Another Carmelite Prayer
This time from the Blessed Titus Brandsma--another sacrifice on the altar of Nazi Megalomania, an offering for the People of God. Brandsma was a subject of medical experimentation in Dachau and died by an injection of carbolic acid--one who did not seek martyrdom, but who ultimately accepted it when it happened.
Before a Picture of Jesus in My Cell by Titus Brandsma February 12-13, 1942 (About 5 months before his death)A new awareness of Thy love
encompasses my heart:
Sweet Jesus, I in Thee and Thou
In me shall never part.No grief shall fall my way but I
Shall see thy grief-filled eyes;
The lonely way that Thou once walked
Has made me sorrow-wise.All trouble is a white-lit joy,
That lights my darkest day;
Thy love has turned to brightest light
This night-like way.If I have Thee alone,
The hours will bless
With still, cold hands of love
My utter loneliness.Stay with me, Jesus, only stay;
I shall not fear
If, reaching out my hand,
I feel thee near.
Talk about dark nights! I can't conceive of a less inviting image than "still, cold hands of love." And yet, this man of God (may he be canonized soon!) perservered to the end and lived out a life of witness--the strongest possible witness to abandoning everything to the Lord. Most of us are not called to this degree of abandonment. Most of us don't even like to think about this degree of abandonment. But the measure of our love is the degree to which we follow His commandments. One of the greatest of these took the form of an admonition rather than a direct requirement, "Greater love hath no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends." And so, the martyrs, Blessed Titus among them, are the greatest friends, the greatest lovers of Jesus and of God--those who have witnessed to the very end and whose courage and spirit supports the church during times of crisis and times of calm. Thank goodness of that communion of saints that gives us so much life!
