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Today's Devotional

Alleluia, song of gladness,

voice of joy that cannot die;

alleluia is the anthem

ever raised by choirs on high;

in the house of God abiding

thus they sing eternally.

Alleluia thou resoundest,

true Jerusalem and free;

alleluia, joyful mother,

all thy children sing with thee;

but by Babylon’s sad waters

mourning exiles now are we.

Alleluia though we cherish

and would chant for evermore

alleluia in our singing,

let us for a while give o’er,

as our Savior in his fasting

pleasures of the world forbore.

Therefore in our hymns we pray thee,

grant us, blessed Trinity,

at the last to keep thine Easter

with thy faithful saints on high;

there to thee for ever singing

alleluia joyfully.

About the author and the source

Today is Shrove Tuesday, the last day before Lent. Among the faithful, Shrove Tuesday has often been seen as a day for penitence, confession, and absolution (shriving) in preparation for Lent. However, others view the day as a last chance to gorge on things that they will deny themselves during Lent. John Mason Neale (1818–1866), an Anglican priest who translated many old Latin hymns into English, translated this anonymous plainsong chant also.