Thursday, July 07, 2005

Oh God, our help in ages past



As Recta Ratio says, "If you mess with the Lion, you mess with the Eagle, too."

We in the United States stand with our brothers in the United Kingdom, as well as those victims of terror throughout the world.

"Our God, Our Help in Ages Past"

Oh God, our Help in ages past,
Our Hope for years to come,
Our Shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal Home!

Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone,
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

Thy word commands our flesh to dust:
"Return ye sons of men!"
All nations rose from earth at first
And turn to earth again.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

Like flowery fields the nations stand,
Pleased with the morning light;
The flowers beneath the mower's hand
Lie withering ere 'tis night.

Our God, our Help in ages past,
Our Hope for years to come,
Be Thou our Guard while troubles last
And our eternal Home!

5 comments:

Saint Peter's helpers said...

Thank you for publishing this beautiful hymn - it's one of my favorites.

Staying in Balance said...

My pastor at the time of 9/11 had us sing it during the special Mass they had in the wake of that tragedy.

The Complimenting Commenter said...

A very appropriate post at this time. Thank you and well done.

Bar L. said...

This is a wonderful post. I am glad I found your blog. I love the picure of the woman you have..the one holding the book (a Bible?) it reminds me of St. Teresa. Do you know who that picture is of or who painted it?

Thanks and God bless you,
Layla

Staying in Balance said...

The painting of the woman holding the book is from a holy card of Saint Dymphna, the patron saint of those with mental illness. There are various versions of St. Dymphna I don't know who actually painted that particular one. You can probably find one to purchase from a Catholic book store.

Dymphna's favorite quotes


"Slavery ended in medieval Europe only because the church extended its sacraments to all slaves and then managed to impose a ban on the enslavement of Christians (and of Jews). Within the context of medieval Europe, that prohibition was effectively a rule of universal abolition. "— Rodney Stark

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