A Poem, a Prayer, and a Passage #8

Anastasis

by Peter Kwasniewski

They tried to cast him down,
The demons and their prince,
From temple’s roof in town,
But Christ did not evince
A moment’s giving in;
In him there was no sin,
The devil could not win.

They tried to put him down,
The pharisees and scribes,
With disapproving frown
They launched at him their jibes.
But Christ refuted all;
His logic made them fall,
Which swelled their hateful gall.

They tried to beat him down
With stripes upon his back
And thorns to form his crown;
No muscle did they lack.
But Christ, although he fell,
Stood up each time as well,
To save our souls from hell.

They tried to keep him down,
Imprisoned in the cave;
The temple guard’s renown
Depended on this grave.
But Christ rose from the dead,
Dispensing quakes and dread,
Till enemies had fled.

Their trial was in vain,
In vain the doom they willed;
The Life could not be slain,
The Word could not be stilled.
On Easter morn, the Light,
Unconquered by the night,
Arose with blazing might.

A Prayer by St. Charles de Foucauld

No matter what happens to me in life, my God, thank You for everything, thank You for everything, thank You for everything! I am happy, my God, I am happy! I have received my share of happiness: You are risen. Alleluia! You are risen, You lack nothing, You are happy for eternity, I am happy! Alleluia.

And yet I still lack something: that is to obey You, to do Your will in everything, to do exactly what You want of me until my dying breath and at every moment… What You want of me is essentially and ultimately to love You and to make You loved with all my strength for the time that remains to me to pass on earth: this comprises everything, for everything is contained in love...

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