7 Quick Takes: Seinfeld Spirituality

The shut down is over. Just when I was getting used to retired life!

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Much to my surprise, several super nice people read my Quick Takes last week. So I've decided that everyone who comments on (or just reads) my blog will be added to my book of prayers. Here it is relaxing in my prayer nook which, it turns out, is not a nook at all for it is not a corner or recess and does not offer seclusion or security. My prayer book is decorated with stickers commemorating satellite missions--All for the Glory of God!! ;o) Holy Mary, St. Monica, St. Anthony, and I will intercede for you each night--expect amazing things!

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My snazzy prayer book reminds me of His Holiness Benedict XVI, a great lover of science. Here is a small portion of his interview of the ISS crew. Cutest Pope EVER!! Now that he has some free time he should come visit NASA. Check out his Coat of Arms HERE--really interesting stuff!

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I've been scanning images from my old children's books and The Almost-Forgotten Teddy Bear by Ann Harler is a book that seems way more creepy to adult Sarah. I think Toy Story ruined it for me. This looks WAY too much like Sid's room. Spoiler alert: Teddy almost gave up on life but somehow made his way back into the light and avoided lifelong imprisonment with the misfit toys under the bed.

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This past weekend I went on an Opus Dei retreat for young professional women. The Opus Dei ladies leading the retreat were pretty much the opposite of the creepy albino guy from The Da Vinci Code in every way I can think of. I suggest that anyone wanting to know the truth about Opus Dei read John Allen's book. He covers the good, the bad, and the ugly. I guess any spiritual direction that is good enough for Scott Hahn is good enough for me.

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Part of the retreat focused on living a life of integrity, which is a goal that can be embraced by anyone. If I want to be respected at work and, therefore, avoid telling crude jokes then maybe I should seek to be equally well respected outside of work rather than allowing my mind to dive into the gutter. Rather than lower my standards whenever I can get away with it, why not always hold myself to the highest standard? Something to consider.

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Public Service Announcement: this item tastes like neither pumpkin nor cider. It tastes like ginger. If you like carbonated ginger juice then this is the product for you. You can find it at Aldi. Happy Fall!!

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My mom is on a spiritual retreat called Walk to Emmaus, which is apparently based on Cursillo. I've been told that Cursillo is pretty much the coolest thing in the whole world. So hopefully mom is experiencing a similar level of coolness this weekend. Anyway, I wrote a poem for her which I guess I can post here since she doesn't have internet access on the retreat. It's based on I Love You More Than Applesauce by Jack Prelutsky.

I love you more than internet,

Than Facebook and my blog,

Than cheap used books,

And knowing looks,

And going on a jog.

I love you more than power naps,

And caffeinated tea,

Than winter hats,

And fluffy cats,

And laughing til we pee.

I love you more than corned beef hash,

Than smashed up eggs on toast;

I love hugs and ladybugs,

But I love you the most.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 (moderately) Quick Takes

Since I'm horrible at communicating with long distance friends I'm starting 7 sort-of-Quick Takes on Fridays. I don't promise regularity or that the 7 takes will necessarily be from the last 7 days. 

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I have begun a two year formation period with the Lay Missionaries of Charity (LMCs)! This is an extension of the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The LMCs make annual vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and free and wholehearted service to the poorest of the poor. The formation period involves discernment (Am I really called to make vows as a Lay Missionary?), spiritual formation (Am I able to live by the statutes of the Lay Missionaries?), and integration (adoption into the lay community and closer collaboration with the Missionary of Charity Sisters). In other words, a lot more of this.

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The Sisters asked me to stay and serve dinner to the residents after our September LMC meeting. The Gift of Hope houses roughly 10 men, many of whom were previously homeless, suffering from HIV/AIDS and a myriad of other ailments. Fortunately the guys are good at helping each other because I must have been the slowest volunteer they've seen in a while. Fortunately Albert, one of the LMCs, was there to supervise the house for the night and helped serve while the guys continued to ask me, "Have you been here before??" But I must have served well enough because the Sisters allowed me to come back and serve breakfast during the shutdown. The guys were a little slower moving early in the morning so I was able to keep up.

