[The beginning of this Ode has not been preserved.]

…I am putting on the love of the Lord.
And the members of the Lord’s Body remain with Him,
on them I depend, for the Lord love sustains me.
I would not even have known how to love the Lord,
had He not first and always loved me.
For who is able to comprehend love,
save that one who has first been loved?
I love the Beloved and my very soul yearns for Him,
and where His holy rest is, there I will be found.
I will never be a stranger to Him,
for there is only love with the Lord Most High and Merciful.
I have been united with Him,
because the lover has found the Beloved.
Because I love Him who is the Son,
I too will become a son.
Indeed, he who is joined to Him who has always been,
will truly receive the fullness of eternal life.
Those who find joy in the Living One,
will themselves become fully alive.
This is the Spirit of the Lord, who does not lie,
who teaches the sons of men to know God’s ways.
Remain wise, understanding and vigilant.
Hallelujah.

© Robert C. Stroud