When you need consolation that words cannot describe, pray this medieval hymn to the Name of Jesus. Written by an anonymous Cistercian monk in the 12th century and traditionally attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, it captures the sweetness of Christ’s presence in language that has nourished Christians for nine hundred years.
Jesus, the very thought of thee with sweetness fills my breast; but sweeter far thy face to see, and in thy presence rest. No voice can sing, no heart can frame, nor can the memory find a sweeter sound than thy blest Name, O Savior of mankind. O hope of every contrite heart, O joy of all the meek, to those who fall, how kind thou art! How good to those who seek! But what to those who find? Ah, this nor tongue nor pen can show; the love of Jesus, what it is, none but his loved ones know. Jesus, our only joy be thou, as thou our prize wilt be; Jesus, be thou our glory now, and through eternity.
Anonymous Cistercian, 12th century; traditionally St. Bernard of Clairvaux
How this prayer works
This prayer asks for one thing: to rest in the presence of Jesus. It moves from thinking about Christ, to seeking him, to finding him. The Cistercian who wrote it understood that no description can capture what happens when we actually meet Christ in prayer. The final stanza is the petition: make yourself our only joy, now and forever.
The prayer comes from a longer Latin poem, Jesu, dulcis memoria, which became one of the most beloved hymns of the medieval Church. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the 12th-century abbot and Doctor of the Church, championed devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, and this hymn reflects the Cistercian focus on intimacy with Christ through contemplation.
Pray it slowly when you wake, before the day rushes in. Let the phrase “the very thought of thee” settle before you reach for your phone. The prayer is an anchor: it reminds you that Christ himself is sweeter than any consolation you will chase today.
Return to it when you need rest.
