Come Quick O Lord; Make Haste To Help Me* *based on John Cassian’s Conferences, Conference 10 and Psalm 70:2 By Br. Josemaria, OSB
Fine dining and elaborate feasts, my body does crave.
Succulent dishes and savoring foods, the desert depraves.
These sweet fragrances pull me down so unwillingly,
That I must cry out, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
Again I think of the time to sit down at table.
With great pain in my heart, I struggle, so that I may be able
To hold on to the gift of restraint that is given so freely,
But I can’t so I cry, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
I shall fast more strictly for again the flesh attacks.
But my exhausted and parched appetite grabs hold and keeps me back.
So in order to quiet the flesh that is stirring around and is so desiring,
I look up and cry, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
That long hour now due has come, come bid me to eat.
Yet I can’t and am held back on taking this every day treat.
For now it is reversed and just the sight to me is so very disgusting.
So then I have to cry, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
I turn to Holy Scrip to keep my thoughts in order, but am barred by a sudden pest.
Then sleep creeps up and I struggle to either skip or embrace the time for rest.
It weighs down so much that I must interrupt the Psalms during assembly.
And so yet again I cry out, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
Alas, sleep has left, but does not what it should,
Insomnia now comes over many nights and does me no good.
For now I am unable to take the rest that should be so refreshingly.
So I must sigh and pray, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
Still I fight on against the sins of the flesh that begin to stir.
It approaches as I sleep with its smooth delight to try to tempt and to lure.
But to not let the raging fire burn the sweet flowers of chastity,
I cry out loud, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
Dead now is the impulse of desire, the fire in my loins now cold.
And I embrace this virtue from above and if I expect it to hold,
If I expect this grace, this wonderful grace, to stay so fervently,
I must be sure to say, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
In comes the pangs and troubles of rage, and gloom, and greed,
Which lead me to scatter my gentleness, the grace in which I prefer to feed.
And so as not to be torn up by this ferocious grudge, I groan so mightily,
Not twice but thrice, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
Now comes the temptations of boredom, and vainglory, and also the surge of pride.
And in these my mind takes pleasure in negligence and the easy life of snide.
And if I am to overcome this devilish prompting that comes from the enemy,
I must pray in contrition of heart, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
I have won the grace of humility and simplicity and thrown off the prideful yoke.
But am still aware of the arrogant hand that attacks and this I will not evoke.
So if I am to suffer a more grievous wound as a result of my victory,
With all my strength I must say aloud, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
My soul is distracted, my thoughts are scattered and my heart is moving all around.
My prayers are interrupted by images so empty that I bring forth no spiritual sound.
In order to be liberated, which my groans cannot do, from this bleakness of spirituality,
I shall be obliged to cry out, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
Now my mind is ecstatic, my heart is glad and my spirit is back on track.
Because by the visitation of the Holy Spirit my spiritual thoughts are back,
Thanks to the illumination of the Parousia, what was once hidden is now for all to see.
Now regularly I cry, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
At night I am surrounded by such devils and spirits unclean.
So horrific that my hope of salvation drags away by images obscene.
But I shall fly to the port of safety, of this little verse that is so strengthening,
And exclaim with love, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
And when by the Lord and His angels I am made whole and consoled.
When I am encouraged by his coming and am daring, strong, and bold.
I’ll stand up to battle those who terrorize both my mind and my body
And cry with all my strength, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
This verse is the prayer for rescue that should be kept within the heart.
Meditate on it always, this salvific formula, with which you should never depart.
It’ll purify, and protect, and lead you to the unseen and heavenly.
But only for the few, cry out, Come quick O Lord; make haste to help me!
