Sunday, May 2, 2010

Bread: A Sacramental Sonnet


Bread: A Sacramental Sonnet
by Gideon Burton

O God, Eternal Father, in the name
Of Jesus Christ, thy slain and risen Son--
That we who, heavy laden, full of blame
May through His spirit find our woes undone;
Recalling His weak body, frail as ours,
That long before Golgotha's final trial
Had passions known, disease, fatiguing hours,
The strains all human flesh must know awhile;
That we His name may take into our lives
As emptied Jesus did His father's breath;
That He, His words obeyed, may us revive
As His commands insure our souls from death–
        Bless, we pray, this sweet and saving bread,
        For we shall live who but for Him were dead.

This is an imitation/paraphrase of the prayer offered during the sacrament (eucharist) ordinance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The original text can be found here.  Feel free to copy, imitate, remix, or redistribute this poem as long as you give proper acknowledgment of authorship. Photo: flickr - six steps

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