FROM STORM TO SACRAMENT: SONG OF ST NORBERT

Norbert of Xanten once laughed where courtiers dine,
In halls of ease and cups of wine;
A carefree heart, a life of light,
Untroubled days and festal night.

Yet through the sky a storm was hurled,
A flash that split his gentle world;
Cast to the earth, his soul laid bare,
He met our God in trembling prayer.

Like Paul was struck on Damascus road,
Norbert rose beneath a different load;
No longer seeking passing flame,
But Christ the Lord the Living Name.

From courtly song to sacred plea,
He walked in holy poverty;
His voice now burned with truth made bright,
A shepherd calling souls to light.

O Eucharist, his heart’s deep fire,
His soul’s delight, his one desire!
No distant sign, no shadowed grace,
But Christ Himself in time and space.

He preached, he taught, with fervent breath,
Of Love that conquers sin and death;
At every Mass, with reverent art,
He placed the Lord before each heart.

In Premonstratensian Order’s holy band,
He formed a faithful, fervent stand;
To live, to serve, to kneel, adore -
And draw from Christ an endless store.

O soul, behold the altar fair,
The King of Glory hidden there;
Let not thy gaze grow dim, routine -
For Love Divine lies veiled, unseen.

Come, let Christ enter, still and true,
To touch thy heart and make thee new;
To turn thy fear, thy grief, thy night,
Into a flame of golden light.

From inner heart where silence grows,
Where secret grace in stillness flows,
Go forth into the market’s cry,
Beneath the wide and watchful sky.

And carry there, in word and deed,
The Eucharistic Love we need;
That every soul we meet may see
Christ’s living Presence, shining free.

O Norbert, guide our hearts today,
To love the Lord in hidden way;
Till all we are and all we do
Proclaim: Beloved, He is true.

Image courtesy of ChatGPT with CN Whittle "St Norbert celebrating Mass in Gothic church"