Vigils Reading – Easter Tuesday

From a prayer by

WILLIAM OF ST THIERRY

◊◊◊

O Truth supreme, you are the heaven of heavens, you who are what you

are, who have your being from yourself, who belong to yourself and are

sufficient to yourself. You lack nothing, yet you have no excess; you have within

yourself supremest concord, utmost clarity, most perfect fullness and

completest life.

O Lord, the height, the depth, the wisdom and the might – are these the

heaven of which you are the door? It is so, truly; that is why the ark of the

covenant was seen in heaven when the door was opened… You are yourself that

ark. In you from all eternity was hidden, and in you in these latter days has been

fulfilled, all that from the beginning of the world has been revealed to all the

saints and prophets by the Law and by the prophecies, by wonders and by

signs…

These blessings, that were hidden in your secret heaven through the ages,

you at the ages’ end unveiled to the world’s longing eyes, when you opened in

heaven the door that is yourself. You opened that door when your grace

appeared to all [people], teaching us… The heavens being thus opened, all the

good and glory and delight of heaven poured itself out on earth. And then, O

God, who spared not your own Son, but delivered him up for us all, the

greatness of your kindness…to us was published openly to all. You made known

your salvation to the world, and in the sight of all the nations you revealed your

righteousness…

Those unsearchable riches of your glory, Lord, were hidden in your secret

place in heaven until the soldier’s spear opened the side of your Son our Lord

and Savior on the cross, and from it flowed the mysteries of our redemption.

Now we may not only thrust our finger or our hand into his side, like Thomas,

but through that open door may enter whole, O Jesus, even into your heart, the

sure seat of your mercy, even into your holy soul that is filled with the fullness of

God, full of grace and truth, full of our salvation and our consolation…

Open, O Lord, the ark-door of your side, that all your own who shall be

saved may enter in, before this flood that overwhelms the earth. Open to us your

body’s side, that those who long to see the secrets of your Son may enter in, and

may receive the sacraments that flow [from there], even the price of their

redemption. Open the door of your heaven, that your redeemed may see the

good things of God in the land of the living, though they still labor in the land of

the dying…

Open to me, O Lord, so that, although I am a stranger unworthy of

enrollment as a citizen, yet nonetheless, I may by your gift be suffered on

occasion for a little while to journey there, that I may truly see your glory, and

not come out again unless I am thrown out!.. O, if only I may see, if only I may

persevere, if only I may hear some day: “Enter into the joy of your Lord,” and

may thus enter in, never to come out again!