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As we cleaned up after dinner, Albert began to explain the Sisters' view of the vow of poverty. Not only do the Sisters try not to own or spend money on anything they don't absolutely need, but they also live in the spirit of poverty. They want to be united to the poor in their suffering, something that makes little sense without an understanding of spiritual communion. However, the Sisters also claim that the more "comfortable" we are, the less we think about the poor. So the Sisters try to use hot water as little as possible, wash and reuse everything including foil and plastic bags, and turn down even hand-me-down donations of things like electric mixers--"We do this by hand." Good thing I've got two full years of formation!

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One Sunday the Sisters needed a ride to Mass and I readily agreed. Turns out the Mass was of the Syro-Malabar Rite and was celebrated by the Cardinal from that Rite. Pretty neat experience but 3 hours long! Fortunately the other Latin Riters next to me, who had driven the Missionaries of Charity from Gift of Peace in DC, were just as incapable of following the translation in the book since we had no clue how the swirly written language related to the syllables that were uttered.

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Perhaps inspired by Pope Francis' example of how to live a vow of poverty, I decided to downgrade from my apartment. Why spend three times as much money on rent when I live alone and would be perfectly happy renting the master bedroom in a Cape Cod style house with a young couple and their baby and two cats? And PERFECT timing. I was able to weather the government shutdown.

I have a new friend named Lion Heart. Or is it Lionheart? Anyway, Charlamagne is not quite my friend because he's much crazier. But he is also orange.

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The shutdown gave me extra time to check out the new neighborhood. One day I visited the Belair Stable Museum which is far more entertaining than I expected. Who knew that Gallant Fox is not just the name of a street near McDonald's but also the name of a triumphant racehorse? His brother Fighting Fox was apparently quite a stud too. Most interesting was the history of black jockeys in the 1800s.

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The other day (and by the other day I mean three weeks ago), I was grabbing something from the back seat of my car and noticed an old cigarette butt on the floor. Eventually I remembered that while walking through Baltimore with FrC one night, a homeless man asked for prayer and a ride to the hospital. Of course, FrC jumped at the opportunity (in his mind, the privilege) to give this man a ride somewhere. On the way to the car he informed me that I would be driving the three of us, which was surely my penance for calling him a maniac Baltimore driver. Some time between picking up Aaron on the street corner and leaving him at the ER the cigarette butt must have fallen on my floor. As I picked it up I thought that if I could only bring FrC with me wherever I go then I might seem like a compassionate person.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

St. Francis of Assisi.

St. Francis was a small and lithe Italian who lived during the middle ages (1181-1226).  He was a courteous man, often praised for his impeccable manners, but he was also spontaneous and full of energy.  In having nothing, St. Francis was the freest man who ever lived. In Chesterton's book on Thomas Aquinas he describes St. Francis:

"St. Francis was a lean and lively little man; thin as a thread and vibrant as a bowstring; and in his motions like an arrow from the bow.  All his life was a series of plunges and scampers; darting after the beggar, dashing naked into the woods, tossing himself into the strange ship, hurling himself into the Sultan's tent and offering to hurl himself into the fire.  In appearance he must have been like a thin brown skeleton autumn leaf dancing eternally before the wind; but in truth it was he that was the wind."

If St. Francis resembles Christ, then Christ resembles St. Francis.

The Triumph of the Cross

Yesterday was the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which is apparently a much bigger deal in the Orthodox Church. This is probably because it was inspired by the Emperor Constantine's mother, Helen, finding the remains of the cross used to crucify "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews." At least that's the story. But it's a big enough feast in the Catholic Church to get me musing about the triumph of the cross. This is probably boring, so I should mention that at the very bottom there is an awesome excerpt from a letter about the gruesome torture of early Christian martyrs.

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How radiant is that precious cross which brought us our salvation. In the cross we are victorious, through the cross we shall reign, by the cross all evil is destroyed, alleluia.

[Morning Prayer, Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, Antiphon 3]

This life is an epic spiritual battle between forces of good and evil. But Jesus has already won the battle for us.

