Christian Art | George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | Affliction (3)
George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | Affliction (3)
My heart did heave, and there came forth, O God!
By that I knew that thou wast in the grief,
To guide and govern it to my relief,
Making a scepter of the rod:
Hadst thou not had thy part,
Sure the unruly sigh had broke my heart.
But since thy breath gave me both life and shape,
Thou knowst my tallies; and when there’s assign’d
So much breath to a sigh, what’s then behinde?
Or if some yeares with it escape,
The sigh then onely is
A gale to bring me sooner to my blisse.
Thy life on earth was grief, and thou art still
Constant unto it, making it to be
A point of honour, now to grieve in me,
And in thy members suffer ill.
They who lament one crosse,
Thou dying dayly, praise thee to thy losse
George Herbert | The Temple | The Church | Affliction (3)
The poem explores relationship between human grief and divine presence. The poem opens with an image of the heart heaving, which leads Herbert to recognize God’s role in guiding sorrow. This recognition transforms grief from chaos into something governed. The rod of suffering becomes a scepter, suggesting authority and purpose in the experience of pain. Without God’s involvement, Herbert believes his grief would have overwhelmed him entirely.
In the second stanza, breath becomes the focus. The sigh, an expression of sorrow, is presented as finite, controlled by the same divine breath that gave life. This understanding frames grief not as endless but as purposeful. The sigh is likened to a gale, a force that propels Herbert toward eternal bliss. This metaphor ties sorrow to movement and progress, aligning suffering with a larger spiritual journey. Even what seems to escape through sighs is not wasted but directed toward a final, redemptive goal.
The final stanza connects Herbert’s suffering to Christ’s own experience of grief. Herbert sees his pain as part of a greater whole, shared among members of the Christian body. This identification with Christ links personal suffering to the redemptive work of the cross. Grief, far from being meaningless, becomes a participation in a divine reality. The stanza also contrasts different responses to suffering. Some lament a single cross, but Herbert sees Christ’s constant sacrifice, shaping his understanding of praise and loss.
The poem’s form mirrors discipline required to accept and interpret suffering within a divine framework. Metaphors of breath, gale, scepter, and cross suggest a movement from the physical to the spiritual, reinforcing the idea that sorrow is part of a purposeful divine economy. Each image builds on the next, creating a progression that mirrors Herbert’s spiritual insight.
The poem offers a reflection on how grief can be understood through faith. Herbert resists despair by interpreting suffering as meaningful and connected to a larger divine plan. This understanding does not diminish the reality of pain but places it within the context of redemption, aligning personal experience with theological truth.
Come, eat your bread in gladness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for your works have been pleasing to God. If we would interpret this text in its obvious and ordinary sense, it would be correct to call it a righteous exhortation, in which Ecclesiastes counsels us to embrace a simple way of life and to be led by doctrines which involve a genuine faith in God. Then we may eat our bread in gladness and drink our wine with a cheerful heart. We will not fall into slanderous speech nor be involved in anything devious; rather we should think that which is right, and, insofar as we can, we should help the poor and destitute with mercy and generosity, truly dedicated to those pursuits and good deeds which please God [ … ]
The poem explores themes of divine presence, spiritual longing, and human instability. The poem opens with a stark reflection on the transient nature of spiritual joy and the sudden void that follows when such joy is absent. Herbert questions the disappearance of an overwhelming sense of divine joy that had recently consumed his heart, seeking an explanation or resolution from God. This inquiry sets the stage for a meditation on the balance between divine grace and human imperfection [ … ]
The New Testament account of Saint Peter provides us with a rich and detailed portrait of Saint Peter’s character and of his relationship with Jesus and the other apostles. In our contemporary context, Saint Peter’s teachings and example remain relevant and vital, providing us with a powerful reminder of the transformative potential of the Gospel. Whether through his emphasis on love, forgiveness, and hospitality, or his example of repentance and humility, Saint Peter’s legacy invites us to deepen our understanding of the Christian faith and to live out its principles in our own lives [ … ]
