For us baptized, for us he bore
His holy fast and hungered sore;
For us temptation sharp he knew;
For us the Tempter overthrew.
For us he prayed; for us he taught;
For us his daily works he wrought,
By words and signs and actions thus
Still seeking not himself, but us.
For us by wickedness betrayed,
For us in crown of thorns arrayed,
He bore the shameful cross and death;
For us he gave his dying breath;
For us he rose from death again;
For us he went on high to reign;
For us he sent his Spirit here
To guide, to strengthen and to cheer.
O love how deep, how broad, how high,
Beyond all thought and fantasy,
That God, the Son of God, should take
Our mortal flesh for mortal’s sake!
-Thomas à Kempis