God did not create sin or evil or death but rather creatures capable, by an act of free will, to choose sin and commit evil deeds. Sin always results from a turning away from God and, therefore, "is nothing short of cooperation with evil, a willful act of assent to the force that wishes to destroy every good thing and leave nothing but death and destruction in its wake." [Conversion Diary] This communion with evil rather than good is a poison that brings death.

The role of Jesus is not to step in and free humanity from any responsibility for our actions, even though our collective sins cause the innocent to suffer. In fact, Jesus is the greatest example of a suffering innocent. Jesus does not remove all Earthly suffering. It's wrong to think that if I'm faithful enough I will never enduring suffering (and certainly not unjust suffering!). Jesus himself said, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." [Luke 9:23] In fact, Jesus insists that anyone who wants to follow him needs to start suffering.

It is wrong to think that if I just pray often enough, or loudly enough, or with enough emotion God will always give me what I want. To expect that I will receive whatever I want if I just believe that God will give it to me is not Christian thinking. It is the type of new age spirituality touted by The Secret. Instead, when we look to Jesus, we find that he himself prayed, "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." [Luke 22:42] Let's just say the cup was not removed…

The plans of God are all ordered toward the salvation of souls. Sometimes it's easy to see the spiritual goods that come out of suffering. But sometimes the goods are hidden and all we can see is fruitless anguish. In the Old Testament, Job demanded that God provide an answer as to why he was suffering. God replied with many more questions: "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth??? Tell me, if you have understanding." Job finally got the message: "I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know." Sometimes it's just too much to comprehend.

John Lennon may have imagined a world with "no religion" and "all the people living in peace." However, from the Christian point of view this is nothing but mystical wishful thinking. We work toward alleviating suffering because we love our neighbors, not out of a hubristic expectation that we can create heaven on Earth (if only there were no religion and everybody drove Volvos and never criticized anyone and only bathed once per week and so on and so on).

So what was the role of Jesus if not to prevent sin and evil? The role of Jesus is to restore us to perfect communion with God--i.e. redemption, regaining possession of the ultimate good. The result is becoming what God created me to be, which is free from sin and death. That is the ultimate prize, and something that clearly doesn't come to fruition in this life.

Sin results from disobedience to God's ways. As St. Paul explained so well in Romans, no human being was capable of perfect obedience to God's laws, and so everybody was condemned. God became man to fulfill the requirement of perfect obedience. And so Jesus is the only person who can enter Heaven (perfect union with God) by his own merit. By obedience he atoned for the sins of mankind. "As one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men." [Romans 5:18] Through communion with Jesus in his human nature we are also in communion with Jesus in his Divine nature and, therefore, achieve communion with God. Freedom from death without communion with God is a curse. As St. Ambrose said, "Without the assistance of grace, immortality is more of a burden than a blessing."

Theologians argue as to whether or not Jesus had to be crucified in order to restore that communion. Archbishop Fulton Sheen said that by taking his first breath as a baby he had saved the world. Couldn't he have been perfectly obedient to God in his carpenter shop until dying of old age? But the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate triumph of good over evil. The cross mocks the devil because his plan backfired.

Think about it. The devil tempted humanity to turn away from God and to serve worldly gods, seeking passing goods rather than eternal ones. Then God decided to be born as a human being, limiting himself (as St. Paul said, Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped) so that he can interact directly with his creatures on the worldly/temporal level. But the devil was able to foil God's plan again, by manipulating the humans into committing the worst possible evil. They decided to kill God! (Now Jesus was not "killed" so much as gave up his spirit when the Father decided it was time, but as far as the humans were concerned they were killing Jesus.) It was not until the evil deed was done that the centurion finally realized its severity, as he exclaimed "Truly, this man was the Son of God!" [Mark 15:39] And for about three days the devil must have been elated. But then somehow Jesus was alive as if nothing had happened. He was different because he could walk through walls, but he was alive and could eat and run and hug his friends. And he promised the same to anyone who came after him so long as they are his friends (something he himself will judge). That is the good news that people are willing to proclaim even under penalty of death. This is what allowed the martyrs to face death without fear.*** They were eager for the eternal reward!

