EXSULTET

 EXSULTET

“Arrayed with the lightning of His Glory,

Let this holy building shake with joy!”

Hear, all on earth and every thing—

Accustomed armored gates, 

by love and light disarmed, prepare

to drown in tide-rush of our God,

His Mercy’s fill!

These holy buildings of our lives

and breath, prepare 

to be disturbed;

with shouts, exult!

“On this, your night of grace, O Holy Father,

Accept this candle, ….for it is fed by melting wax, drawn out by mother bees…

and of your servants’ hands, to build a torch so precious.”

Present to Him, all earth and every thing,

all work and fashioning

            from every source! Ask Her for

blessing— open hands and hearts—

beckon forth His stream of giving,

Her presence, His Grace of diligence and

toil, Her lovely wings, and 

waxy substances, His hands—

With joy, exult!

“Oh Happy Fault that earned so great,

 so glorious a Redeemer!”

From rubble, doesn’t God 

renew, always?

From our confusion, sudden understanding?

Fantastic views from doubts, ignominy? 

But ‘when’ belongs to Him alone. Neither

in instant— nor eon—

in ‘fullness of time’—

He gifts us Christ, from Adam’s fault,

In Him, with praise, exult, exult!!