The Hymn

This week we twice sang a hymn at Mass I had not heard before. The hymn is called "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say."As I seek the contentment of spirit mentioned in an earlier post, this song caused me to ponder. The first two lines in particular created for me a point of reflection:

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest;

Lay down, thou weary one, lay down thy head upon My breast.”

I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad;

I found in Him a resting place, and He has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give

The living water; thirsty one, stoop down, and drink, and live.”

I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life giving stream;

My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s Light;

Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise, and all thy days be bright.”

I looked to Jesus, and I found in Him my Star, my Sun;

And in that light of life I’ll walk, till traveling days are done.
Horatius Bonar (1808 - 1889)

That image remained with me as I pulled the covers on and put my head on the pillow at night: "Lay down, thou weary one, lay down thy head upon My breast." Very peaceful, isn't it? My life's completely in transition with a future I am trying to navigate, and unease creeps into my thoughts. I feel insecure at times, yet called to this period of inquiry, retreat, and formation. More than any other lesson, I must cultivate moments of laying my weary self upon Christ's breast. The phrasing sounds awkward since this is a nineteenth-century hymn, but the intimacy of Christ as healer and lover of my soul brings comfort to the inner turmoil of unknowing. "Lay down, thou weary one, lay down."

I couldn't find a version of the song I really liked, but this was the best of the lot.