Tuesday in the Second Full Week of Lent
March 7, 2023
Today’s Lenten reflection comes from medieval Wales. This prayer, one of the earliest works in the Welsh language, seems to speak from an established tradition of Christian literacy and learning which may have arisen from an earlier Welsh bardic tradition of the oral transmission of knowledge in the form of vernacular poetry. The prayer presents an awareness of creation and offers praise to God as Creator, and it was probably used as a morning song of praise in a Welsh monastic context, most likely at a sung service of Matins.
Glorious Lord
Hail to you, glorious Lord!
May church and chancel praise you,
May chancel and choir praise you,
May plain and hillside praise you,
May the springs of water praise you,
And the waters above the wind,
And the waters above the earth.
May darkness and light praise you,
The tree and its fruit praise you,
Abraham praised you, the founder of faith,
May life everlasting praise you.
May the birds and the bees praise you,
May the new shoots and grass praise you,
As Aaron and Moses praised you.
May male and female praise you,
May the seven days praise you,
May the upper and lower air praise you,
May books and letters praise you,
May the fish in the river praise you,
May thought and action praise you,
May the sand and the earth praise you.
May all the good things created praise you,
And I too shall praise you, Lord of glory,
Hail to you, glorious Lord!