Exodus Hymn Reflection: "Soul of My Saviour"

This is one of the many hymn reflections that Al does on a daily basis for his Exodus group. This reflection is for day 51.

Soul of my Saviour: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2j9ilIUyuqc

Not the hymn I initially was going to go with today. I felt inspired by yesterday's session on Psalms with Siegfried and the stations of the cross to choose another. However, sometimes during life, we get a sign that can be subtle or, like today's, it can be a wham in your face; sort of like a "look here mate, listen up, and do this!"

That's the challenge with this: there are so many great hymns out there that discerning which to choose sometimes is harder than I initially imagined. Sometimes the choice is obvious from the feast day; and if I'm feeling particularly stumped, I focus on the Exodus reading for the day, the mass readings for the day, or even use some of my silent prayer for the day to try and select the appropriate question. Sometimes someone interrupts your silent prayer to give you a prayer card with the hymn on it.

Today I went to confession. After this, I went to Mass; and following this, I was praying in silence, asking the Lord for help and thanking Him for Mass as well as the grace of confession. A lady who had been praying after Mass started coming around about 10 minutes after Mass and started going up to people. I had earplugs in and was thinking she knew the other people and that my earplugs were shiny and silver-coloured. I figured she was not going to come to me. After she spoke to the other 4 or so people in the chapel who were also praying following Mass, she came up to me and knocked on my shoulder; and, to be candid, I thought she might leave me alone if she realised I was praying, so I continued praying. However, she knocked on my shoulder and insisted on pressing a card in my hand. She told me to help her pray the prayer on the card and to pray it, and then she left.

I looked at the prayer on one side of the card. It was a Eucharistic Prayer that I am not familiar with. However, on the other side was a hymn that I am familiar with under a title that I was not familiar with. This side of the card on its head had Anima Christi (which, for those with a keen memory, was one of the initial hymns back in 2024 that started this whole project).

I'd never thought it before until I saw it clear as day on the card there, but the words of Anima Christi are the same as "Soul of My Saviour". It is one of the most beautiful prayers out there. In fact, I will share the translation of Saint Cardinal Newman:

Soul of Christ, be my sanctification;

Body of Christ, be my salvation;

Blood of Christ, fill all my veins;

Water of Christ's side, wash out my stains;

Passion of Christ, my comfort be;

O good Jesus, listen to me;

In Thy wounds I fain would hide;

Ne'er to be parted from Thy side;

Guard me, should the foe assail me;

Call me when my life shall fail me;

Bid me come to Thee above,

With Thy saints to sing Thy love,

World without end.

Amen.

What a beautiful prayer! It is believed to originally stem from the 14th century; however, very little is indeed known about its authorship. It was popularised by St Ignatius of Loyola who referred to it on many occasions in his writings. The fact is that we have a clearer lineage of people who vetted it— a quality control that is assured by saints of the great calibre. Having prayed through the Cardinal Newman reflections of the stations of the cross, it came across as another sign to me that this is a hymn worth bringing up and studying. This is even made clearer by the fact that Pope St John Paul the 2nd granted a partial indulgence to whoever should pray this prayer after taking communion.

But that, quite frankly, is secondary to the message it has. Just because the authorship is uncertain, it doesn't mean it is wrong. The imagery it uses points us towards the mystery of the sacrifice of the Mass and the sacrament of the Eucharist. It also highlights the union of the sacrament and how important it is to our relationship with the Lord.

The beauty of this hymn is also highlighted in the desire to stay by Christ’s side and to be with the Lord at all times— a concept I am currently grappling with as it is central to the premise of the spiritual reading I am currently working through, The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. It has the following line that I read shortly afterwards:

You need not cry very loud. He is nearer to us than we are aware. And we do not always have to be in church to be with God. We may make an oratory of our heart so we can, from time to time, retire to converse with Him in meekness, humility, and love. Everyone is capable of such familiar conversation with God, some more, some less. He knows what we can do.

I think this is the goal that we are striving for in many regards: the ability to be with God continuously regardless of where we are and have that oratory within that we can talk to the Lord. This prayer is very deep indeed, and I urge all of us to explore it and ponder it for what it is: a well that leads us to an infinitely deep mystery and highlights its centrality, immensity, and beauty.

Enchiridion Indulgentiarum quarto editur (vatican.va) - source of the indulgence from 2004.