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BE THOU MY VISION
Be thou my
vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that
thou art:
thou my best thought both by day and by night,
waking or
sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my
wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with
me, Lord.
Thou my soul's shelter, and thou my high tow'r,
raise thou me heav'nward, O Pow'r of my pow'r.
Riches I heed
not, nor vain, empty praise,
thou mine inheritance, now and
always:
thou and thou only, the first in my heart,
great God of heaven,
my treasure thou art.
Light of my
soul, after victory won,
may I reach heaven's joys, O heaven's
Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O
Ruler of all.
Text: Irish, 8th
cent.; vers. Eleanor H. Hull, 1860-1935, alt.; tr. Mary E.
Byrne, 1880-1931
When I listen to
this hymn, I feel I am listening to a prayer. The words are
attributed to Dallan Forgaill, an 8th Century Irish monk.
Verse 3 states, “Riches
I heed not, nor vain, empty praise, thou mine inheritance, now
and always: thou and thou only, the first in my heart, great God
of heaven, my treasure thou art.” These words are a map of
how we should live our lives, and where our focus should be: on
the treasure that awaits us in heaven.
I think of our
young people and their journey to find the meaning of life; it’s
a journey fraught with temptations. The temptations they face
are the same temptations humankind has faced for centuries. This
hymn, written more than 1,200 years ago, demonstrates that some
things were not all that different in Dallan Forgaill’s time.
“Riches I heed
not”
is a philosophy almost foreign in today’s world. We are bombarded
from every direction about the value of money and the freedom
money can give. Who among us does not want to be wealthy? But
true wealth does not come from money in the bank, or from stocks
and bonds. True wealth is found in our relationship with our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
It is my hope and
prayer we can all focus on the true meaning of life and
understand the true treasure of life, which to me is, “I ever
with thee and thou with me, Lord.”
“Be though my
wisdom, and thou my true word; I ever with thee and thou with
me, Lord. Thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tow’r, raise
thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.”
Judy McDiffett
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