LUMEN HILARE
Venite, Audite, Gaudete!
Caritas Crucis
The text for this song came from the composer's search for lyrics which reflect the incredible love that flows from the act and fact of the crucifixion of Christ. The search came from considering the feelings of Christ's disciples as they gave up their former life and followed Him for three years, learning from His teaching and observing His miracles. Their love for Him, and faith in Him, must have grown to such a level that the crushing shock of His death could only be surpassed by His resurrection. How they must have grown in love and faith to have felt the abandonment of His death quickly followed by the joy of His resurrection. This search led the composer to St. Augustine's Confessions. "Reading this book felt like it was coming from inside me. As if were the mirror of my own soul." The lyrics are a paraphrase of a famous passage from this book and another well known quote of St. Augustine.
The three Bible verses interspersed throughout the piece addressing aspects of God's love for us come from significant moments in the composer's life.
St. Augustine of Hippo's autobiographical work. Confessions, consists of 13 books, written in Latin between AD 397 and 400. The work outlines Saint Augustine's sinful youth and his conversion to Christianity. it was originally written to be read out loud with each book being complete unto itself.
The first nine books are autobiographical and the last four are commentary. The books were written as prayers to God, and begins with "For Thou hast made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless till they rest in Thee."
Too late have I lov'd Thee, O beauty ever ancient ever new.
Too late have I lov'd Thee, and behold,
you were there in me whilst I out of myself.
As I searched for you the whole world over,
I found that you lov'd me, as if I were the only one.
With love and mercy, which grow not weary,
Too late have I lov'd Thee.
John 3:16 sic enim dilexit Deus mundum
ut Filium suum unigenitum daret
ut omnis qui credit in eum non pereat
sed habeat vitam aeternam
I John 4:10 in hoc est caritas non quasi nos dilexerimus Deum
sed quoniam ipse dilexit nos
et misit Filium suum propitiationem pro peccatis nostris
Philippians 2:8 humiliavit semet
ipsum factus oboediens usque ad mortem
mortem autem crucis
For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son: that whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting.
In this is charity: not as though we had loved God,
but because he hath first loved us,
and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.
He humbled himself,
becoming obedient unto death,
even to the death of the cross.