All: Lord Jesus Christ Your love for Your Father brought You to the Cross. We are gathered before this magnificent symbol of our faith to recall the events of Calvary and to thank you for your great sacrifice. We ask you to send us the Holy Spirit that we may be able to accept the truth that without sacrifice, we can never be Your disciples and without the Cross there is no glory. Lord Jesus Christ, today as we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, we Your children come into Your presence with crosses of wood, metal and plastic, which we venerate daily in our homes. We also present our invisible crosses of pain, anguish and anxiety to unite our sufferings with Yours and become sharers in the work of redemption, since You decreed that man should be saved through the wood of the Cross. Shower Your blessings on these objects and also on us. The Cross is the crossroad and meeting point between our sins and God’s forgiveness. Give us the special grace to bear the insults and harsh words of people who don’t like us and remove from our hearts hatred, mistrust and resentment to draw something good from evil situations of these days. When our hearts are restless, we march down the rough pathway that leads to Your Holy Cross where peace, peace, wonderful peace sweeps down in fathomless billows of love. Help us to lead a life as Yours to spread fragrance of love, unity, peace and harmony, so our turn to be exalted may follow. We make this prayer through Your Son our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen