Beneath Thy Cross: A Lenten Poem

In chapel this morning, Dr. Becky Luman shared a poem she came across during her Lenten readings by Christina Rossetti. May it bless your own reflection during Lent.

Am I a stone and not a sheep
That I can stand, O Christ, beneath Thy Cross,
To number drop by drop Thy Blood’s slow loss,
And yet not weep?

Not so those women loved
Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee;
Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly;
Not so the thief was moved;

Not so the Sun and Moon
Which hid their faces in a starless sky,
A horror of great darkness at broad noon—
I, only I.

Yet give not o’er,
But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;
Greater than Moses, turn and look once more
And smite a rock.

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) is best known for writing “In the Bleak Midwinter.” This poem is public domain.