My votive offering to Our Lady of Walsingham: A hymn presented at the Shrine Church

In the spirit of Erasmus, who presented a set of verses as a pilgrim to Walsingham, I composed this hymn and presented it to one of the brothers on my last visit to the Shrine Church in Walsingham today. It is sung to the tune of Parry’s “Jerusalem” .

1.
We are the water of this well;
Simple and small our lives may be,
but if we give to God our all
Christ takes our lives for all to see:
A miracle, a change divine,
as it breaks through our lowly lives,
as Mary bids her Son in prayer
to change our water into wine!

2.
Make us God’s workshop, build us up,
O chisel out our hearts of stone,
then raise us up from death to life,
with skill and virtues e’er to hone!
Holding the Christ-light in our hands,
let us go forth along the way
of this Old England’s Nazareth
across the dry and barren lands!

3.
Lead us from sorrow into joy,
from lack to gain, from fear to love,
and in our hearts a holy house,
where dwells the Spirit from above!
O holy Maid of Walsingham,
tend to thy children near and far,
lead us to thine own holy Child,
Emmanuel, the great “I AM”!

4.
Wake from thy slumber, Virgin Church,
open thy heart to God’s own grace,
In Mary, Christ gives us his hand,
to save our fallen, broken race!
No more in us, shall Adam die,
but live in Christ, risen again;
No more in us shall Eve despair,
but unto Mary run and fly!

Copyright ©  Joshua Ligan 2012.