Easter Monday 2025
I’ve been working on a hymn for a while that incorporates some of my thoughts about the priesthood.
Today I adapted it for Pope Francis, in hopes that it might be useful for those planning liturgies today and in the coming mourning period.
It can be set to AURELIA.
O Lord, receive Your servant into Your dwelling-place,
Your realm of endless glory transcending time and space,
Where You complete all worship and sacraments fulfill,
Where priests are priests forever according to Your will.
The Son forever glorious, our sacrificial Feast,
Through human mediation, the action of a priest,
Brings heaven to the lowly and lifts the human race
By sacramental blessings in festivals of grace.
O charity unfathomed! Though rich becoming poor,
Christ makes an earthen vessel a priest forevermore.
The co-eternal Maker of earth and sky and sea
Breathes new on his anointed the grace of ministry.
Receive our Holy Father, high priest on Peter’s chair,
Whose office was the union of Churches everywhere
By strengthening the brethren in faith and hope and love.
Receive him, Lord, in mercy into Your Church above.
All honor, glory, blessing throughout the heavens ring
To God Who shares His likeness; to God our gracious King.
Praise Father, Son, and Spirit, forever Three in One,
Who by the blood of Jesus the world’s salvation won.
Text c. 2025 Kathleen Pluth. Permission granted for use through May 2025. All other rights reserved.