Wednesday, December 17, 2008

O Sapientia, by Abbott Guéranger, O.S.B

O Sapientia, qun ex ore
Altissimi prodiisti, attingens
a fine usque ad finem forti-
ter, suaviterque disponens
omnia; veni, ad docendum
nos viam prudentiae.
O Wisdom, that proceedest
from the mouth of the Most
High, reaching from end to
end mightily, and disposing
all things sweetly come
and teach us the way of
prudence.

O uncreated Wisdom, who art so soon to make Thyself visible to Thy creatures, truly Thou disposest all things. It is by Thy permission that the emperor Augustus issues a decree ordering the enrolment of the whole world. Each citizen of the vast empire is to have his name enrolled in the city of his birth. This prince has no other object in this order, which sets the world in motion, but his own ambition. Men go to and fro by millions, and an unbroken procession traverses the immense Roman world; men think they are doing the bidding of man, and it is God whom they are obeying. This world-wide agitation has really but one object; it is, to bring to Bethlehem a man and woman who live at Nazareth in Galilee, in order that this woman, who is unknown to the world but dear to heaven, and who is at the close of the ninth month since she conceived her Child, may give birth to this Child in Bethlehem; for the Prophet has said of Him: ‘His going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity. And thou, 0 Bethlehem! art not the least among the thousand cities of Juda, for out of thee He shall come.’1 O divine Wisdom! how strong art Thou in thus reaching Thine ends by means which are infallible, though hidden; and yet, how sweet, offering no constraint to man’s free-will; and withal, how fatherly, in providing for our necessities! Thou choosest Bethlehem for Thy birth-place, because Bethlehem signifies the house of bread. In this, Thou teachest us that Thou art our Bread, the nourishment and support of our life. With God as our food, we cannot die. O Wisdom of the Father, living Bread that hast descended from heaven, come speedily into us, that thus we may approach to Thee and be enlightened 2 by Thy light, and by that prudence which leads to salvation.


-- Abbott Prosper Louis Paschal Guéranger, O.S.B

2 comments:

Convenor said...

Please post about our blog, especially the first two posts:

http://tradvocations.blogspot.com/

God bless you!

St. Conleth’s Catholic Heritage Association

PlainCatholic said...

A beautiful and timeless prayer/hymn. For several years I have been seeking a small statue of Mary, Sede Sapientiae in white. Mayhap one will be made soon.