This prayer comes from a 12th-century Cistercian monastery, attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, though its true author is unknown. It is a hymn to the Name of Jesus, and you might pray it when you need consolation, when the day feels heavy, or when you want to rest in Christ’s presence before sleep.
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
The prayer asks for nothing except Jesus himself. It moves from the sweetness of thinking about Christ, to the greater sweetness of seeing him face to face, to the secret joy known only to those who love him. The second stanza honors the Name of Jesus, a devotion central to medieval Cistercian spirituality and later formalized in the Feast of the Holy Name.
Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) preached extensively on the Song of Songs and the soul’s longing for union with Christ. Whether he wrote this hymn or not, it carries his spirit: affective, intimate, centered on love rather than duty. It became one of the most beloved hymns in English-speaking Christianity, later set to music as “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee.”
Pray it slowly when you sit down after a long day, or before you turn off the light at night. Let the repetition of the Name settle you.
Carry it through this evening.
