"One of the great night prayer hymns, 'All Praise to Thee My God This Night,' appears in numerous hymnals of
the English tradition. Sadly, it is not in our current breviary, but I
hope that the new one might feature it. It was written by Thomas Ken in
1709 and is most often sung to the beautiful tune of Tallis' Ordinal. . . .
"Ideally, night prayer should include
acts of thanksgiving and praise to God along with repentance for any
sins committed. Night prayer is also a time to ponder death and ask
God's graces to be prepared for death and judgment.
"This hymn does all of that and more. It is beautiful English poetry, edifying and wonderfully descriptive in just a few verses. . . ."
In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish,
Washington, DC) reflected on the beauty of this hymn and on some of its elements that make it a good night prayer.
To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:
Community in Mission: And with Sweet Sleep Mine Eyelids Close - A Meditation on a Beautiful Hymn of the Night (24 JUL 18)
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