The Feast of the
Exaltation of the
Holy Cross
September 14, 2025 Cycle C
White priestly vestments symbolize purity and
integrity of the life of
Faith.
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Liturgical Year Cycle C 2024-2025
Introductory
Acts of Worship
The Entrance Prayers: On Sunday, usually a hymn praising God is sung in place
of reciting a
Psalm from the Bible which invites us to enter more deeply
into the mystery of
God's love for us. The recited weekday Psalm expresses
a youthful heart
and spirit, delighted that we may come before the living
God.
Entrance Song / Entrance Psalm (Antiphon)
Entrance Song
Galatians 6:14 We should glory in the
Cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection,
through whom we
are saved and delivered.
The Priest Approaches and Kisses the Altar: The
altar is a symbol
of Christ. In it are cut five crosses to recall the
five wounds of
Christ. The altar also represents the Church and has
embedded in it the
relics of her saints. The priest comes to the altar to
celebrate the
Sacrifice in the Church's name. Because of the glory
surrounding the
altar upon which the divine Sacrifice will be made, the kiss
of the priest
unites the Church to Christ, its Redeemer.
Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
The Greeting: We are welcomed in God's name. Our response
unites us to our
neighbor, to the priest and to God. (The priest may
select from several
forms of greeting).
Priest: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
All: And with
your spirit.
The Penitential Prayers: We
recognize our
guilt for past sins, express our sorrow for them, and ask
that Mary, the
angels, the saints, and our brothers and sisters in Christ
pray for the Lord
God's mercy. (The priest may select from several
forms).
Priest: As we prepare to celebrate the mystery of
Christ's love,
let us acknowledge our failures and ask the Lord for pardon and
strength.
Priest and All: I confess to almighty God, and to
you, my brothers
and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in
my words, in
what I have done, and in what I have failed to do, through my
fault, through my
fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed
Mary, ever
virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and
sisters, to pray
for me to the Lord our God.
The Absolution:
Priest: May almighty God have mercy on
us, forgive us
our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
All: Amen.
The Gloria: The Glory of God prayers have existed from the second
century.
They repeat the angels praise of God which heralded the
birth of Christ on earth.
Our praise is
lifted again through the
years as we rejoice at His coming as Lord, God, the most
high Jesus Christ, who
at Christmas took on our human nature while at the same time
being the son of
Man. This ancient hymn expresses our recognition of God's
glory and love.
It calls upon Christ as our holy and divine mediator, and
the Holy Spirit who
forever binds us together in God's love.
Priest and All: Glory to God in the
highest, and peace
to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty
God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your
glory. Lord
Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you
take away the
sins of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right
hand of the
Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy
One, you alone are
the Lord, you alone are the most high, Jesus Christ, with the
Holy Spirit, in
the glory of God the Father. Amen.
The Collect:
The
priest lifts the
united prayers and petitions of the congregation to God the
Father through the
merits of Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.
Priest: Let us pray.
Priest: O God, who willed that your Only
Begotten Son should
undergo the Cross to save the human race, grant, we pray, that
we, who have
known his mystery on earth, may merit the grace of his
redemption in heaven. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who
lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Hoy Spirit, God,
for ever and
ever.
Liturgy of the Word
Christ
is made known
to us through the Old Testament which prepares us to
recognize Him. In
those days, God inspired men who spoke His message. Now,
the New Testament Gospel reading announces His presence to
us directly through
His Son. Both readings bring God's message to
us. Our
responsibility is to respond.
The First Reading: From the Old Testament
Priest/Reader: A reading from the Book
of Numbers
First Reading: Numbers 21: 4b-9
With their patience worn out by the journey, the people
complained against
God and Moses. “Why
have your brought us
up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or
water? We are
disgusted with this wretched food!”
In punishment the Lord sent among the people seraph
serpents, which bit
the people so that many of them died.
Then the people came to Moses and said “We have sinned in
complaining
against the Lord and you. Pray
the Lord
to take the serpents from us.”
So, Moses
prayed for the people and the Lord said to Moses, “Make a seraph
and mount it
on a pole, and if any who have been bitten look at it they will
live.” Moses
accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted
it on pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the
bronze serpent, he lived.
Priest/Reader: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks
be to God.
The Responsorial Psalm: This Psalm praising God is a prayer to God or
recommends the practice of
virtue. It is sung as an interlude between the
scriptural readings.
It provides yet another instructional setting and invites
the assembly to
imitate the cantor who sings a repeated response to the
verses of an ancient
Psalm, many of which are attributed to King David. The
verses are sung
first by a cantor (song leader) accompanied by instruments,
the refrain is sung
by the people.
