Each day at mid-afternoon, at the beginning of the Little Hour of None, we sing the following ancient text, possibly composed by Saint Ambrose in the late fourth century.
O strength of all creation, Lord,
You guide the day throughout its course,
With constancy you keep us all,
Throughout the changing light of day.
It is a reminder that God is Ruler of all, and as another hymn we sing expresses it:
You send the beauty of the dawn,
And then the burning heat of noon.
Sometimes we chuckle at the reference to “the burning heat of noon,” when the weather outside in winter may be sunny, but very far from “burning heat.”
In midst of desert beauty we carry out our lives of prayer, work and reading, year in and year out.
God bless you and be assured of our prayers.
Abbot Christian and the monks
