Lord of All Hopefulness, for Reflection

“The sun with all those planets revolving around it and dependent upon it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.”

So wrote Galileo, as he pondered with astonishment the great spiritʼs care for a seemingly insignificant bit of the earthʼs bounty while simultaneously holding the universal elements in perfect balance.

​Wars tear families apart, diseases rage, storms whip water into sheets of terror, and still, and yet, here is wondrous paradox: the great mystery we dare to name, holds us in tenderest caress, and like the sunʼs gentle warmth coaxing unripe fruit into the fullness of being, rocks us with divine dreams and whispers our true essence, pressing its heart upon us, that we may transform into our fullest selves, gloriously human, amphibian blends of celestial creatures outfitted in the combat fatigues of the every day. Rev. C.J. Bist

Lord of All Hopefulness. Traditional Irish Tune. Lyrics by Jan Struther, 1931

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever child-like, no cares can destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.