Justin Appel
Dear Friends,
Today’s Gospel lesson from Mark 1:29-45 tells the story of Jesus healing Simon’s mother-in-law and the leper.
In the 9th century, a hymnodist called Notker Balbulus (c. 840-912), possibly a monk of St. Gall, wrote a hymn called a sequence (to be sung after the Alleluia after the Gospel lesson) for Easter Sunday.
This hymn, called Laudes Salvatori, is from a particularly early layer of plainchant, and it was eventually replaced by the Alleluia Pascha Nostrum after the Council of Trent in the 16th century. It is a particularly rich telling of Christ’s life with a central section regarding his miracles as a means of showing his divinity.
The English translation below is a metrical paraphrase.
Yours in Christ,
—Justin
Let us with lowly tone
The Saviour's praises sing;
Messiah on His heavenly throne
Devoutly worshipping;
Who deign'd in flesh to shade
His glorious Deity;
Himself of no repute He made
Us lost ones to set free.
He in a manger lies,
Wrapp'd in His swaddling band,
Grieving o'er their lost Paradise,
Who brake God's high command.
He was to Simeon's sight
By Mary's arms conveyed:
And circumcision's holy rite
Unmurmuring obeyed.
Cleansing He doth receive
By legal offering pure,
Who sinners doth Himself reprieve
And of release assure.
Permits His servant's hands
His Master to baptize,
The glozing tempter's wiles withstands,
Stones cast in hatred flies.
God-man, most meek, most high,
Sleeps weary, hath no meat,
Pours forth sad tears in charity,
Washes His servants' feet.
Yet through these lowly signs
Of poor humanity,
Brightly by works and doctrine shines
His present Deity.
To grace the nuptial board
Water He turns to wine,
To blinded eyes He light restored,
Their vestiture divine.
Touch'd by His finger fled
The leper's foul disease;
He from corruption raised the dead,
And gave the palsied ease.
He with five loaves of bread
Five thousand satisfied,
On water as on land did tread,
The wild winds pacified.
The stammering tongue He freed,
The fevers drove away;
Ears taught once more the voice to hear
Attest His mighty sway.
When 'midst such wondrous signs
His days were gliding by,
He to vile hands Himself resigns,
Condemn'd unrighteously.
Upon the Cross to die
He patiently did brok,
But on His death with darkened eye
The sun refused to look.
The Day the Lord hath made
Scarce on the world had shone,
When He to loving hearts conveyed
Tidings of victory won.
His voice first Mary hears,
Next to th' Apsotles' hearts
His word the opened Scripture clears,
And hidden trushs imparts.
Therefore with one accord
Creation doth rejoice,
And welcome back the risen Lord
With gratulating voice.
The flowers, the fruitful fields,
With new-born freshness spring,
Touch'd by new warmth the keen frost yields,
And birds their paeans sing.
O'ercast with sudden shade
Of gloom at Jesus' death
The sun and moon now glorious made
Illumine all beneath.
Fair earth from hill and dell
Doth Christ with joy accost,
Which trembling threaten'd ruin fell,
When He gave up the ghost.
Exult we on that day
When Jesus rose again,
And open'd wide the living way
By which our life we gain.
Let stars, earth, heaven rejoice,
And all the choirs on high
Upraise their glorifying voice
To praise the Trinity.