Scripture Verse

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. Matthew 4:1–2

Introduction

Words: Un­known au­thor, cir­ca 9th Cen­tu­ry (Je­su qua­dra­ge­na­ri­ae). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Tho­mas A. La­cey in The Eng­lish Hym­nal (Lon­don: Ox­ford Uni­ver­si­ty Press, 1906), num­ber 69.

Music: Plaist­ow Mag­da­len Hymns, 1760 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Thomas A. Lacey (1853–1931)

Lyrics

O Je­su Christ, from Thee be­gan
This heal­ing for the soul for man,
By fast­ing sought, by fast­ing found
Through for­ty days of year­ly round;

That he who fell from high de­light,
Borne down to sen­su­al appetite,
By dint of stern con­trol may rise
To climb the hills of pa­ra­dise.

Therefore be­hold Thy Church, O Lord,
And grace of pe­ni­tence ac­cord
To all who seek with ge­ne­rous tears
Renewal of their wast­ed years.

Forgive the sin that we have done,
Forgive the course that we have run,
And show hence­forth in ev­il day
Thyself our suc­cor and our stay.

But now let ev­ery heart pre­pare,
By sac­ri­fice of fast and pray­er,
To keep with joy mag­ni­fi­cal
The so­lemn East­er fes­tiv­al.

Father and Son and Spir­it blest,
To Thee be ev­ery pray­er ad­dressed,
Who art in three­fold name ad­ored,
From age to age, the on­ly Lord.