FREDERIK VAN EEDE^ EUCHARISTIE ILLUSTRATED BY JAN TOOROP APOLOGETISCH BUREAU „HOUVAST" BREEDSTRAAT 9 ALKMAAR EUCHARISTIE THE WORD OF ATONEMENT A SONG IN HEBREW MEASURE FREDERIK VAN EEDEN ILLUSTRATED BY JAN TOOROP APOLOGETISCH BUREAU „HOUVAST" BREEDSTRAAT 9 □ □ ALKMAAR TO MONSEIGNEUR H. VAN DE WETERING, ARCHBISHOP IN UTRECHT RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE ARTISTS. EUCHARISTIE The Word of Atonement. A Song in Hebrew Measare. SU ^l'Clf^lil' ope madë my heart rcvive, êÊMËïÊh Sadness fled, the clear light refreshed me. I will speak with my last forces. All my lament I will make useful. Creative glow will dry up my tears Once more my way was illumined by Grace. And what will be the burden of my song? From what matter shall I build the chant of my old age? It is the nourishing of our pining souls — The perfect Food, that is: Gods own Body. * lil rjt'^X/fivi*1 deep darkness was I lying ^^xè^^t scemed boundless, and without end.. Death reigns there, all things are mute, All objects are colourless and dull. Evérything there is bare and horrible, ugly in the extreme and disgusting. The Evil one hovers there and feeds despair. He hates all and is hated by all. I feit myself slipping down in eternity. every movement brought me lower. There was no more expectation of joy. All good seemed to have passed for ever. 6 Every remembrance was painful. Nothing lovely was there more to recollect. I could not complain, yet I could not be silent. A never releasing unrest was in me. I supplicated forgiveness for all my failures. The Allhighest I beseeched for Grace. He seemed however to leave me, The Eternal-Good had no answer for me. Wanting to describe my misery, Wanting to speak out my sorrows in words, I feit shame and seeked for the dark I tried to hide myself for God's severe voice. 7 No reliëf was there for my pains, No balm was there for me, and no herb. I wished to melt into tears but my eyes remained dry. Crude was the light of the chilly morning The hard light that brings no life. For the day I looked out with bitterness, and in gloom I took my food. In what direction I looked, there was nothing to satisfy me. my hands groped in empty darkness. My beloved ones were around me, speaking words of admonition. 8 Yet who could approach my misfortune ? Who could understand my soul's torture? Vain was all what they said, Unintelligible was for them my anguish. The sun rose and sank without bringing consolation, Unattainable was the pomp of the high stars. An armour of ice crushed my heart — The démon sat on his throne and sneered. „How dreadful is the black between the stars 1 „How wild-tremendous is the fiery power of the suns 1 ...Destruction is their path, their glow is terrible, „,On their surface no living being can exist. j 9 „Their heat rises to thousands of degrees. „Their light does not reach us within thousands of years^ „Their power is bünd, they obey mathematical laws, „their tremendousness ignores us mankind. „O worlds full of fearful glory, „The man who knows thy ways, trembles and is mute. „What are our disasters, our great calamities „Compared with the eruption of a star-sun? „A trifle are they, and a nothing, „An atom of dust, that I blow from my hand." In this way and worse the Corrupter speaks, Who will do away with his biting argument? 10 He says that he and he alone is the truth. What is not in him, he calls falsehood and deceit. Our heavenly Father he tries to imitate — he! child of darkness! father of corruption! He is astute, crafty and full of science, He knows hidden mysteries. Left into his hands we are powerless, He plays with us as cat with mice. In his eyes are enticing charms. He enthralls us with tender delights. Glorious treasures he spreds before our eyes, we are blinded by his luxurious beauty. 1* "Woe to us when we accept his wealth, Any favour of his binds us so much the faster. And who speaks of love, let him be careful with his words! The merry bird be aware of the snare! Full of traps is the path of mankind! we are hunted like rabbits unsuspecting. Yea! unto the deep sea the fisherman spans his nets, troubled and treacherous are the waters of the world. Do you ask, brothers and sisters, why I speak like this? Why I bring you to the gutters of Satan? It is because you should remember the evil odor because you should be warned for times eternal. 12 What consolation could I bring? What answer could I have for you? Had I not myself tasted the bitterness, Could I not say: I suffered more, yet I believel So do not taunt me for my whining! be not angry because of my uprightness I He that will not remark the abyss, he will fall in, who denies the Evil, he will be victim. My beloved ones! do not trust your gladness, do not say: I know all dangers. I see you in the array of joy, your motley banners are floating on the breeze. 13 "Mark the beauty! mark the lusty confidence! Singing you ascend the merry hill. Your soul is full of courage, your heart full of gratitude, your talk with your Creator, smiling happily. He will conduct you safely to the top His paths are delightful, He will not put you to shame. 14 ^^^6et presently! |^ï^^^ presendy, when the craters burst open I what then ? When the dry lands shake, and the palaces fall into ruin, When all things totter, and poisonous vapors arise And the sea sweeps destructive over the fields. When the yells of anguish are drowned in thunder. When thousands cry for mercy, yet no one escapes. Will then the bird of gladness not leave you? Will then the song of praise not congeal in your chest? The pageant passes, red and gold, with rejoicing, and incense and cymbals beaten. I am sitting at the wayside, a messenger of evil. • an old beggar, clad in rags. 15 My.brothers and sisters I listen to me, have no distrust! Nothing on me is of any good, yet I have confidence. Look at my fetters, a gift of Satan! He himself told me how to fasten them. Yet I entreat you, my dear onesl believe that God is gbodl and forget not that He let his only Son weep bloody tears. Do not forget how futile we are, how insignificant! endlessly small, wandering through limidess space. What consideration could we expect before Him, before Him who rends the earth asunder, and crashes [the peoples like gnats. Will He follow up our foolish desires? Will He spare the bodies, when the souls are endangered? 