As we approach the coming feasts of the Exaltation of the Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows on September 14th and 15th respectively, preparation can help us in due celebration. One of the great things we can do to commemorate the feasts on the liturgical calendar is listening to chants or hymns that pertain to the feast day. For the Exaltation of the Cross, it is appropriate to listen to hymns that specifically talk about the Lord’s sacrifice on the cross as well as his triumph as king over sin and death from the cross. As for the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, which follows on the heels of the Exaltation of the Cross (and the entire month of September is traditionally dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows!) it is appropriate to listen to chants and hymns that meditate on Mary as the Sorrowful Mother watching her innocent son suffer and die. Below is a list (certainly not definitive) of some hymns and chants to listen to on these solemn feast days to meditate more deeply on mysteries of the patient, generous, and sacrificial love of Our Lord and Our Lady. 

Click the links in each title to listen to beautiful renditions of every hymn or chant. 
 

Hymns for the Exaltation of the Cross

1.Lift High the Cross 

This hymn is truly the epitome of the celebration of the Exaltation of the Cross - it boldly proclaims with joy and wonder the triumph accomplished through the very suffering and death of Our Lord. The refrain especially emphasizes the evangelical nature of our faith in the Crucified Lord, "Lift high the Cross/ the love of Christ proclaim/ til the world/ adore His sacred name." 

2. Nos Autem 

Nos autem is the traditional chant written for the Introit on Holy Thursday. The English text reads, "But it behoves us to glory in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ: in whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection; by whom we are saved and delivered. May God have mercy on us, and bless us; may he cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us." We are called upon to glory in the very cross of Christ, which was the means for our salvation. 

3. Crown Him with Many Crowns 

This hymn is also one of triumph. Although it emphasizes in a particular way Christ's glory from his throne in heaven, there is also a great call to remember his enthronement on the cross. It is a reminder that God alone can draw beauty out of suffering as the third verse reads, "Crown Him the Lord of Love: behold His hands and side;/Rich wounds yet visible above in beauty glorified:/ No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight, / But downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright."

4. What Wondrous Love is This?

This popular and simple hymn poignantly draws the singer to contemplate very directly how Christ's sacrifice impacts his own soul and salvation. 

5. Crux fidelis

Crux fidelis is a chant that goes back to the 6th century. It has been sung by the faithful for centuries during Lent in particular. There are a whopping 10 beautiful verses, all of whose words are rich with meditation and worthy to take the time to read. It begins with meditating on the sin of Adam, then Christ's incarnation, and culminates in his redemptive sacrifice on the cross. The refrain is breathtaking in its reflection on the wood of the cross, "Faithful Cross the Saints rely on, / Noble tree beyond compare!/ Never was there such a scion, / Never leaf or flower so rare. / Sweet the timber, sweet the iron, / Sweet the burden that they bear!" 

Hymns for Our Lady of Sorrows 

1. Stabat Mater

The Stabat mater is the Latin text for the well known chant used during the Stations of the Cross in Lent. It follows Our Lady as she witnesses the suffering of her son on the way to Calvary. A previous blog post on the text in full can be found here.

2. Felices Sensus 

This is a traditonal chant for the Communion prayer for the Friday in Passion Week, and is also used traditionally for the Communion prayer on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. The text reads, "Happy the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which without dying earned the palm of martyrdom beneath the Cross of our Lord." The emphasis on Mary's bloodless martyrdom calls to mind the tradtional teaching of the Church that Mary experienced no labor pains when Jesus was born but all of the sorrow and suffering a mother could undergo in labor was reserved for her until her son's passion and death. 

3. Come and Mourn with Me a While

This hymn, written by 19th century English priest Fr. Faber, is a poignant call to come and behold with Mary the crucified Lord, "O come and mourn with me awhile; / See, Mary calls us to her side;/ O come and let us mourn with her;/ Jesus, our Love, is crucified!" 

4. What a Sea of Tears and Sorrows

This hymn meditates on what Mary must have felt and suffered as she cradled the dead body of her Son after he was taken down from the cross, "Oh, that Mournful Virgin Mother! / See her tears how fast they flow/ Down upon His mangled body,/ Wounded side, and thorny brow;/ While His hands and feet she kisses –/Picture of immortal woe." 

5. O Mother Most Afflicted

This traditional hymn also emphasizes the martyrdom of Mary and the singer begs to become a child of Mary in and through her affliction. The fourth verse reads, "O Mary! Queen of Martyrs,/ The sword had pierced thy heart,/ Obtain for us of Jesus/ In thy grief to bear apart." 

O Jesus, have mercy on us! 

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!