April 6, 2009
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Holy Week
O come, O come Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lowly exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel…
Oh hark now people of Jerusalem,
throw cloaks and palms under the feet of Him,
for soon His chosen hour will come
to rise and ready our heavenly home.
Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel has come to thee O Israel!
Watch as He takes into His hands the bread,
raising it above His regal head,
and then He offers up the cup-
His body and blood given unto us.
Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel has come to thee, O Israel!
Oh earth beneath His weary feet,
within the Garden drank ye vintage sweet
as in His agony He shed
His tears, His blood, O! precious drops of red!
Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel has come to thee, O Israel!
Then by the torchlight our Lord did spy
His friend who by a kiss did betray
Him to the law, an unjust arrest
of Christ, guilty only of innocence.
Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel has come to thee, O Israel!
Oh the tears that Peter wept
at knowing our Lord’s prophecy was kept
of his denying Jesus thrice
and oh the sobs that filled that sorry night!
Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel has come to thee, O Israel!
With cruelty they mocked and beat our Lord
and uttered not a single kindly word.
If only they knew you were King,
that you their souls were delivering!
Though mocked, though beat Emmanuel shall save thee, O Israel!
And still they mocked you at your trial,
false and unjust all the while.
Oh God, to think of you in chains
and suffering through all our mortal pains!
Away, away Emmanuel! Away you sent Him, Israel!
Even Rome in all her regal might
found you guiltless in her sight,
and even had you scourged; despite
all this the crowd wished you crucified!
“The cross, the cross, Emmanuel! The cross!” cried all of Israel!
So began that solemn Way
of the Cross, the price of Sin to pay.
‘twas not your debt, but out of your Love
you paid it to save every one of us.
O walk, O fall, Emmanuel! Oh see Him bear your sins, O Israel!
To that lonely hill you did bear
the burden of our sins with care,
and oh! the sound of nails driv’n
into the hands sent to us from heav’n!
Oh watch and see! Emmanuel is pierced for thee, O Israel!
Upon the cross they raised you high,
that all the world might see you and cry,
“O God of heaven, who am I
that for me your dear Son should die?”
O weep, O mourn! Emmanuel shall die for thee, O Israel!
Arms outstretched and heart open wide,
on that sad day the Son of God died.
Though all was given, a spear thrust
delivered the last of His blood to us.
O cry, O cry! Emmanuel has died for thee, O Israel!
Come, Mary, lay the fruit of your womb
into the dark and solitary tomb
and wait for the end of all pain
for in three days your Son shall rise again!
O hush, O hush! Emmanuel shall rise again, O Israel!
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Comments (11)
Amen, amen.
Who knew there were 384 verses?
@NightCometh - (These are of my own composition)
Oh, cool!
Achingly beautiful
I wish they could hear it sung. That was amazing.
Listen to “Three Botticelli Pictures for Orchestra, P.151 II: L’adorazione Dei Magi by Ottorino Respighi. I believe this beautiful orchestral piece is where O Come O Come got it’s melody. Absolutely haunting and beautiful! Love you and have a blessed Easter!! Here is a clip you can listen to: http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/229377.html
Wow, very powerful!
you are invited to subscribe to my blog.
mort
what ARE the views of the Society of Jesus??
@mortimerZilch - Well I am a Jesuit, so that should tell you a lot! The above text you are referring to simply says that whatever I say on here is not necessarily representative of what every Jesuit in the world would say or what they would believe. Sorry if there was some confusion!