Friday, June 29, 2007

The Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ

This Sunday, July 1st, will be the Feast of the Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. I do plan to post a sermon within the next 24 hours, or so. For now, here are the words of a hymn from 18th century Italy (a shorter version of which is Hymn 335 in the 1940 Hymnal) attributed to S. Alfonso and translated by Edward Caswall.

A meditation on this may help to prepare for the feast:

Glory be to Jesus,
Who, in bitter pains,
Poured for me the lifeblood
From His sacred veins!

Grace and life eternal
In that blood I find;
Blest be His compassion,
Infinitely kind.

Blest through endless ages
Be the precious stream
Which from endless torments
Doth the world redeem.

Abel’s blood for vengeance
Pleaded to the skies;
But the blood of Jesus
For our pardon cries.

Oft as it is sprinkled
On our guilty hearts,
Satan in confusion
Terror struck departs.

Oft as earth exulting
Wafts its praise on high,
Angel hosts, rejoicing,
Make their glad reply.

Lift we then our voices,
Swell the mighty flood;
Louder still and louder
Praise the precious blood!

1 comment:

Warwickensis said...

One of my favourite hymns, Fr. Hart.

Very simple yet containing much theology which many churches seem to ignore. Why don't they write hymns like this any more?