A Poem, a Prayer, and a Passage #7
The Paschal Lamb Addresses His Sheep
by Peter Kwasniewski
I taught that men should ask, should seek, should knock,
I gave them master-keys to every lock,
I spoke in stories to divert the proud,
I healed the humble sick within the crowd.
The message fell, at first, on rocky soil;
Instead of asking, most prefer hard toil.
Can those contented with themselves, their lot,
Find liberty to seek what they have not?
Will any locked within his selfish cell
Grow restive at the bonds of self-made hell?
And yet, my teaching comes to be fulfilled
In ways no man has understood or willed.
To Pilate, Joseph came and asked for me,
Or rather, for my body from the tree.
The soldiers sought me out. Make no mistake,
It was to break my legs—not for my sake.
One guard, he thrust his spear into my side,
A knocking that was rude but freed the tide.
No courteous waiting for an opening door;
The gate was breached, my blood flowed out the more.
Not blood alone but water mingled in,
The one to pay, the other wash, all sin.
The soldiers did not grasp my cause of death:
I died because I chose my final breath.
To ask, to seek, to knock, will bring you more
Than Joseph or the Romans had before;
He got my corpse, they saw my bursting heart,
But you, my friends, will have the better part.
My death becomes your life in watery birth,
My flesh becomes your food on pilgrim’s earth,
My blood inebriates your sober state,
And lifts you far above your mortal fate.
These are the fruits that grow on Calvary’s hill,
Draw near in faith and take from me your fill.
With joy you shall draw water from my springs,
Shall be the heirs of kingdoms fit for kings.
Two Prayers
For the Traditional Movement
O Lord our God,
if Thou dost not build the house,
in vain do its builders labor.
We beseech Thee to inspire with Thy Holy Ghost
all those who labor to build up Thy sacred house,
that Thy people may worship truly and fully,
may worthily receive Thy Holy Sacraments,
and may thus be filled with the abundant grace
obtained through these sacred gifts.
Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
who liveth and reigneth with Thee
in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.