LITURGY FOR THE LABARUM GUARD SAXA RUBA FEAST

OPENING

President: Please stand for the posting of the colors and Vow of the Order and remain standing for the invocation and prayers

All: Vow I acknowledge Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior, .....

Chaplain: Invocation We beseech thee, O Father, to send down upon us thy Holy Spirit to guide us in this assembly and bless all of our operations begun, continued, and ended in your Holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

SUMMARY OF THE LAW
President: Jesus said, You shall love the Lord your God .....

Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy

Let us pray the Prayer of the Order

All ALMIGHTY God, our Sovereign Lord, who called Cornelius....

The epistle is written in EUSEBIUS PAMPHILUS OF CAESAREA, THE LIFE OF THE BLESSED EMPEROR CONSTANTINE, beginning in CHAPTER XXVI:

CONSTANTINE regarded the entire world as one immense body, and perceived that the head of it all, the royal city of the Roman empire, was bowed down by the weight of a tyrannous oppression [under Co-Emperor Maxentius]; at first he had left the task of liberation to those who governed the other divisions of the empire, as being his superiors in point of age. But when none of these proved able to afford relief, and those who had attempted it had experienced a disastrous termination of their enterprise, he said that life was without enjoyment to him as long as he saw the imperial city thus afflicted, and prepared himself for the overthrowal of the tyranny...

BEING convinced, however, that he needed some more powerful aid than his military forces could afford him ... he sought Divine assistance, deeming the possession of arms and a numerous soldiery of secondary importance, but believing the co-operating power of Deity invincible and not to be shaken. ...

ACCORDINGLY he called on [God] with earnest prayer and supplications that he would reveal to him who he was, and stretch forth his right hand to help him in his present difficulties. And while he was thus praying with fervent entreaty, a most marvelous sign appeared to him from heaven, the account of which it might have been hard to believe had it been related by any other person. But since the victorious emperor himself long afterwards declared it to the writer of this history, when he was honored with his acquaintance and society, and confirmed his statement by an oath, who could hesitate to accredit the relation, especially since the testimony of after-time has established its truth? He said that about noon, when the day was already beginning to decline, he saw with his own eyes the trophy of a cross of light in the heavens, above the sun, and bearing the inscription,

CONQUER BY THIS.

At this sight he himself was struck with amazement, and his whole army also, which followed him on this expedition, and witnessed the miracle.... He said, moreover, that he doubted within himself what the import of this apparition could be. And while he continued to ponder and reason on its meaning, night suddenly came on; then in his sleep the Christ of God appeared to him with the same sign which he had seen in the heavens, and commanded him to make a likeness of that sign which he had seen in the heavens, and to use it as a safeguard in all engagements with his enemies.

AT dawn of day he arose, and communicated the marvel to his friends: and then, calling together the workers in gold and precious stones, he sat in the midst of them, and described to them the figure of the sign he had seen, bidding them represent it in gold and precious stones. And this representation I myself have had an opportunity of seeing.

NOW it was made in the following manner. A long spear, overlaid with gold, formed the figure of the cross by means of a transverse bar laid over it. On the top of the whole was fixed a wreath of gold and precious stones; and within this, the symbol of the Saviour's name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its centre: and these letters the emperor was in the habit of wearing on his helmet at a later period. From the cross-bar of the spear was suspended a cloth, a royal piece, covered with a profuse embroidery of most brilliant precious stones; and which, being also richly interlaced with gold, presented an indescribable degree of beauty to the beholder. ...

THE emperor constantly made use of this sign of salvation as a safeguard against every adverse and hostile power, and commanded that others similar to it should be carried at the head of all his armies.... These things were done shortly afterwards. But at the time above specified, being struck with amazement at the extraordinary vision, and resolving to worship no other God save Him who had appeared to him, he sent for those who were acquainted with the mysteries of His doctrines, and enquired who that God was, and what was intended by the sign of the vision he had seen. They affirmed that He was God, the only begotten Son of the one and only God: that the sign which had appeared was the symbol of immortality, and the trophy of that victory over death which He had gained in time past when sojourning on earth. They taught him also the causes of His advent, and explained to him the true account of His incarnation. Thus he was instructed in these matters, and was impressed with wonder at the divine manifestation which had been presented to his sight. Comparing, therefore, the heavenly vision with the interpretation given, he found his judgment confirmed; and, in the persuasion that the knowledge of these things had been imparted to him by Divine teaching, he determined thenceforth to devote himself to the reading of the Inspired writings. Moreover, he made the priests of God his counselors, and deemed it incumbent on him to honor the God who had appeared to him with all devotion. And after this, being fortified by well-grounded hopes in Him, he hastened to quench the threatening fire of tyranny...

