of the
sick, the bread
 for the needy,
fountain of living
waters for those
who thirst
after justice,
solace of the
afflicted, our
triumph over
Satan, the death
of sin, the root
and cause of
every good
 and blessing,
fruitful olive
tree, the elect
cedar of God,
the shady palm
tree in the
garden of the
Church.
 O Most Holy
Cross, the
towering cypress,
holy throne
 of the all-
powerful King,
tree of life,
fountain of bliss:
 I adore, bless
and praise you,
and to you I
recommend
my present need
and the needs
of the entire
Church,
 in order that
through you, the
Lord may hear
my prayer
 and grant my
petitions, if it
may redound to
His glory,
to the good of
my soul, and to
your exaltation
which I most
 especially
desire. But
above all, may
you obtain
for me the grace
of a holy and
happy death so
that my Lord
and Redeemer
Jesus Christ,
who gave your
life for our
 salvation
through you,
may receive me
through you
in the glory which
He shares with
the Father and
the Holy Spirit,
in endless ages.
Amen.
CONSECRATION
TO THE HOLY
CROSS
O Holy Cross, in
gratitude and
reverence, we
kneel before you.
You are the altar
upon which
the Eternal
High Priest
accomplished His
sacrifice for the
redemption of the
whole world.
With joy and
faith we
acknowledge
and openly
 and loudly
proclaim:
“Whatever there
is on earth
or in the lives of
men of grace
and blessing,
of mercy
and sanctity
of virtue, and
nobility, of
fortitude
and strength,
all have been
won and
merited for us
by Our Blessed
Lord upon the
Holy Cross.”
Grateful love
demands that
we should
consecrate
ourselves
forever today to
this Crucified
Savior who has
sacrificed
His blood and
His life for
us and for all
mankind
upon this symbol
of our eternal
salvation. There-
fore we make
 the following
promise: we will
be messengers
of the Cross
 and shall
everywhere bear
witness to the
teaching
 of our Crucified
Master that
salvation is to be
found only in
 the Cross; we
will be servants
of the Cross
and will carry
its blessings to
the best of our
ability among
our fellowmen;
 and we will be
friends of
the Cross,
completely filled
with the spirit of
Him who died
for us upon
the Cross.
O crucified Lord
and God, do
grant that out of
love for you,
may we be able
to bear with
patience and
resignation
 all the troubles
of life. Graciously
pardon all
the sins
we have ever
committed
against you
or your
commandments.
Grant that we
may ever serve
you faithfully
in the future and
always perform
our daily actions
for your greater
 glory. We
beseech you
especially, to
grant that we may
always confess
you and your
teachings freely
and openly
before the world.
Destroy in our
hearts all fear of
men and all
 cowardice.
Grant, Our Lord
and King, that
your Holy Cross
 may always be
our strength, our
hope and our
confidence
in life that once,
at the hour of
death, it may be
the blessed sign
of our eternal
happiness.
Amen.
Behold the Wood
of the Cross on
which the Savior
of the world
hung dying!
Come let us
adore it!
 The sing will
appear in the
heavens when
the Son of Man
 comes to the
judge the world.
Our whole glory
is in the Cross
of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
 He is our
salvation,
our life, our
resurrection.
 He has
saved and
redeemed us.
O Holy Cross, we
greet you! You
are our
only hope!