Psalm 78 (77): 1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38
Cantor: Do not forget the works of the Lord!
All: R/. Do not
forget the
works of the Lord!
Cantor: Harken my people, to my teaching:
incline your ears
to the words of my mouth. I
will open my
mouth in a parable. I will utter mysteries from of old.
All: R/. Do not forget
the works of the Lord!
Cantor: While he slew them they sought him
and inquired
after God again, remembering that God was their rock and the
Most High God,
their redeemer.
All: R/. Do not
forget the works of the Lord!
Cantor: But they flattered him with their
mouths and lied to
him with their tongue, though their hearts were not steadfast
toward him, nor
were they faithful to his covenant.
All: R/. Do not forget the
works of the Lord!
Cantor: But he, being merciful, forgave their
sin and
destroyed them not; Often he turned back his anger and let none
of his wrath be
roused.
All: R/. Do
not
forget the works of the Lord!
The Second Reading: Taken from
the
New Testament.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-27
Brothers and sisters: Christ Jesus, though he was in the
form of God, did
not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied
himself, taking the form
of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in
appearance, he humbled
himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God
greatly exalted him and bestowed
on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of
Jesus every knee
should bend, of those in heaven on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.
Priest/Reader: The word of the Lord.
All: Thanks
be to God.
The Alleluia: An ancient expression of joy anticipating the Lord's
message we will hear
in the Gospel.
Cantor: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
ALL: R/.
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Cantor: We adore you, O Christ, and we
bless you, because
your Cross you have redeemed the world.
ALL: R/.
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Gospel: The
Liturgy of the
Word is completed by the reading of the Gospel. Before
its reading, the
members of the assembly trace the sign of the cross upon the
forehead to
indicate their mental acceptance of the Truth, on the lips
to indicate their
readiness to announce it, and over the heart to indicate
their sincere desire
to accept it into their lives. The "Good News" of the
Gospel
tells that God's kingdom has come for all to hear, accept,
and announce to the
world for its salvation. It is God who is speaking to
us. Christ
comes to teach us by the example of His life and by His own
words.
Priest: Cleanse my heart and my
lips, almighty
God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel.
Through the words of
the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
Priest/Deacon: A reading from the holy Gospel according
to John.
All: Glory to
you, Lord.
The
Gospel:
John 3:13-17
John wrote to show that Christ was
the Messiah, the Divine Son of God.
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“No one has
gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven,
the Son of
Man. And just as
Moses lifted up the
serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so
that everyone
who believes in him may have eternal life.”
For God so lived the world that he gave his only Son, so
that everyone
who believes in him might no perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send
his Son into the world
to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through
him.
Priest: The Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Priest: Through the
words of
the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.
The Priest's
Sermon: The
priest develops,
explains, and comments upon the Master's words, so our minds
may be
enlightened, and our hearts enriched.
(A
priestly
reflection upon this Gospel)
Profession of Faith: We state
in the
Nicene Creed the principles of our faith in precise and
definite terms.
All: We believe in one God,
the Father, the
Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and
unseen. We
believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of
the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true
God, begotten,
not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all
things were
made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from
heaven: by the
power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin Mary and
became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered,
died, and was
buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of
the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the
Father. He
will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and
his kingdom will
have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the
giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the son. With the Father
and the Son he
is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the
Prophets. We
believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We
acknowledge one
baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the
resurrection of the
dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
General Intercessions: We pray
for the needs
of the pope, civic leaders, our own needs, those of others,
the sick, the
dying, those who have died, the church, and the world.
The response of
all to each intercession: Lord, hear our prayer.
All: Lord,
hear our
prayer.
The Liturgy of
the Eucharist
Gifts of
bread and
wine symbolizing ourselves are presented to the priest who
will offer them to
God the Father. Through the Holy Spirit, they will
become the Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ whom we receive in Holy
Communion. Jesus unites
Himself with us for our spiritual nourishment and
strength. Today, when
individuals do not present their own personal offerings of
bread and wine, the
monetary contribution symbolizes the material of their
united sacrifice.
The priest makes and offering of the bread and wine to God.
Preparation of the Bread and Wine:
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord
God of all
creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread
we offer you:
fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for
us the bread of
life.
All:
Blessed
be God for
ever.
Priest: By the
mystery of
this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of
Christ, who humbled
himself to share in our humanity.
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all
creation, for through
your goodness we have received the wine we offer you; fruit of
the vine and
work of human hands it will become our spiritual drink.
All: Blessed
be God for
ever.
Priest: With
humble spirit
and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord, and may
our sacrifice in
your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God.
