Be You Very Well

On this her feast day here is a wonderful piece in honor of Jesus’ mother from a favorite writer of mine, Hilaire Belloc.

Ballade to Our Lady of Czestochowa

Lady and Queen and Mystery manifold
And very Regent of the untroubled sky,
Whom in a dream St Hilda did behold
And heard a woodland music passing by:
You shall receive me when the clouds are high
With evening and the sheep attain the fold.
This is the faith that I have held and hold,
And this is that in which I mean to die.

Steep are the seas and savaging and cold
In broken waters terrible to try;
And vast against the winter night the wold,
And harbourless for any sail to lie.
But you shall lead me to the lights, and I
Shall hymn you in a harbour story told.
This is the faith that I have held and hold,
And this is that in which I mean to die.

Help of the half-defeated, House of Gold,
Shrine of the Sword, and Tower of Ivory;
Splendour apart, supreme and aureoled,
The Battler’s vision and the World’s reply.
You shall restore me, O my last Ally,
To vengeance and the glories of the bold.
This is the faith that I have held and hold,
And this is that in which I mean to die.

Envoi
Prince of the degradations, bought and sold,
These verses, written in your crumbling sty,
Proclaim the faith that I have held and hold
And publish that in which I mean to die.

Hilaire Belloc (emphasis mine)

And one last parting happy thought from this delightful man…

Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There’s always laughter and good red wine.
At least I’ve always found it so.
Benedicamus Domino!

Have a blessed day whether or not this tribute to Mary is meaningful to you, for without her we wouldn’t have Our Lord and Savior–and therefore no eternal life. Besides, between now and eternal life is the daily life He wants us to have in the here and now, one day at a time, where He gives us this day our daily bread and His mercies are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.

Go with God!