THE 13TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY/THE EXULTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS (SEPT. 14TH)

A Contemporary Icon of Christ as the Good Samaritan

Liturgical Propers According to the Divine Liturgy of St. James in the use of the Ancient Church of the West

INTROIT

Psalm 74

Look, O Lord, upon the covenant, and forget not the congregation of the poor for ever. Arise, O God, maintain thine own cause, and be not unmindful of the voices of them that seek thee. O God, wherefore art thou absent from us so long, why is thy wrath so hot against the sheep in thy pasture? Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

COLLECTS

ALMIGHTY GOD, of whose only gift it cometh that thy faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: grant, we beseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that we fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises. Through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

ALMIGHTY GOD, who brought Cyprian to faith in Christ, made him a bishop in the Church and crowned his witness with a martyr's death: Grant that, after his example, we may love the Church and her teachings, find Thy forgiveness within her fellowship and so come to share the heavenly banquet Thou hast prepared for us; through Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord, Who livest and reignest with Thee, In the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.

ALMIGHTY GOD, Who didst will that, when Thy Son was lifted high upon the Cross, His Mother shouldest stand close by and share in His suffering; grant that Thy Church, participating with the Holy Virgin Mary in the Passion of Christ, may also partake in His Resurrection; through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who livest and reignest with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.

ALMIGHTY GOD, Who by the wondrous providence of thy servant Saint Helen didst make manifest unto the nations the saving Tree of the Cross, and didst consecrate the place of thy Son’s Passion and Resurrection with a temple meet for thy glory: Mercifully grant that we, ever glorying in that holy Sign lifted up in all the world, may triumph in the victory of Christ, and find redemption through his precious Blood; who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON

Leviticus 18–19

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the Lord your God. After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do, and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do, neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein. I am the Lord your God. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them. I am the Lord.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father, and keep my sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods. I am the Lord your God.

And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard. Thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger. I am the Lord your God. Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God. I am the Lord.

Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him. The wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God. I am the Lord. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment. Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty, but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people, neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour. I am the Lord.

Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart. Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. I am the Lord.

And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself. For ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measure of length, of weight, or of quantity. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin shall ye have. I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt. Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them. I am the Lord.

THE NEW TESTAMENT LESSON

2 Corinthians 5–6

If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed, but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings, by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report, as deceivers, and yet true, as unknown, and yet well known, as dying, and behold, we live, as chastened, and not killed, as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

THE EPISTLE

Galatians 3

Brethren: To Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made, and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid. For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

GRADUAL

Psalm 74 and 90

Look upon the covenant, O Lord, and forget not the congregation of the poor for ever. Arise, O God, maintain thine own cause. Remember how the foolish man blasphemeth thee daily. Alleluia, alleluia. Lord, thou hast been our refuge from one generation to another. Alleluia.

THE HOLY GOSPEL

St. Luke 10

At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see. For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

OFFERTORY

Psalm 31

My hope hath been in thee, O Lord. I have said, Thou art my God. My time is in thy hand.

SECRET

We beseech thee, O Lord, mercifully to look upon the oblation, which on thine holy altar we do present unto thee, that the same may be profitable unto us for the obtaining of thy pardon, and effectually avail for the increasing of the glory of thy Name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

COMMUNION

Wisdom 16

Thou didst send them bread from heaven, O Lord, able to content every man’s delight, and agreeing to every taste.

POSTCOMMUNION

Quicken us, O Lord, we pray thee, who have duly received these holy mysteries, that we may be cleansed from all our sins, and defended against all temptations. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.