O Jesus, King Most Wonderful
O Jesus, King Most Wonderful
O Jesus, King most wonderful!
Thou Conqueror renowned!
Thou Sweetness most ineffable,
In whom all joys are found!
When once Thou visitest the heart,
Then truth begins to shine,
Then earthly vanities depart,
Then kindles love divine.
O Jesus! Light of all below,
Thou Fount of life and fire!
Surpassing all the joys we know,
All that we can desire.
Thy wondrous mercies are untold,
Through each returning day;
Thy love exceeds a thousandfold,
Whatever we can say.
Thee may our tongues forever bless;
Thee may we love alone;
And ever in our lives express
The image of Thine own.
Translated by Edward Caswall (1814–1878)
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX was a remarkable man of God. Luther called him “the best monk that ever lived.”
In 1115, at the age of twenty-five, he was sent to start a new monastery in a place called the Valley of Wormwood. Bernard and his followers changed the name to Clairvaux and transformed the desolate land, which had been a haunt for robbers, into a haven of blessing. Peasants were taught about agriculture and vine culture, and the valley began to blossom. Other monasteries were established, other poverty-stricken areas revived—within Bernard’s lifetime there were 162 such monasteries established, bringing spiritual and economic health with them.
Above all else, Bernard was a student of Scripture and a lover of Jesus Christ.
The Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
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