- Apocalypse 1:13-17; 10:7; 20:9,10
The Eagle of Patmos hath pierced the dark ages,
And gazed on the Mystery woeful of Sin;
In the Light Beatific were written those pages
Which lends them a glory without and within.
For the light which first fell on his luminous gaze
Was the Vision of Jesus, the Friend of the Past;
The Master adored in those long-ago days,
Now in Glorified Nature the First and the Last.
Upborne in the spirit 'mid Splendours eternal,
His eagle-eyed view gageth wonders sublime;
Undimmed by the vapours of malice infernal,
Unchecked, undisturbed by the spectres of time.
For lo, on that mystical picture, engraven
The Truth of All-being created, is seen -
Tis the Mystery of Godliness stooping from Heaven,
To crush out for ever the Mystery of Sin.
- text taken from Mary: The Perfect Woman, by Emily Mary Shapcote