Holy Cross Novena
This novena honors the Holy Cross, the instrument of our salvation. It prepares for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14.
Holy Cross Novena - Day 1
Holy Cross Novena - Day 1
Opening Prayer
O God, who in the Passion of Christ our Lord bore for us the yoke of the Cross, grant that we may come to share in the glory of His Resurrection. We venerate the Holy Cross, the instrument of our salvation, and through it we place before You our humble petitions.
The Sign of Salvation
"For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." — 1 Corinthians 1:18
The Cross, once a symbol of shame and torment, has become the sign of salvation for the entire world. What the Romans intended as the cruelest form of execution, God transformed into the instrument of our redemption. When we sign ourselves with the Cross, we proclaim that we belong to the Crucified One and that His death has given us life.
Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ, who by Your death on the Cross redeemed the world, I venerate the holy wood upon which You hung for love of me. Make the sign of the Cross my protection against every evil — against the assaults of the enemy, against temptation, and against despair. When I trace the Cross upon my body, renew in me the grace of my Baptism. May the Cross be the sign under which I live, the banner under which I fight, and the seal by which I am known as Yours forever.
Veneration of the Holy Cross
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
Holy Cross, be my light. Holy Cross, be my strength. Holy Cross, be my hope now and at the hour of my death.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...
Closing Prayer
O God, who willed that Your only-begotten Son should undergo the Cross to save the human race, grant that we who have known this mystery on earth may receive the reward of redemption in heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.