Poem: “Prayer of St. Francis Xavier” by: Alexander Pope

Thou art my God, sole object of my love;

Not for the hope of endless joys above;

Nor for the fear of endless pains below,

Which they who love thee not must undergo.

 

For me, and such as me, thou deign’st to bear

An ignominious cross, the nails, the spear:

A thorny crown transpierc’d thy sacred brow,

While bloody sweats from ev’ry member flow.

 

For me in tortures thou resignd’st thy breath,

Embrac’d me on the cross, and sav’d me by thy death,

And can these sufferings fail my heart to move?

What but thyself can now deserve my love?

 

Such as then was, and is, thy love to me,

Such is, and shall be still, my love to thee – 

To thee, Redeemer! mercy’s sacred spring!

My God, my Father, Maker, and my King!