The Priest's Hands are Washed: This act
was
traditionally necessary because the priest handled the
various gifts presented
by the people. Now, the cleansing act using water
reminds the priest and
ourselves of the need to cleanse not only the hands but the
soul. Soon,
the priest's hands will hold the actual body of Christ, and
we will become His
dwelling place.
Priest: Wash me O Lord, from my
iniquity and
cleanse me from my sin.
Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be
acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.
All: May the
Lord accept
the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his
name, for our good
and the good of all his holy Church.
Prayer over the Gifts: Speaking
in our name,
the priest asks the Father to accept the gifts we offer
through him.
Priest: May this oblation, our tribute of homage,
rise up to
you, O Lord, and, through the intercession of the most Blessed
Virgin Mary,
whom you assumed into heaven, may our hearts aflame with the
fire of love,
constantly long for you. Through Christ our Lord.
Eucharistic Prayer: (Number One: The priest may select from several
forms).
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your
spirit.
Priest: Lift up
your hearts.
All: We lift
them up to
the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks to
the Lord, our
God.
All: It is right to give him thanks and
praise.
Preface Prayer:
Priest: Father, all-powerful and ever-living
God, we do well
always and everywhere to give you thanks.
You decreed that man should be saved through the wood of
the cross. The tree
of man’s defeat became his tree of
victory; where life was lost, there life has been restored
through Christ our
Lord. Through him
the choirs of angels
and all the powers of heaven praise and worship your glory. May our voices blend
with theirs as we join
in their unending hymn:
Acclamation:
Priest and All: Holy,
Holy, Holy
Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your
glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the
highest.
Priest: To you, therefore, most merciful Father, we make humble
prayer and
petition through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord: that you
accept and bless
these gifts, these offerings, these holy and unblemished
sacrifices, which we
offer you firstly for your holy catholic church. Be pleased to
grant her peace, to
guard, unite and govern her throughout the whole world, together
with your
servant ______, our Pope and _____, our Bishop, and all those
who, holding to
the truth, hand on the catholic and apostolic faith.
Remember, Lord, your servants _____ and _____, and all
gathered here,
whose faith and devotion are known to you. For them, we
offer you this
sacrifice of praise or they offer it for themselves and all who
are dear to
them: for the redemption of their souls, in hope of health and
well-being, and
paying their homage to you, the eternal God, living and true.
In communion with those whose memory we venerate,
especially the glorious
ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, and
blessed Joseph,
her Spouse, your blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul,
Andrew, James,
John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and
Jude; Linus,
Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrence,
Chrysogonus, John and
Paul, Cosmas and Damian and all your Saints; we ask that through
their merits
and prayers, in all things we may be defended by your protecting
help.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Priest: Be pleased, O God, we pray, to bless,
acknowledge, and
approve this offering in every respect; make it spiritual and
acceptable, so
that it may become for us the Body and Blood of your most
beloved Son, our Lord
Jesus Christ.
The priest repeats the words which Christ used at his
Last Supper when He
changed the bread into His Body and the wine into His
Blood. His Body and
Blood are truly present but under the appearance of bread
and wine. The
death of Christ is prolonged in each of those who receive
Him worthily.
We apply His death to ourselves so that we may share His
glory. This
moment is the most solemn on earth because it is Divine act
which enables us to
apply to ourselves the Cross which Christ willingly took
upon Himself.
We are called to die to sin and lift our very selves to
God so that we
become changed; to do as God would have us do, to become
what God would have us
become. Our own little cross can lift us into union
with Christ's Cross
so we may earn the joys of everlasting happiness with God
the Father.
The Lord's Supper: On the
day before he
was to suffer, he took bread in his holy and venerable
hands, and with
eyes raised to heaven to you, his almighty Father, giving you
thanks, he said
the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples,
saying:
Take this, all of you and eat of it: for this is my
Body which will be
given up for you.
In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took this
precious chalice in
his holy and venerable hands, and once more giving you thanks,
he said the
blessing and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of
you, and drink from
it; for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the
new and eternal
covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for
the forgiveness of
sins. Do this in memory of me.
The Mystery of Faith:
Priest: Let us proclaim the
mystery of faith:
Priest and All: When we eat this bread and drink this
Cup, we proclaim
your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
Memorial Prayer:
Priest: Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the
blessed Passion,
the Resurrection from the dead, and the glorious Ascension into
heaven of
Christ, your Son, our Lord, we, your servants and your holy
people, offer to
your glorious majesty from the gifts that you have given us,
this pure victim,
this holy victim, this spotless victim, the holy Bread of
eternal life and the
Chalice of everlasting salvation.
