1

Novena in Preparation for the

FEAST OF THE EXALTATION
OF THE CROSS
(September 14)
 2

DAY ONE – 5 September

‘Jesus Carries the Cross’

Jesus our Lord, You carried Your cross through the

streets of Jerusalem, with Your head bloodied by the
crown of thorns.
Your enemies mocked You and your friends abandoned
You.
You carried the cross, the sins of all humanity, on Your
shoulders and in the silence of Your sufferings, we are
reborn.
Jesus our Lord, You taught us that we should also carry
others’ sins. to suffer in silence, yet our sufferings can
make reparation for our sins and the sins of all the word.
Teach us, O Lord, to accept situations that we cannot
change and carry them as you carried Your cross
through the streets of Jerusalem. Amen

DAILY PRAYER:

Dear Lord Jesus

Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be
crucified and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the
redemption and salvation of our souls, to bear the sins of
all the history of humanity, from Adam to the end of
time. Look down upon us and grant the petition we ask
…………….( mention your intention)
We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your Grace, sanctify our work,
give us and all those who are dear to us, our daily bread,
lighten the burden of our sufferings, bless our families,
and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted, Your Peace,
 3

which is the only true peace, so that by obeying Your

Commandments we may come at last to the glory of
Heaven.

O Cross, you are the glorious sign of victory.

Through your power may we share in the triumph of
Christ Jesus. Amen

Glory Be. (3x)

DAY TWO – 6 September

Jesus Falls and Simon of Cyrene Assists Him in

carrying the Cross

Jesus, you fell three times while carrying Your cross.

You were exhausted by the tortures and the lack of sleep
and Your executioners had to ask the help of Simon the
Cyrene to help You carry the cross. You were nearly dead
when you reached Calvary.
Simon of Cyrene was the most blessed person because he
was transformed by helping You carry Your cross.
Make us remember, dear Jesus, in our moments of
suffering and trials, that we, too, help carry Your cross and
that it is an honour to suffer with You.
Give us hearts that easily respond to the sufferings around
us, believing that when we help the needy and the
abandoned, we are actually serving You. Amen

Pray the DAILY PRAYER

 4

DAY THREE – 7 September

Jesus suffers humiliation

Jesus, you manifested Your power through Your miracles

but in carrying the Cross, You showed that God preferred
to be humility than to be conquest.
You were beaten and spat upon, mocked and derided.
You suffered humiliation for love of all as You struggled
under the weight of the heavy Cross.
You did this to show Your oneness with the powerless of
the earth.
You took the side of the helpless and You shamed 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 relationships with all.
Amen.

Pray the DAILY PRAYER

 5

DAY FOUR – 8 September

The compassion of the suffering Christ

Jesus our Christ, whilst You hung on the cross,

You forgave those who were laughing at You and asked
Your beloved disciple to take care of Your mother.
You welcomed the good thief into paradise.
You continued to be compassionate and serve others fully.
You did not allow the terrible pain to hinder Your love.
Give us the special grace not to be desperate in our
moments of sufferings.
Enable us to bear pain with courage and dignity, to, even in
the midst of pain, to be of help and service to others. Amen

Pray the DAILY PRAYER

 6

DAY FIVE – 9 September

Patience and Silence in Suffering

Jesus, You hung on the cross of three hours and Your

executioners insulted You, saying that You cannot save
Yourself and others.
You could have used Your powers but preferred to keep
silent and bear the insults of Your enemies.

Teach us the virtue of patience as we bear the insults and

harsh words of people who don’t like us.
Inspire us to respond with silence and give us the grace that
we may be able to pray for them.
In this way, through our patience, we help You redeem our
troubled world. Amen

Pray the DAILY PRAYER

 7

DAY SIX – 10 September

Redemptive Suffering

Jesus, Your mother and other women surrounded You

while you were dying on the cross.
Your mother nonetheless accepted this agony, believing
that this was part of the divine plan, that God had the power
to draw good from this terrible experience of failure.
Your mother’s faith in You inspires us.
We pray for her intercession as we face situations of failure
and suffering.
We know that You are always with us and so we pray for
the grace to face with courage, our trials and hardships, and
offer our sufferings in union with Yours.
Please strengthen our faith as we live through the
difficulties and uncertainties of this life. Amen.

Pray the DAILY PRAYER

 8

DAY SEVEN – 11 September

Total Offering

Jesus our Lord, You refused to drink the vinegar offered by

the soldiers.
We know that this offering was to alleviate Your sufferings
because this drink lessens the pain, acting as anesthesia.
You refused as You wanted to feel the pain throughout the
time You hung on the cross.
You did not want to lessen Your sacrifice.
Help us, O Lord, to bear the pains of everyday life.
Let us savour our sufferings so that we may be able to live
Your Holy Cross.
Inspire us not to run away but to accept and experience
all our sufferings and pain as proof of our love for You
and as reparation for our sins and the sins of the whole
world.
Help us live our pain, help us to live Your Holy Cross.
Amen.

Pray the DAILY PRAYER

 9

DAY EIGHT – 12 September

Death is Vanquished

Lord Jesus, you broke the power of death through the cross.
You are the first born from the dead.
Teach us then to accept our fears, pains and sufferings,
uniting them to your passion and death on the cross.
Give us the grace to believe that You always draw good
from evil.
You are a powerful God because even in our most
frightening times, even in our gravest suffering, even death
itself, You have gone before to vanquish all!

Pray the DAILY PRAYER

 10

DAY NINE – 13 September

Eternal Love

Lord Jesus, Your cross manifested Your decision to always

do the Father’s will.
That God you revealed shines so resplendently on the Holy
Cross.
It is a God who loves because He is pure love.
On the Holy Cross, You gave everything – Your life.
By Your self-giving, we have been redeemed.
May our veneration of Your Holy Cross enable us to live
the challenge of love, that we, too, may learn to trust, to
understand and to forgive.
That we may remove from our hearts, hatred, mistrust and
resentment and be like You, a total gift of self.
May Your Holy Cross lead us to life and communion with
our brothers and sisters. Amen.

Pray the DAILY PRAYER