In the Triumph of the Cross, we see that even the worst sin can be forgiven and every evil transformed into a greater good. It's a transformation rather than a manipulation. Every suffering is a mini crucifixion through which we can be transformed by suffering, dying, and rising. "Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." [Hebrews 12:1-2]

For the joy set before us, let us endure the cross, despising the shame, and run the race with perseverance until we too are seated at the right hand of the throne of God!

***From a letter by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr (from the Divine Office, OOR August 13):

With what praises can I extol you, most valiant brothers? What words can I find to proclaim and celebrate your brave hearts and your persevering faith? Examined under the fiercest torture, you held out until your ordeal was consummated in glory; it was not you who yielded to the torments but rather the torments that yielded to you. No respite from pain was allowed by the instruments of your torture, but your very crowning signaled the end of pain. The cruel butchery was permitted to last the longer, not so that it might overthrow the faith that stood so firm, but rather that it might dispatch you, men of God, more speedily to the Lord.

The crowd in wonder watched God’s heavenly contest, this spiritual battle that was Christ’s. They saw his servants standing firm, free in speech, undefiled in heart, endowed with supernatural courage, naked and bereft of the weapons of this world, but as believers equipped with the arms of faith. Tortured men stood there stronger than their torturers; battered and lacerated limbs triumphed over clubs and claws that tore them.

Savage and prolonged beating could not overcome such invincible faith, even when the bodies of God’s servants were so mangled that no whole members were left to suffer punishment, but only wounds remained. Enough blood flowed to quench the fire of persecution, a glorious river to cool even the burning heat of hell. What a divine display it was, how sublime and magnificent! How pleasing did the sworn allegiance and loyalty of his soldiers render the dead in God’s sight! In the psalms, where the Holy Spirit speaks to us and counsels us, it is written: Precious in the sight of God is the death of his holy ones. Rightly is that death called “precious,” for at the price of blood it purchased immortality and won God’s crown through the ultimate act of courage.

How happy Christ was to be there, how gladly he fought and conquered in such servants! He protects their faith and gives strength to believers in proportion to the trust that each man who receives that strength is willing to place in him. Christ was there to wage his own battle; he aroused the soldiers who fought for his name; he made them spirited and strong. And he who once for all has conquered death for us, now continually conquers in us.

The disorderly chasuble.

These head holes are rather ornate, therefore
the men are not wearing chasubles. QED

When a person believes in Divine Providence, or any sort of supernaturally ordered universe, ordinary events take on special meaning.

One day I was driving to Mass and, glancing at my clock, saw that it was virtually impossible to get there on time. And I hate being late, especially for Mass. But on this particular day I was really not looking forward to the walk of shame, having to traipse past the priest while scanning the crowd for the last empty pew. Some people don't seem to mind walking in late, and perhaps that's because they have good reasons. But I never have a good reason. I always could have set my alarm clock a few minutes earlier, or gotten dressed a little faster or forgone watching that obscure Youtube video a friend posted on Facebook. Anyway, I really hate being late.

So, yet again, I started calmly but purposefully praying that somehow things would work out in my favor so that I could get in before the priest. (No, I am not above asking God to free me from the consequences of my foibles.) I pulled into the parking lot and as I walked toward the church I saw the priest ahead of me and knew I was just a little bit too late--RATS!!--but then another man stopped him!! I looked long enough to see the man adjusting Father's unruly chasuble*, delaying him enough for me to sneak in first. So I was able to make it to a pew shortly before the dinner bell rang to signal everyone to stand up for the entrance antiphon. (The bell probably has a more official name, but they didn't teach us that in Jesus Class.)

And I was struck by how strange it is that, again and again, I arrive somewhere exactly on time. If I had been stopped at one more or one fewer traffic light I would not have been perfectly punctual. Now, until I have time to perform a rigorous statistical study, I'll go ahead and assume that this perceived punctuality is quite significant and surely indicates Divine Intervention. Is it not the American way to persist in one's assumptions for as long as convenient? At any rate, I'd like to thank God for disorderly chasubles!

*According to my laptop dictionary, a chasuble is "a sleeveless outer vestment worn by a Catholic or High Anglican priest when celebrating Mass, typically ornate and having a simple hole for the head." Note to self: the head hole is NOT ornate. It is simple.