Be pleased to look upon these offerings with a serene and
kindly
countenance, and to accept them, as once you were pleased to
accept the gifts
of your servant Abel the just, the sacrifice of Abraham, our
father in faith,
and the offering of your high priest Melchizedek, a holy
sacrifice, a spotless
victim.
In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God: command that
these gifts be
borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high in
the sight of
your divine majesty, so that all of us, who through this
participation at the
altar receive the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, may be
filled with
every grace and heavenly blessing. Through Christ our
Lord.
Amen.
Remember also, Lord, your servants _____ and _____, who
have gone before
us with the sign of faith and rest in the sleep of peace.
Grant them, O
Lord, we pray, and all who sleep in Christ, a place of
refreshment, light and
peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
To us, also, your servants, who, though sinners, hope in
your abundant
mercies, graciously grant some share and fellowship with your
holy Apostles and
martyrs: with John the Baptist, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas,
(Ignatius,
Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter, Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy,
Agnes,
Cecilia, Anastasia) and all your Saints; admit us, we beseech
you, into their
company not weighing our merits, but granting us your pardon,
through Christ
our Lord.
Through whom you continue to make all these good things, O
Lord; you
sanctify them, fill them with life, bless them, and bestow them
upon us.
Doxology:
Prayer of Praise: Through
him, with
him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and
honor is yours,
almighty Father, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
Communion
Rite
In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we symbolically offer
ourselves to the
Lord through the gifts of bread and wine. At the
Consecration, we offer
our very lives to be united the God the Father through the
Cross of
Christ. In Communion, we find that we have not died at
all, but have come
to life. We have surrendered ourselves to God through
His Divine Son,
Jesus Christ. In return we become ennobled and
enriched. We
give up time and we get eternity, we give
up our sin and we receive grace, we surrender our self-will
and receive the
strength of the Divine Will, we give up ourselves and we
receive
everything. For the Son of God says to us that unless
we receive Him we
shall not have Divine life in us. But it is not really
we who receive
Christ as it is Christ who receives us, bringing us into
Himself.
God makes His Cross the very means of our salvation and
our life.
While we have crucified Him, His eternal love cannot be
extinguished.
Christ willed to give us the very life we crucified in our
Redemption, the
Consecration of Holy Thursday into Communion, His death into
our everlasting
life.
The Lord's Prayer:
Priest: At the
Savior's
command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:
Priest and All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed
be they name;
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us
this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who
trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil.
Priest: Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every
evil, graciously
grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may
be always free
from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed
hope and the
coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
All: For the kingdom, the power, and the glory
are yours, now
and forever.
Prayer for Peace:
Priest: Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your
apostles: I leave
you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the
faith of your
Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance
with your
will. Who live and reign for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
All: And with your spirit.
Priest: Let us offer each other the sing of peace.
Breaking of the Bread:
Priest: May this mingling of the body and blood
of our Lord
Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.
Priest and All: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of
the world, have
mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have
mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us
peace.
Communion of the Priest:
Priestly Preparation: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
who, by the
will of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit, through your
Death gave
life to the world, free me by this, your most holy Body and
Blood from all my
sins and from every evil; keep me always faithful to your
commandments, and
never let me be parted from you.
Priest: Behold
the
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy
are those who are
called to his supper.
Priest and All: Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but
only say the
word and I shall be healed.
Priest: May the Body of Christ keep me safe for
eternal life.
May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.
Communion Antiphon:
Priest: When I am lifted up from the earth, I
will draw all men
to myself, says the Lord.
Communion of the Faithful:
Priest: The Body of Christ.
The Faithful: Amen.
Priest/Deacon/
Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister: The Blood of Christ.
The
Faithful: Amen.
Cleansing of the Vessels:
Priest: Lord, may I receive
these gifts in
purity of heart. May they bring me healing and strength,
now and forever.
Prayer after Communion:
Priest: Let us
pray.
Priest: Lord Jesus Christ, you are the holy bread
of life. Bring to
the glory of the resurrection the people
you have redeemed by the wood of the cross.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Concluding Rite
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with
your spirit.
Priest: Bow your heads and pray for God's
blessing.
Dismissal Prayer:
Priest: May almighty God keep you from all harm and bless you with
every good gift.
All: Amen.
Priest: May he set his Word in your heart and fill
you with
everlasting joy.
All: Amen.
Priest: May you walk in his ways, always knowing
what is right and
good, until you enter your heavenly inheritance.
All: Amen.
Final Blessing:
Priest: May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. Amen.
All: Amen.
Dismissal:
Priest / Deacon: Go forth, the Mass is
ended.
All: Thanks be
to God.
O my Jesus,
forgive us our sins.