16 He, who sent the stars on their errands, after His lust. He, for whom the collision of stars is a mere play. He allows what is most dreadful, the most terrible he does not prevent. Thundering the snow comes to the valley burying innocent mothers and children. On the children He punishes the evil of the elders. Strange and terrible is His justice. Listen, beloved! to the experiencedl Do not fear to speak straight forward to our Lord. When I was bom He gave me treasures, In my old age he took them all back. 17 A supple body I got, and a merry mind — Peaceful was my sleep. My days without cares. Lightfully I bore the sorrows of this world — Grateful was I and not unwilling. But it was all insufficiënt. I was driven into bare deserts. The hounds of evil chased me — I taunted them, confident of my powers. The demon was set loose after me He caught me at the throat, furiously. — Then the veil of error rentl My Shepherd left me in my shame. 18 ï saw nothing more but prospects of misery. All glory of my life feil asunder. Woe to us, confiding in our own powers, O my Beloved ones, do not scoff at my lesson. When I was strong the Evil let me alone, being old and feeble he made me his play-thing. Only now I realise my blindness — AU my life seems an icy mistake. In truth I called goodness goodness, and evil evil. Yet treacherous beauty allured me. All things melodious and of tender charm, And the word Love of abused holiness. 19 Yca! in things wicked I found something admirable, and for the poor degenerate I had only pity. When I feil I bore my complaint to God that He had not created me stronger. Are we not all His creatures? And will He deny us who are of his make? * 20 almighty Father! who reigns in the Heavens! Here I stand before You as Your guilty child. Pity our cpnfusion, our poor endeavors! Our helpless condition! our blindness ! Our impotence against the fierce corruptor! Remember the seduction of our passions! Who can tame his instincts without Thee? Who has sufficiënt wisdom, power and understanding ? In behalf of my poor brethren, who are miserable by their own fault. 21 I beseech Thee! think of our weakness and forgive! Tie up the wicked Démon, the dog of shame! Save us from the quicksands of sin — take my sufferings for reward — Thus the pains of my beloved ones may be leniated. My sorrows may be of use for the others — For their sake I will submit to all humiliation If our Lord will accept the offering. So do speak, heavenly Father ! the word of atonement,. That peace may smooth the waters of my soul. 22 I do not fear the sufferings, but the terror of Death, Thine absence do I fear — the anxious desolation — The extinguishing of all pure lights — the loneliness full of terror — Father! why lingerest Thou L Hear my call! Extend Thy hand, that we may not perish! 23 I found myself standing on the Eternal shores where the Son of God plays with the children of mankind. The night was deep, and there was a great silence, like molten lead the sea lay, without murmur. Opposed to me was a black rocky wall, Surging from the sea, menacing and awful. That wall split asunder at half its height Blinding white hght burst forth from its darkness. Lightening up the sea and all objects with a splendor of blessedness. And from the middle of that heavenly glow He came forth He who needs not fear the Evil one. 24 In His glory I could not look But around Him stood the saints in their own light. His blessed Mother was with Him. ï bent my forehead unto the ground. Fearing, I feit ashamed, and dared not look up. As a sinful child 1 wanted to hide me. But then I feit His tenderness infinite, His soft cheek touched mine — I prayed, embracing his knees, Lordl do now according to Thy great bounty. Speak the word of atonement that peace may smooth the waters of my soul. 25 Then He made me rise, with pity unspeakable. Sweet tears I was allowed to weep on His breast. What He and I then spoke no lips can repeat, It is the eternally luminous mystery of Grace. — The Word of Atonement was heard also, The blessed Word of mutual glory. His holy lips seemed to speak: I am the Word, in Me is the atonement. With His hands he took the created matter That from which all is made, He kneaded. The stars and the cornets obeyed Him and all that gave light, in the deep night — 26 Also obeyed Him the smallest particles who revolve like suns, surrounded by planets. The starry systems wherefrom our body is built the molecules, the atoms, the electrons. He relaid their prescribed roads Suns and atoms acted according to His Command'ment. God spoke and the Word became flesh God's breath blowed, and His blood became potable wine As He had fed thousands with flsh that never saw the sea. Likewise He fed thousands with bread that came to existence, strange to the flelds. 27 And stepping forth from the middle of die wall of rock He invited all of us to His Feast. Come! all of you, partake at the repast of Love! thus sounded the Word of atonement: „Eucharist" His Flesh He has prepared for us as food, the wine became Blood, as drink for us. The Flesh that has been martyred for our sake, The Blood that has been shed for our salvation. In the blinding vortices of light around Him where in the human eye is unable to look, The angels and saints were moving. their forms were bodies glorified. 28 Like He promised them, beautiful and everlasting, to all who partook of the meal. He formed them out of matter for all who have loved Him, And like He subdued the raging of the tempest, likewise He deviated the whirl of the atoms, Thus he nourishes the souls faithful to Him. Nobody who consumes His Food will perish. Worlds may be destroyed in flre Great nations may become swallowed up, Not one single soul will He forget. His Word stays with us in all eternity. 29 ê^^^^isten to the voice of the old beggar! Xearn what taught him to bear his misery. Heavy are my days and my nights, Unbearable are this world's torments. Yet allpowerful is the support of the triune God! Where He nourishes us, all suffering turns into blessing. Sharp is the strength of Satan, but stronger is Faith, Hard and painful is the voyage — blessed the return home! F. v. E. 30 Evulgetur : G. P. ]. v. d. BURG pr. libr. censor ad hoe dep. BERGEN, 15 Maji 1924.