I hope you’re having a good weekend. I just got back from a quick trip to South Carolina, and today marks the beginning of my parish’s religious education year. Say a prayer for us 🙂
Over the past few days Pope Benedict has been in the United Kingdom. The purpose of the visit is to beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890). For those that don’t know, beatification is the last step in the process of being declared a saint in the Catholic Church.
Newman was a prolific writer and one of the great intellectuals of the Victorian Age. Among his many writings is a wonderful little poem entitled Pillar of Cloud. The words were put to music, and the hymn Lead Kindly Light was born. In a lot of ways, the poem speaks to our present times. I hope you’ll find some meaning for yourself in the words. Enjoy.
Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on! The night is dark, and I am far from home—
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene—one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on. I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.
So long Thy power hath blessed me, sure it still
Will lead me on,
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone;
And with the morn those angel faces smile
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.