ASSUMING therefore the Supreme God as his patron, and invoking His Christ to be his preserver and aid, and setting the victorious trophy, the salutary symbol, in front of his soldiers and body guard, he marched with his whole forces, trying to obtain again for the Romans the freedom they had inherited from their ancestors... MAXINTIUS, and the soldiers and guards with him, "went down into the depths like stone," when, in his flight before the divinely-aided forces of Constantine, he essayed to cross the river which lay in his way... giving way unexpectedly before the appointed time, the bridge began to sink, and the boats with the men in them went bodily to the bottom. And first the wretch himself, then his armed attendants and guards, even as the sacred oracles had before described, "sank as lead in the mighty waters"...

HAVING then at this time sung these and suchlike praises to God, the Ruler of all and the Author of victory, after the example of his great servant Moses, Constantine entered the imperial city in triumph. And here the whole body of the senate, and others of rank and distinction in the city, freed as it were from the restraint of a prison, along with the whole Roman populace, their countenances expressive of the gladness of their hearts, received him with acclamations and abounding joy; men, women, and children, with countless multitudes of servants, greeting him as deliverer, preserver, and benefactor, with incessant shouts. But he, being possessed of inward piety toward God, was neither rendered arrogant by these plaudits, nor uplifted by the praises he heard: but, being sensible that he had received help from God, he immediately rendered a thanksgiving to him as the Author of his victory...

MOREOVER, by loud proclamation and monumental inscriptions he made known to all men the salutary symbol, setting up this great trophy of victory over his enemies in the midst of the imperial city, and expressly causing it to be engraved in indelible characters, that the salutary symbol was the safeguard of the Roman government and of the entire empire. Accordingly, he immediately ordered a lofty spear in the figure of a cross to be placed beneath the hand of a statue representing himself, in the most frequented part of Rome, and the following inscription to be engraved on it in the Latin language:

BY VIRTUE OF THIS SALUTARY SIGN, WHICH IS THE TRUE TEST OF VALOR, I HAVE PRESERVED AND LIBERATED YOUR CITY FROM THE YOKE OF TYRANNY. I HAVE ALSO SET AT LIBERTY THE ROMAN SENATE AND PEOPLE, AND RESTORED THEM TO THEIR ANCIENT DISTINCTION AND SPLENDOR.

Here ends the epistle

Psalm 144 (sung or said responsively by full verse or in unison)

Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:

My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.

LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!

Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.

Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;

Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.

It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.

Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:

That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:

That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:

That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.

Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.

All: 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

The Gospel is written in the 12 Chapter of St. John beginning in the 31st verse:
Glory be to you O Lord

[Jesus said,] Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise be to you O Christ

HOMILY

Let us reaffirm our faith in the words of the ancient baptismal creed: the Forma Roma

All:
I BELIEVE in God the Father Omnipotent....

Bidding Prayers Good Christian centurions, I bid your prayers for our country, leaders, miliatry, and all the people, and for peace in our time.... Pray for the Church Militant, her ministers, missions, the Order of Centurions, and her members, and the salvation of all men that they may come to know Christ as Lord and Savior.... Pray for the needs of our families, fellow centurions, those to be received in the Labarum Guard and our own needs... Give thanks to God for his many blessings....

And now, let us collect our prayers and supplications boldly praying as our Lord taught us, saying...

OUR FATHER who is in heaven ....

Jesus said, peace I give to you, my own peace I leave with you.

Let us share the Peace of God with one another.

Chaplain: Let us pray: Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, for you have given us this bread to strengthen our bodies, and this drink to make our hearts glad. Bless, O Lord, this food for our use, and us for your service; through Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Agape Meal

INSTALLATION After the Agape Meal the installation of new guards, if any, may be conducted. Awards may be presented or other affairs of the Cohort.

President: Let us pray the Prayer of the Labarum Guard in unison.

ALMIGHTY God, Captain of the Host, .....

RETIRE THE COLORS

Benediction

Chaplain: As we conclude this observance of the vision of the Christos by Constantine and the Battle of Saxa Ruba, let us go forth praising God and doing what is right in his sight, and now may the Lord bless us and keep us, may His face shine upon us and be gracious to us, and may He lift up his countenance upon us and grant us peace. Amen

The formal portion of the feast and installation ends here