"God is good and the light is bright!"

Fr. Charles J. Canterna
photo by Clarence B.Garrett, 1978
from "Street Priest" by Dan Rodricks
in Marylanders of the Century

Father Chuck Canterna shares Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s beliefs of equality, non-violence and a deep faith in God with all his heart. To Father Chuck, who is a prison chaplain, everyone is equal in God’s eyes, even the worse (sic) criminals. He rejects violence in favor of love. His faith in God is the basis that helps him love everyone equally and to live non-violently, even in the most violent of places.
--Keegan Knox's submission, finalist in Baltimore's Champions of Courage

“I plant the seeds, God does the watering.” “The first three I approach might reject me,” says Chuck. “And then the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the ninth. But then the 10^th—that guy might be open to God, open to the Spirit. He might respond. I might be able to get him to go inside himself and find meaning and purpose to his life, and maybe a light comes on and the guy finds the Spirit. I’m just there to help him connect to the Spirit."
--"Street priest" by Dan Rodricks, Marylanders of the Century

Woman, the gateway to eternity.

Us Baltimore bridesmaids were talking with a new friend at the rehearsal dinner and I was reminded of a post that I wanted to write for Mother’s Day. Since I was actually home for Mother’s Day this year I missed that deadline. But it’s still Mother’s Day month and the month specially devoted to Our Blessed Mother Mary, so Happy Belated Mother’s Day! This post is about how being a good mother is the greatest thing a woman can ever do.

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These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. “Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.” Acts 1:14, 21-22

Women are capable of spiritually counseling others and, although some might not believe it, many women are capable of keeping secrets. Women can be very prayerful and, in today’s world, seem to be the more naturally spiritual gender. (Silly, since every person is spiritual by nature.) Women are obviously capable of saying the words that the Priest says during consecration. If a woman is physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually capable of doing what the Priest does then why can’t she be a Catholic Priest?? 

Because it’s not her role. It’s a special role that God gave only to men.

The Twelve Apostles

Well that’s not fair. Everything I get to do at the Mass men can do too (lectoring, distributing communion, cantoring, etc.) but I can’t do everything the men can do. So I’m taking a back seat. I’m stuck in a subordinate role; subservient since the bishops are the teaching authorities of the Church. So yeah…. see how the Catholic Church oppresses women? Jesus may have ordained only men, but that was back when women were property. We’ve been liberated and I want a Church that empowers women!

HOLD ON. Without getting into the theology of why the Catholic Priesthood is a male vocation (John Paul II gave a superficial explanation in Odinatio Sacerdotalis), we can reasonably say “Ok, so if this is a gender thing, then why don’t we women have our own special role in the Church??”

We do. And it’s a special role that God gave only to women.

Does anyone know what it is?

Our Lady of the Laundry

It’s called MOTHERHOOD!
    

Only a woman can conceive and give birth to a child. In a healthy family, the father takes a back seat to the mother, dutifully assisting as life develops within her. Without mothers there would be no priests. Without Mother Mary there would have been no Jesus.

This is why the Catholic Church venerates the Blessed Virgin Mary, the most perfect of God’s creatures. With her free will she said yes to God and became the Mother of the Savior. As a friend explained it, God could have chosen any way to become incarnate in the world. (In fact, we might have expected Him to fashion an adult body for Himself, from nothing.) And yet he decided to be born. He chose a woman to be his gateway into this world, thereby elevating Motherhood to the woman’s most important role. "When you became man to set us free you did not spurn the Virgin's womb."

Our Lady of the Eucharist

  
“If he had wanted simply to be seen, he could indeed have taken another, and nobler, body. Instead, he took our body in its reality. Within the Virgin he built himself a temple, that is, a body; he made it his own instrument in which to dwell and to reveal himself. In this way he received from mankind a body like our own, and, since all were subject to the corruption of death, he delivered this body over to death for all, and with supreme love offered it to the Father.” –St. Athanasius

To the orthodox Catholic, a woman being ordained to the priesthood is as unnatural as a man being impregnated and giving birth to a child. We may try to force God’s hand by “ordaining” women or developing Junior-esque technology to impregnate a man, but that does not make it natural or right.

