1. Scripture. Read the passage silently twice, then once aloud.
Psalm 5
Lord weigh my words, and take consideration
Of my sad thoughts, and silent meditation:
My God, my King, bow down thine ear to me,
While I send up mine humble prayer to thee.
Early before the morn doth bring the day
I will, O Lord, look up to thee and pray;
For thou with sin are never pleased well,
Nor any ill may with thy goodness dwell:
(trans. John Davies)
2. Reflection. Read the poem silently once, then twice aloud.
As air becomes the medium for light when the sun rises
As air becomes the medium for light when the sun rises,
And as wax melts from the heat of fire,
So the soul drawn to that light is resplendent,
Feels self melt away,
Its will and actions no longer its own.
So clear is the imprint of God
That the soul, conquered, is conqueror;
Annihilated, it lives in triumph.
What happens to the drop of wine
That you pour into the sea?
Does it remain itself, unchanged?
It is as if it never existed.
So it is with the soul: Love drinks it in,
It is united with Truth,
Its old nature fades away,
It is no longer master of itself.
The soul wills and yet does not will:
Its will belongs to Another.
It has eyes only for this beauty;
It no longer seeks to possess, as was its wont —
It lacks the strength to possess such sweetness.
The base of this highest of peaks
Is founded on nichil,
Shaped nothingness, made one with the Lord.
By Jacopone da Todi (Jacopone Benedetti)
(1230 – 1306)
Trans. by Serge and Elizabeth Hughes
3. Reflection for morning prayer.
Praying today for Steve Hayner, former President of Columbia Theological Seminary, whose family, friends, and a cloud of witnesses is on soul watch as he passes from this world into God’s joy. “So the soul is drawn to that light is resplendent”; so it is. Pray for those who are experiencing loss, especially those who deal with loss without hope.
(Art by Israel Galindo)
