O Happy Band Of Pilgrims

O happy band of pilgrims,
If onward you will tread,
With Jesus as your fellow,
To Jesus as your Head.

The faith by which you see him,
The hope in which you yearn,
The love that through all troubles
To him alone will turn.

What are they but forerunners
To lead you to his sight?
What are they save th'effluence
Of untreated Light?

The trials that beset you,
The sorrows you endure,
The manifold temptations
That death alone can cure.

What are they but his jewels
Of right celestial worth?
What are they but the ladder
Set up to heaven on earth?

O happy band of pilgrims,
Look upward to the skies,
Where such a light affliction
Shall win you such a prize.

~ John M. Neale, 1862
(found in Magnificat, Vol. 15, No. 9, for Monday, November 18, 2013)

Perfect for me, today.

Perspective

"Forgive our sins as we forgive,"
You taught us, Lord, to pray,
But You alone can grant us grace
To live the words we say.

In blazing light your cross reveals
The truth we dimly knew:
What trivial debts are owed to us,
How great our debt to You!

Lord, cleanse the depths within our souls
And bid resentment cease.
Then bound to all in bonds of love,
Our lives will spread Your peace.

~ Rosamond Herklots (1905-1987)
Found in the Magnificat, November 2013 (Vol. 15, No. 9)