A Wednesday Hymn

Rerum Creator optime

Creator, blest, thy servant’s guide,
Hear us, who in thy help confide
To set us free from sinful rest,
And slumber which thou has not blest.

To thee, All-Holy Christ, we pray
That thou wouldst turn thine eyes away
From all the sins we meekly own
By these our vigils at thy throne.

We lift our hearts, we lift our hands;
Such are the Psalmist’s sage commands:
By word they taught; but blessed Paul
By very deed exhorts us all.

Our former sins before thee lie,
Our secrets are beneath thine eye;
We pour our earnest, tearful prayer,
That thou wouldst yet forgive, and spare.

O Father, that we ask be done
Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son,
Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee,
Shall live and reign eternally. Amen

Attributed to Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604)

Walking Musing

I walk a path and journey through life but often the path gets blocked by all kinds of debris, and I spend seasons of my journey walking in circles with a sense of confusion and wandering. My steps are slowed and stalled, or I may trip and collapse.  I strive for wholeness and communion with the divine, but I can’t quite get there.  I try to clean up the mess, remove the blockades but it’s too much for me.  I contemplate turning around, giving up or walking a different path all together. But I sense Emmanuel, the one who walks with me.  The one who understands the human journey better than anyone.  He clears the way and leads me on the path of life towards restoration, wholeness and intimacy with the divine.  In the midst of the blocking rubble, he sprouts a way of hope and peace.