Hymn of Goodness

I fall in adoration at Your feet, Lord!

I thank You, God of goodness;

God of holiness, I invoke You,

on my knees, in Your sight

For me, an unworthy sinner,

You have willed to undergo the death of the Cross,

setting me free from the bonds of evil.

What shall I offer You in return for Your generosity?

Glory to You, friend of man!

Glory to You, most merciful!

Glory to You, most patient!

Glory to You, Who forgive sin!

Glory to You, Who have come to save us!

Glory to You, Who have been made man in the womb of a Virgin!

Glory to You, Who have been bound!

Glory to You, Who have been scourged!

Glory to You, Who have been derided!

Glory to You, Who have been nailed to the Cross!

Glory to You, laid in the sepulcher, but risen again!

Glory to You, Who have preached the Gospel to men and have been believed!

Glory to You, Who have ascended to Heaven!

Glory to You, seated at the right hand of the Father,

and Who will return with Him, in majesty, among the angels, to judge

those who have disregarded your Passion!

The powers of Heaven will be shaken;

all the angels and archangels, the cherubim and seraphim

will appear in fear and trembling before Your glory;

the foundations of the earth will quake

and all that has life will cry out before Your majesty.

In that hour, let Your hand draw me beneath Your wings,

and save me from the terrible fire, from the gnashing of teeth,

from the outer darkness and from despair without end.

That I may sing to Your glory:

Glory to Him Who through His merciful goodness

has designed to redeem the sinner.

Make haste then and be ready ...

Holy Tuesday
Matthew 22:15-46; 23:1-39; Matthew 24:36-51; 25:1-46; 26:1-2

- Make haste then and be ready -

 

What return can we make
for all this, brethren?

Let us be attentive to ourselves
and not despise his sufferings.


Draw near all of you,
children of the Church,
bought with the precious
and holy blood
of the most pure Master.

Come, let us meditate
on his sufferings with tears,
thinking on fear,
meditating with trembling,
saying to ourselves,

‘Christ our Saviour
for us the impious
was given over to death’.


Learn well, brother,
what it is you hear:
God who is without sin,
Son of the Most High,
for you was given up.


Open your heart,
learn in detail
his sufferings
and say to yourself:

God who is without sin
today was given up,
today was mocked,
today was abused,
today was struck,
today was scourged,
today wore
a crown of thorns,
today was crucified,

HE

the heavenly Lamb.
 

Your heart will tremble,
your soul will shudder.

Shed tears every day
by this meditation
on the Master’s sufferings.

Tears become sweet,
the soul is enlightened
that always meditates
on Christ’s sufferings.

Hattip: Discourse on the Passion of the Savior by St. Ephraim the Syrian from the Preachers Institute.

Real Humility is this:

To consider oneself to be
the most sinful of all sinners
and that one has done nothing good before God.

The blame to oneself at every opportunity
and in any place and in every act

Not blaming anyone else
or thinking that there is someone on earth
more wretched or sinful than you
but to praise everyone
and to glorify them at times.

Never criticize or humiliate
or backbite someone ever.

Always keeping silence and not saying something
without being told to or without some urgent need.

…. To speak or to answer calmly, quietly and rarely
as though being forced and ashamed to speak.

Not measuring oneself against anything.

Not quarreling with anyone,

… But if the other speaks correctly, simply say yes
But if they are mistaken, say “you know!”

to be obedient
and to hate one’s own  will.

One’s eyes were always turned down.

To have death before one’s eyes

Not saying unhelpful and unnecessary words

or talk nonsense or to lie.

Not talking back to elders

Happy to endure insults,

humiliations, punishments.

The rest to hate comfort and to love hard work

Not vexing someone

or hurting their conscience.

Blessed is he who has humility

because from here one becomes a home and temple of God!

And God resides in you

and you became heir to the Kingdom of Heaven!

-- St. Ephraim the Syrian

Hattip: Monastery of Ipseni, Britain.

Compassion on the thief

Hymn VIII.01.

There came to my ear

   from the Scripture which had not been read

a word that caused me joy

   on the subject of the Thief;

it gave comfort to my soul

   amidst the multitude of its vices,

telling how He had compassion on the Thief.

   O may He bring me too

into that Garden at the sound of whose name

   I am overwhelmed by joy;

my mind bursts it reins

   as it goes forth to contemplate Him.

Response: Hold me worthy that we may become heirs in Your Kingdom.

A tribute to St Ephrem the Syrian - Jan 28

Hymn I.15.
Woe to him who tries to hide
   his shameful deeds in the dark,
who does wrong and then tries to deceive
   those who have seen;
having gone in and committed some wrong
   he lies so as to deceive those who have heard.
May the wings of Your grace
   protect me,
for there the accusing finger
   points out
and daily proclaims
   the sinner's shame and hidden dealings.


Hymn II.01
Blessed is he
   for whom Paradise yearns.
Yes, paradise yearns for the man whose goodness
makes him beautiful;
   it engulfs him at its gateway,
it embraces him in its bosom,
   it caresses him in its very womb;
for it splits open and receives him
   into its inmost parts.
But if there is someone it abhors,
   it removes him and casts him out;
this is the gate of testing
   that belongs to Him who loves mankind.

Blessed is He who pierced

and so removed the sword from the entry to Paradise.

Hymn II.02.

Forge here on earth and take

   the key to Paradise;

the Door that welcomes you

   smiles radiantly upon you;

the Door, all discerning,

   conforms its measure to those who enter it:

in its wisdom

   it shrinks and it grows.

According to the stature and rank

   attained by each person,

it shows by its dimensions

   whether they are perfect, or lacking in something.

Hymn II.08

Who is capable of gazing

   upon the Garden's splendor,

seeing how glorious it is in all its design,

   how harmonious in its proportions,

how spacious for those who dwell there,

   how radiant with its abodes?