Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,

And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in his hand
Christ, our Lord, to earth descends now,
Our full homage to demand.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light from Light, descends now
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

Liturgy of St. James
Translator: Gerard Moultrie

When From The Darkness

When from the darkness comes no light,
When from the weeping comes no laughter;
When in the day we hope for night
Nor any comfort coming after:
Grant us your peace.

When in our confidence our fears
Clutch at the heart and make us tremble;
When in our joy we weep cold tears,
And in our frankness, we dissemble:
Grant us your light.

When in our love there is no care,
And in our yearning we are dullness;
When what we know we cannot dare,
And we are nothing that is fullness:
Grant us your truth.

 Brendan Mclaughlin