Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

14 September

Priest: Blessed is our God, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.
Choir: Amen.

Great Litany: In peace, let us pray to the Lord, etc.

First Antiphon, Tone 2.
Verse 1: O God my God, look upon me: why hast Thou forsaken me?
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Verse 2: Far from my salvation are the words of my sins.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Verse 3: O my God, I shall cry by day, and thou wilt not hear: and by night, and it shall not be reputed as folly in me.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Verse 4: But Thou dwellest in the holy place, the praise of Israel.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.

Small Litany.

Second Antiphon, Tone 2.
Verse 1: O God, why hast thou cast us off unto the end?
O Son of God Who wast crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Verse 2: Remember thy congregation, which thou hast possessed from the beginning.
O Son of God Who wast crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Verse 3: This is Mount Zion in which Thou hast dwelt.
O Son of God Who wast crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Verse 4: But God is our king before ages: He hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.
O Son of God Who wast crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O only-begotten Son and Word of God, Who art immortal, yet didst deign for our salvation to be incarnate of the holy Theotokos and ever-Virgin Mary, and without change didst become man, and wast crucified, O Christ God, trampling down death by death; Thou art One of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us.

Small Litany.

Third Antiphon, Tone 1.
Verse 1: The Lord hath reigned, let the people be angry.
Troparion: O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance. Grant Thou unto Orthodox Christians victories over adversaries, and by Thy Cross preserve Thy people.
Verse 2: The Lord hath reigned, let the people be angry: he that sitteth on the cherubim: let the earth be moved.
Troparion: O Lord, save Thy people…
Verse 3: The Lord is great in Sion, and high above all people.
Troparion: O Lord, save Thy people…
Verse 4: Adore ye the Lord in his holy court.
Troparion: O Lord, save Thy people…

Entry Verse:
Exalt ye the Lord our God, and adore His footstool, for it is holy.

Priest: Come, let us worship and bow before Christ.
Choir: O Son of God Who wast crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Troparion, Tone 1.
O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance. Grant Thou unto Orthodox Christians victories over adversaries, and by Thy Cross preserve Thy people.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone 4.
O Thou Who wast raised up on the Cross of Thine own will, do Thou bestow Thy bounties now upon Thy people which is named after Thee, O Christ our God. Gladden Orthodox Christians with Thy power, granting them victories over their adversaries; for they have for their aid Thy weapon, the invincible trophy of peace.

In place of the Trisagion.
Before Thy Cross we bow down, O Master, and Thine holy Resurrection we glorify. 3.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
And Thine holy Resurrection we glorify.
Before Thy Cross we bow down, O Master, and Thine holy Resurrection we glorify.

Prokeimenon, Tone 7.
Psalm 98:5, 1a.
Exalt ye the Lord our God: and adore His footstool, for it is holy.
Verse: The Lord hath reigned: let the people be angry.

The Lesson of the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians.
I Corinthians §125 (1:18-24).
Brethren: The word of the Cross, to them indeed that perish, is foolishness; but to them that are saved, that is, to us, it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent I will reject. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world, by wisdom, knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of our preaching, to save them that believe. For both the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumblingblock, and unto the Gentiles foolishness: but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

Alleluia, Tone 1.
Psalm 73:2a, 12.
Alleluia.
Verse 1: Remember Thy congregation, which Thou hast possessed from the beginning. Alleluia.
Verse 2: But God is our King before ages: He hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

The Lesson of the Holy Gospel according to Saint John.
Saint John §60 (19:6-11a, 13-20); §61 (25-28a, 30b-35a).
At that time: The chief priests and ancients took counsel against Jesus, that they might put Him to death. And they brought Him to Pontius Pilate the governor, saying: Crucify Him, crucify Him. Pilate saith to them: Take Him you, and crucify Him: for I find no cause in Him. The Jews answered him: We have a law; and according to the law He ought to die, because He made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore had heard this saying, he feared the more. And he entered into the hall again, and He said to Jesus: Whence art Thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore saith to Him: Speakest Thou not to me? Knowest Thou not that I have power to crucify Thee, and I have power to release Thee? Jesus answered: Thou shouldst not have any power against Me, unless it were given thee from above. Now when Pilate had heard these words, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat, in the place that is called Lithostrotos, and in Hebrew Gabbatha. And it was the parasceve of the pasch, about the sixth hour, and he saith to the Jews: Behold your King. But they cried out: Away with Him; away with Him; crucify Him. Pilate saith to them: Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered: We have no king but Caesar. Then therefore he delivered Him to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led Him forth. And bearing His own cross, He went forth to that place which is called Calvary, but in Hebrew Golgotha. Where they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side, and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title also, and he put it upon the cross. And the writing was: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. This title therefore many of the Jews did read: because the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, in Greek, and in Latin. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus therefore had seen His mother and the disciple standing whom He loved, He saith to His mother: Woman, behold thy son. After that, He saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own. Afterwards, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, bowing His head, He gave up the ghost. Then the Jews, (because it was the parasceve,) that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath day, (for that was a great sabbath day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers therefore came; and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with Him. But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear opened His side, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he that saw it, hath given testimony, and his testimony is true.

Zadostoinik.
Today the death that came to man through eating of the tree, is made of no effect through the Cross. For the curse of our Mother Eve that fell on all mankind is destroyed by the fruit of the pure Mother of God, whom all the powers of heaven magnify. Prostration.

Communion.
Psalm 4:7.
The light of Thy countenance O Lord, is signed upon us. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.