September gives us a unique gift this year: the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross falls on a Sunday (September 14th). This feast always lands on the same date, but it is only every so often that it replaces a Sunday in Ordinary Time. How fitting, then, that throughout this month the Church’s readings again and again point us to the mystery of the Cross—our call to carry it, and Christ’s ultimate victory through it. We could almost call this September the “Month of the Holy Cross.”
To enter into this mystery more deeply, our parish will lift our voices in two familiar hymns—Lift High the Cross and When I Survey the Wondrous Cross—as well as one powerful new hymn: Praise to the Holiest in the Height.
This hymn was written by St. John Henry Newman, a great English convert and priest whose feast we celebrate on October 9th. Recently declared a Doctor of the Church, Newman left behind not only profound theological writings but also hymns and poetry that continue to move hearts today. Praise to the Holiest in the Height is one of his most beloved texts—simple in form, yet soaring in meaning.
In this “Month of the Holy Cross,” take a moment to pray through these words. They remind us that what seemed like Christ’s defeat—the Cross—was in fact the very place of His greatest triumph:
Praise to the Holiest in the Height
by St. John Henry Newman
Praise to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise:
In all His words most wonderful,
Most sure in all His ways!
O loving wisdom of our God!
When all was sin and shame,
A second Adam to the fight
And to the rescue came.
O wisest love! that flesh and blood,
Which did in Adam fail,
Should strive afresh against the foe,
Should strive and should prevail;
And that a higher gift than grace
Should flesh and blood refine,
God’s presence and His very self,
And essence all-divine.
O generous love! that He, who smote
In Man for man the foe,
The double agony in Man
For man should undergo;
And in the garden secretly,
And on the Cross on high,
Should teach His brethren, and inspire
To suffer and to die.
Praise to the Holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise:
In all His words most wonderful,
Most sure in all His ways!
May these hymns help us look upon the Cross not only as a union with Christ in suffering, but as the hope of salvation for the world.