O soul, behold the sacred light—
The strength that breaks your darkest night,
The cost of love, the gift so free,
Your ransom won on Calvary.
You were in chains—He loosed your ties,
A slave—He heard your silent cries.
You wandered far—He called you home,
Were lost—He would not let you roam.
You tasted death—He gave you breath,
And raised you up from out of death.
Let this great love your spirit feed,
The grace you find in every need.
When at the altar you draw near,
And Christ in bread and wine appears,
Feast on this truth with heart and soul,
This is your life, your hope, your goal.
Let this be bread to guide your way,
And light to keep you day by day.
But O, my Lord, who died for me,
How can I sing of being free,
When nails and thorns bought my release—
Your wounds the price of all my peace?
Shall I rejoice while You were torn,
My joy born from a crown of scorn?
Shall I take light in life I hold,
That only came through suff'rings bold?
Yet not by force was this endured,
But by a love so pure, so sure.
Their hands were cruel, their hearts untrue,
But only did what You let through.
You chose the pain, You bore the loss,
You freely climbed the heavy cross.
So I, a fool, with trembling grace,
Leave judgment in its rightful place.
And fix my gaze on love so deep,
That sought me out, and would not sleep.
I see my debt, I see Your worth—
O Love that stooped to save the earth!
Based on The devotions of St Anselm, Meditation IV (original version below)
Meditate on the love of your Redeemer
Behold, O Christian soul, this is the power of thy salvation, this the cause of thy liberty, this the price of thy redemption. Thou wast a captive and in this wise wast thou redeemed. Thou wast a slave, and thus wast thou made free; an exile and thus brought home; lost and thus found; dead and thus raised up. Upon this, O man, let thy heart feed, this let it inwardly digest, sucking out the sweetness and relishing the goodness thereof, at such times as thy mouth receiveth the flesh and blood of Him, thy Redeemer. Make this thy daily bread and sustenance in this life, and thy provision for the way, for by this and by this alone shalt thou both abide in Christ and Christ in thee, and in the life to come shall He be thy full joy.
But, O Lord, Thou that didst endure death that I might live, how shall I rejoice in my freedom, seeing it cometh but of the chains that bound Thee? how shall I take pleasure in my salvation, since it is wrought but by Thy sufferings? how shall I be glad of my life, which cometh only by Thy death? Shall I be glad of Thy sufferings and of their cruelty that did these things unto Thee? Or if I grieve for Thee, how shall I be glad of that for the sake whereof these things were done, and which would not be, had these things not been? But indeed their wickedness could have done nothing, except by Thy free sufferance, nor didst Thou suffer them except because of Thy goodness.
Therefore, thou poor silly man, leave their cruelty to the judgment of God, and consider what thou owest to Thy Saviour. Remember how it was with thee, and what was done for thee, and consider how worthy is He of thy love who did this for thee..
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