Keeping Sacred Time with Christina Rossetti :: Good Friday

During Holy Week, I'll be sharing a daily poem by Christina Rossetti. We often know her for her lovely poetry for children, but she wrote volumes of devotional poetry as well, including a series for the feasts and fasts of this week.  These are the poems I'll be sharing with my own children as we ready our home and our hearts and keep the Church's traditions.  Wishing you a blessed time as you prepare for Easter!

GOOD FRIDAY MORN

"Bearing His Cross."

Up Thy Hill of Sorrows

Thou all alone,

Jesus, man's Redeemer,

Climbing to a Throne:

Thro' the world triumphant,

Thro' the Church in pain,

Which think to look upon Thee

No more again.

Upon my hill of sorrows

I, Lord, with Thee,

Cheered, upheld, yea, carried,

If a need should be:

Cheered, upheld, yea, carried,

Never left alone,

Carried in Thy heart of hearts

To a throne.

GOOD FRIDAY

Lord Jesus Christ, grown faint upon the Cross,

A sorrow beyond sorrow in Thy look,

The unutterable craving for my soul;

Thy love of me sufficed

To load upon Thee and make good my loss

In face of darkened heaven and earth that shook:--

In face of earth and heaven, take Thou my whole

Heart, O Lord Jesus Christ.

GOOD FRIDAY EVEN

"Bring Forth the Spear."

No Cherub's heart or hand for us might ache,

No Seraph's heart of fire had half sufficed:

Thine own were pierced and broken for our sake,

O Jesus Christ.

Therefore we love Thee with our faint good-will,

We crave to love Thee not as heretofore,

To love Thee much to love Thee and more and still,

More and yet more.