The Bridegroom with Us

It is not for his gifts
that I continue in my prayers,
but because he is true Life.

It is not so much by hope
as by bonds of love that I am drawn.
It is not for gifts,
but for the Giver that I yearn.

It is not glory I aspire to,
but it is the Glorified One whom I wish to embrace.
It is not by the desire for life,
but by the remembrance of him who give life
that I am ever consumed!

It is not for joyous passions that I yearn,
but it is because of a desire for him who is preparing them
that my heart bursts out in tears.
It is not rest that I seek,
but it is the face of him who offers rest
that I seek in prayer.

It is not for the nuptial banquet,
but it is for the Bridegroom that I long.
Despite the weight of my transgressions
I believe with an indubitable hope,
trusting in the hand of the Almighty One
that not only shall I obtain pardon,
but that I shall see him in person,
thanks to his mercy and pity,
and that I shall inherit heaven
although I completely deserve to be banished.

...Receive with sweetness,
O powerful Lord God,
the prayer of him who was bitterness for you.
...Grant that through remembrance of your hope
I may remain unscathed, protected by You.
Amen.

~ Saint Gregory of Narek
from The Redicovery of Prayer,
by Bro. Bernard, OP