05 Mar 01 - 01:24 PM (#411263)
Subject: Lyr Add: HYMN ON ST. PATRICK, TEACHER OF THE IRISH
From: *#1 PEASANT*
"Hymn on St. Patrick, Teacher of the Irish" by St. Secundinus
Hear ye all, lovers of God, the | holy merits Of the man blessed in Christ, Pa- | trick the bishop, How for his good ways he is likened to the an- | gels, And because of his perfect life is deemed equal to | the Apostles. Christ's holy precepts he keeps | in all things, His works shine | bright among men, And they follow his holy and wondrous exam- | ple, And thus magnify God the Father | in the heavens. Constant in the fear of God and steadfast | in his faith, Upon whom the Church is built | as on Peter; And his Apostleship has he received from | God-- The gates of Hell will not pre- | vail against him. The Lord has chosen him to teach the barbar- | ian tribes, To fish with the nets | of his teaching, And to draw from the world unto grace the believ- | ers, Men who would follow the Lord to His | heavenly seat. He sells the choice talents of | Christ's Gospel And collects them among the Irish hea- | thens with usury; As a reward for the great labor of his voy- | age, He will come into possession of joy with Christ in the hea- | venly kingdom. God's faithful minister and His distinguished am- | bassador, He gives the good an Apostolic ex- | ample and model, Preaching as he does to God's people in words as well as in | deeds, So that him whom he converts not with words he inspires | with good conduct. Glory has he with Christ, honor | in the world, He who is venerated by all as an | angel of God. God has sent him, as He sent Paul, an Apostle to the gen- | tiles, To offer men guidance to the | kingdom of God. Humble is he of mind and body because of his | fear of God; The Lord abides upon him because | of his good deeds; In his righteous flesh he bears the stigmata of | Christ; In His Cross alone, his sole comfort, | he glories. Untiringly he feeds the faithful from the heaven- | ly banquet, Lest those who are with Christ | faint on the way; Like bread he gives to them the words of the Gos- | pel, Which are multiplied like manna | in his hands. He preserves his body chaste for love | of the Lord; This body he has prepared as a temple for the | Holy Spirit, And he keeps it such by purity in all his act- | ions; He offers it as a living sacrifice, acceptable | to the Lord. Enflaming light of the world, great one | of the Gospel, Lifted up on a candlestick, shining un- | to all the age - The fortified city of the King, founded upon a moun- | tain, Wherein there is great abundance | of the Lord. Greatest indeed will be called in the kingdom | of heaven The man who fulfills with good deeds the holy | words he teaches, Who by his good example is a leader and model to the faith-| ful, Who in purity of heart has con- | fidence in God. Boldly he proclaims the Name of the Lord to | the heathens, And gives them eternal grace in the bath | of salvation. He prays to God daily for their | sins, For them he offers sacrifices, worthy in | the eyes of God. For the sake of God's law he despises all | worldly glory; Compared to His table he considers all | else as trifling; He is not moved by the violence of this | world, But, suffering for Christ, he rejoices in | adversity. A good and faithful shepherd of the flock won for | the Gospel, God has chosen him to watch o- | ver God's people And to feed with divine teaching His | folk, For whom, following Christ's example, he | gives forth his soul. Who for his merits the Savior has raised him to the dignity of a | pontifex, In heavenly things he instructs the army | of the clergy, Providing them with heavenly rations, besides vest- | ments- The rations of divine | and sacred texts. He is the King's herald, inviting the faithful | to the wedding. He is richly clad in a | wedding garment, He drinks heavenly wine from heavenly | cups And gives God's people the spiritual | cup to drink. He finds a holy treasure in the Sa- | cred Volume And perceives the Savior's divinity | in His flesh. It is a treasure he purchases with holy and perfect | works. ISRAEL his soul is called-- | "seeing God." A faithful witness of the Lord in the Ca- | tholic Law, His speech is spiced with divine | revelations, That human flesh may not decay, eaten by | worms, But be salted with heavenly savor | for sacrifice. A true and renowned tiller of the | Gospel field, His seeds | are Christ's Gospels. These he sows from his God-inspired mouth into the ears of the | wise, And cultivates their hearts and minds with the | Holy Spirit. Christ chose him to be His vi- | car on earth. He frees captives from a two-fold | servitude: The great numbers whom he liberates from bondage to | men, These countless ones he frees from the yoke | of the devil. Hymns, and the Apocalypse, and the Psalms of | God he sings, And explains them for the edification | of God's people. He believes the law in the Trinity of the holy | Name, And he teaches one Substance | in Three Persons. Girt with the Lord's girdle | day and night, He prays unceasingly | to God the Lord. He will receive the reward for his immense la- | bor- With the Apostles will he reign, holy, over | Israel. May Bishop Patrick pray for | all of us, That the sins which we have committed be blotted out | immediately, May we ever sing Patrick's prais- | es, That we may ever | live with him. Amen.
Superfluous line breaks deleted. --JoeClone, 22-Mar-03.
|