But wait…. motherhood is great and all, but shouldn’t women have a role in the Church?

One of the consequences of our human weakness is that we separate our life into two categories: spiritual and non-spiritual. In the spiritual box are my time at Church, my daily prayer, maybe some volunteer work and a few other things. In my non-spiritual box are things like work, recreation, chores, family time, etc. The problem is that everything should be in the spiritual box. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

The mystical Body of Christ, the Church, is a living organism composed of many members. The living Church consists of every Baptized member and the life of the Church extends into everything that we do. This is why a Catholic business owner can’t just set aside his/her faith and provide birth control to employees because it’s not happening within the church. It may not be happening within a church but it is happening within the Church.

The Church is the Bride of Christ. The two are of one flesh.

So to me, the role of Mother is tied with Priest for “most important role” in the Church.

 

As a society we’ve become somewhat ungrateful toward mothers and we often see motherhood as a burden. We want to relieve mothers from as much mothering as we possibly can so that they are free to do other more important things. I’m not against childcare, but there is a strange push for mothers to gain ever greater independence from their children. Sometimes we cynically scoff when a mother says that giving birth to her children was the most important thing she has ever done. We scream about overpopulation and abort and sterilize and contracept and ‘plan’ our parenthood down to unsustainable birth rates below the population replacement level. We spend our tax money on ‘preventative care’ to eliminate the threat of pregnancy. And we are offended when our culture is referred to as a culture of death. But could anyone call this a culture of life?

Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path. Isaiah 3:12

For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' Luke 23:29

These are warnings. When our Priests lead us astray, young people are out of control, and women feel the need to take over there is something wrong. When pregnancy becomes a curse and more and more women prefer to remain childless we have problems. We don’t need men to mother children and women to serve as Priests. We need strong, traditional male priests and devoted, natural mothers.

It's not every day you get to have your picture taken
with Jesus and a bunch of Vietnamese people!

All Baptized persons are part of the royal priesthood. My mom didn’t have to be ordained to be my first priest. My mom taught me what forgiveness looks like. And she taught me how to love. Thank you, mom, for having the courage and hope to give me a chance when doctors advised you to terminate the pregnancy. I’m alive because, whether you realized it or not, you chose to leave things in God’s hands. Go mom!!

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A Poem for the Third Sunday after Easter, by John Keble

[A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.--St. John xvi. 21.]

Well may I guess and feel
Why Autumn should be sad;
But vernal airs should sorrow heal,
Spring should be gay and glad:
Yet as along this violet bank I rove,
The languid sweetness seems to choke my breath,
I sit me down beside the hazel grove,
And sigh, and half could wish my weariness were death.

Like a bright veering cloud
Grey blossoms twinkle there,
Warbles around a busy crowd
Of larks in purest air.
Shame on the heart that dreams of blessings gone,
Or wakes the spectral forms of woe and crime,
When nature sings of joy and hope alone,
Reading her cheerful lesson in her own sweet time.

Nor let the proud heart say,
In her self-torturing hour,
The travail pangs must have their way,
The aching brow must lower.
To us long since the glorious Child is born
Our throes should be forgot, or only seem
Like a sad vision told for joy at morn,
For joy that we have waked and found it but a dream.

Mysterious to all thought
A mother’s prime of bliss,
When to her eager lips is brought
Her infant’s thrilling kiss.
O never shall it set, the sacred light
Which dawns that moment on her tender gaze,
In the eternal distance blending bright
Her darling’s hope and hers, for love and joy and praise.

No need for her to weep
Like Thracian wives of yore,
Save when in rapture still and deep
Her thankful heart runs o’er.
They mourned to trust their treasure on the main,
Sure of the storm, unknowing of their guide:
Welcome to her the peril and the pain,
For well she knows the bonus where they may safely hide.

She joys that one is born
Into a world forgiven,
Her Father’s household to adorn,
And dwell with her in Heaven.
So have I seen, in Spring’s bewitching hour,
When the glad Earth is offering all her best,
Some gentle maid bend o’er a cherished flower,
And wish it worthier on a Parent’s heart to rest.