143. Vespers—Sunday

{248}
Lucis Creator optime.

FATHER of Lights, by whom each day
    Is kindled out of night,
Who, when the heavens were made, didst lay
    Their rudiments in light;
Thou, who didst bind and blend in one
    The glistening morn and evening pale,
Hear Thou our plaint, when light is gone,
    And lawlessness and strife prevail.

Hear, lest the whelming weight of crime
    Wreck us with life in view;
Lest thoughts and schemes of sense and time
    Earn us a sinner's due.
So may we knock at Heaven's door,
    And strive the immortal prize to win,
Continually and evermore
    Guarded without and pure within. {249}

Grant this, O Father, Only Son,
    And Spirit, God of grace,
To whom all worship shall be done
    In every time and place.

Top | Contents | Works | Home


Newman Reader — Works of John Henry Newman
Copyright © 2007 by The National Institute for Newman Studies. All rights reserved.