Jesus, My Lord, My Life, My All

The words for this Sunday’s anthem were written by Henry Collins (1827-1919), a little known hymnwriter of the Anglican tradition. He was associated with the Oxford Movement, which was an attempt by many in the Anglican Church to restore traditional aspects of worship. Many of the individuals in the movement, including Collins, later converted to Catholicism. One of the results of the Oxford Movement was the translation of many ancient hymn texts that were originally penned in Latin and Greek.

Collins was raised in the Church of England and eventually became an ordained Anglican minister. Soon after becoming a Catholic, Collins joined the Cistercian order of monks, which emphasizes manual labour and self-sufficiency. Traditionally, Cistercian abbeys have supported themselves through activities such as agriculture and brewing ales. The order abides by the strict Rule of St. Benedict and is more austere in its observance of the rules that the actual Benedictines.

Collins' bent toward the contemplative life can perhaps be heard in the words he wrote in the hymn, “Jesu, my Lord, My God, My All.” The text was altered slightly by the arranger of our anthem, Bob Burroughs, but it retains all of Collins' heartfelt devotion to Christ:

Jesus, my Lord, my Life, my All,
Hear me, blest Savior, when I call;
Hear me, and from Thy dwelling-place
Pour down the riches of Thy grace:
Jesus, my Lord, I Thee adore;
O make me love Thee more and more.

Jesus, too late I Thee have sought;
How can I love Thee as I ought?
And how extol thy matchless fame,
The glorious beauty of Thy Name?
Jesus, my Lord, I Thee adore;
O make me love Thee more and more.

Jesus, of Thee shall be my song;
To Thee my heart and soul belong:
All that I have or am is Thine;
And Thou, blest Savior, Thou art mine.
Jesus, my Lord, I Thee adore;
O make me love Thee more and more.

Collins’ original text includes a stanza omitted from the Burroughs arrangement. It is equal in depth of devotion to the other stanzas, and is a fitting reflection for us during Lent:

Jesus, what didst Thou find in me
That thou hast dealt so lovingly?
How great the joy that Thou hast brought,
So far exceeding hope or thought!
Jesus, my Lord, I Thee adore;
O make me love Thee more and more.