Hierte-Suk
The Mystery of the Heavenly Manna
The soul marvels at the condescension of the crucified Jesus who offers himself as the bread of life.
My soul, who is it that so lovingly nourishes you, And meets you with an open breast and a pure heart? What kind of food is this that now nourishes your flesh and blood so powerfully? What is this flood that surrounds the heart with life and delight? Where does love find itself in every age? It is indeed, crucified Jesus, you Who have kept a meal here with me! O great depth of the kingdom! Why would you not count your manna down? What is it to draw high, That you, God's eternal Son, would be bread, Who from eternity never suffered hunger's need?
Beyond Outward Signs
The speaker rejects mere outward symbols of faith in favor of the internal cleansing provided by Christ's own flesh and blood.
Why would you bless the humble grape of the earth so highly, that a person could truly see the Blood of your pure Heart? My soul stands in flames and leads me miserably, yet cannot find this! In gold, you could have pressed your image and hung it on my breast like a lovely golden ornament, with the sparkling of precious diamonds: you could have hung your delightful likeness in pearls, surrounded by rose-blood! But, alas! It would benefit me so little, if I could outwardly move your likeness from one limb to another, in the very best gold, while inwardly I remained full of sin and wickedness! What good would it do my soul, even if I received the bread newly fallen from heaven to eat? And if I could moisten my sin-dried soul with water from the rock, would I not find Jesus' bread and the fountain of His blood? Therefore, O sweet Jesus, you would give me your own flesh and blood to be a holy food for me, to cleanse my soul and body from the world's tempting food and the filth of sin!
The Reality of the Sacrament
The believer finds true joy in the assurance that the Sacrament is not a shadow, but the real presence of Jesus.
So you share your strength with my weak limbs, and crush the serpent's head against my heart! Your true flesh and blood, my pure meal, is where you completely offer yourself in love! And if it weren't you yourself, I could perhaps eat a slaughtered Passover lamb and find joy in shadows; but you took the shadow away and said yourself: 'This is my body, my blood; there are no shadows here.' Let others be satisfied with the mere shadow of your promise, and build their happiness and faith upon that! But it's a joy that enters my heart to receive my Jesus himself in the Sacrament!
Read the original Latin
Min Siæl, hvo er dog dend, som dig saa kierlig føder, Og med sit aabne Bryst og rene Hierte møder? Hvad er det dog for Mad, som nu dit Kiød og Blood, Med Kraft bespiiser saa? Hvad er det for en Flood, Som Hiertet over alt med Liv og Lyst omrinder? Hvor ved sig Kierlighed i alle Aarer finder! Det er jo visselig, korsfæste JEsu, Dig Som med dig selv hâr holt et Maaltjd her med mig! O Riigdoms store Dyb! Hvi vilde du ey regne Dit Manna mere ned? Hvad er det høyt at tegne, At du, Guds ævig Søn, selv vilde være Brød, Som udaf Ævighed leed aldrig Hungers Nød.
Hvi vilde du saa høyt dend ringe Jordens Drue Velsigne, at mand der livagtig kunde sue Dit rene Hierte-Blood? Min Siæl dend staar i Brand Og leder smaalig, dog ey dette finde kand! I Guldet kunde Du dit Billede ladet trykke, Og hengd det paa mit Bryst som deilig gylden Smycke, Med konstig Demants Spill: Du kund’ i Perler hengd Dit liflig Kontrafey, med Roosen-Blood omsprengd! Mens, ach! Det kunde mig saa gandske lidet nytte, At jeg din Lignelse udvortis kunde flytte Fra Lem til anden, i det allerbeste Guld, Jeg blev indvortis dog af Synd og Ondskab fuld! Hvad gavned det min Siæl, om end jeg fik at æde Nyfaldet Himmel-man? Og om jeg kunde væde Min Synde-tørred Siæl med Klippe-sprungne Vand Om jeg ey JEsu Brød og Blode-kilde fand? Du derfor vilde mig, O søde JEsu, give Dit eget Kiød og Blood, som for mig skulde blive En hellig Spiise, til at rydde Siæl og Krop Fra Verdens Lyste-mad og Synde-vedsker op!
Saa deler du din Kraft til mine svage Lemmer, Og Slangens Hoved hos mit Hierte sønderklemmer! Dit sande Kiød og Blood, mit rene Maaltjd er, Hvor Du dig gandske selv i Kierlighed frembær! Og vaar det ey dig selv, da kunde jeg vel æde Et slagted Paaske-Lam, og mig i Skygger glæde: Men du togst Skyggen bort, og sagde selv: Det er Mit Legeme, mit Blood; der er ey Skygger her. Lad andre nøyis med din Tilsagns bare Skygge, Og deris Salighed og Troo der paa opbygge! Mens det er Glæden som mig ind i Hiertet gaar, At jeg min JEsum selv i Sacramentet faar!
Spiritual Songs (Selection) companion
Never lose the rhythm again
Chosen Portion delivers your morning, midday and night office to your phone — the Hours, without the bells.
Chosen Portion is a modern Book of Hours: it turns the fixed-hour structure this collection preserves into scheduled, tappable daily prayer on your phone.
- Three daily prayer moments scheduled around your real calendar, not a monastery's
- Psalms and historic prayers sequenced for you — no page-flipping or decision fatigue
- A visible streak of completed offices, so the rhythm compounds instead of collapsing