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Come to me, O Christ, as the Divine Shepherd of Souls. |
O Christ—Thou rarest flower of hearts—Thou didst sail
on the storm-tossed lake of prejudiced minds. Its evil-scented,
gloomy thought-waves lashed Thy lily-tender soul. They crucified
Thee with their evil. Yet Thou didst shed the aroma of goodness
and forgiveness, and didst help them to be purified by remorse,
so helping them to become attractively sweet-scented with Thine
all-loving Flower-Soul.
O Thou Great Lover of error-torn brothers—an unseen monument
of the mightiest miracle of love was established in each heart when
the magic wand of Thy voice uttered: "Forgive them, for they
know not what they do."
Thou hast healed the cataract of hatred, and now we have grown to
see: "Love thine enemies as thyself, for they are thy brothers—though
sick and sleeping."
Thou hast taught us not to increase their delirious kicks of hatred
by battering them with the bludgeons of revenge. Thine undying sympathy
hath inspired us to heal and wake our brothers, suffering from the
delirium of anger, by the soothing salve of our forgiveness.
Thy crucifixion reminds us of the daily crucifixion of our
fortitude by trials, of our wisdom by ignorance, of our self-control
by the scathing hands of temptation, and of our love by misunderstanding.
Thy test on the cross proved the victory of Thy wisdom over ignorance,
of Thy soul over flesh, of Thy happiness over pain, and of Thy love
over hatred. So are we heartened to bear our crosses bravely and
pleasantly. Teach us to pour out sweetness when crucified by harshness,
to bear with calmness the assault of worries, and to give understanding
unceasingly to those who unjustly hate us.
O Shepherd of Souls, wandering hearts are of themselves seeking
the one fold of divine devotion. We have heard the ever-calling
music of Thine infinite kindness. Our one desire is to be at home
with Thee, to receive the Cosmic Father with joyous, open eyes of
wisdom, and to know that we are all sons of our own One God.
Teach us to conquer the Satan of dividing selfishness, which prevents
the gathering of all brother-souls into the one fold of Spirit.
Calling to one another by the watchword: "Love him who loves
you, and love all who love you not," let us rally beneath the
canopy of the universal sense of Christ-Oneness. Amen.
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