Twenty-Second Meditation

(The Spiritual Canticle - Stanza 40)

"I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels." (1)


The Bride's Song

Her being is in harmony:
From her spirit good order flows;
Foes are subdued for His glory;
Her strength is the love He bestows.

Detached from all that is not Him,
Dwelling with Him within her soul,
She resounds a resplendent hymn
To Jesus, with words to extol:

"With strength and flowing grace, we dwell,
Adorned with riches and grandeurs;
Our union is a citadel,
From which Your Spirit's love outpours.

How can a bride's love be expressed
For her Bridegroom, perfect in grace?
With heaven, her soul's richly blessed;
Love's essence flows from His embrace!"

Her joy, a pure felicity,
Resounds for all eternity.


May the most sweet Jesus, Bridegroom of faithful souls, be pleased to bring all who invoke his name to this marriage.

1. Isaiah 61:10


(c) Paul Buis, 2005