Sancti Venite, Anonymous, Irish, 7th c, Bangor Abbey
Translated by John Mason Neale
 
 
Draw nigh and take the Body of the Lord,
and drink the holy Blood for you outpoured.
 
Saved by that Body and that precious Blood,
with souls refreshed, we render thanks to God.
 
Salvation's Giver, Christ, the only Son,
by his dear Cross and Blood the victory won.
 
Offered was he for greatest and for least,
himself the Victim, and himself the Priest.
 
Victims were offered by the law of old,
which in a type this heavenly mystery foretold.
 
He, Ransomer, from death, and Light from shade,
now gives his holy grace his saints to aid;
 
approach ye then with faithful hearts sincere,
and take the safeguard of salvation here.
 
He that in this world rules his saints and shields,
to all believers life eternal yields.
 
With heavenly bread makes them that hunger whole,
gives living waters to the thirsting soul.
 
Alpha and Omega, to whom shall bow
all nations at the Doom, is with us now.
 
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This poem – hymn, really – is fascinating for a couple of reasons. It’s a translation of an Irish hymn-text that dates all the way back to the 7th century, when it was composed for Bangor Abbey.
 
Bangor Abbey was established on the coast of Northern Ireland some time between 552 and 558 by Saint Comgall. Comgall had hoped to seek God in total solitude, but many found their way to his deserted island, seeking to learn from him. So he established a monastery, where men would strive to live the life of God in community.
 
Life at Bangor Abbey was not easy. Fasting was frequent, and the food they did have little and of the simplest kind. They must have been tired and hungry all the time. Not only that, their position on the coast made the abbey vulnerable to attack—over the centuries it was destroyed several times, and in the 9th century was plundered in a series of Viking raids.
 
And yet, the monks enjoyed a rich abundance in other ways—in learning, music, and the sacramental life. That richness comes through clearly in this poem, which would have been sung during Mass at Bangor. The poem is an invitation to a feast—the feast of the Eucharist. For the monks, ordinary meals were seldom satisfying—but this feast offers refreshment, quenching the thirst and satisfying the hunger of the soul. Dangers were all around them—but in this feast is safety, for the Eucharist is “victory won,” “safeguard,” and “shield.” One of the hallmarks of the Irish Church was the emphasis on the last judgment. This poem emphasizes that we do not need to wait until the end to meet Christ: “Alpha and Omega, to whom shall bow / All nations at the Doom, is with us now.” Every Eucharist is an encounter with the living Christ.
 
Another reason this poem is so fascinating is its translator, John Mason Neale. Even if you’ve never heard that name, you have met John Mason Neale!  Neale was a clergyman of the Church of England, born in 1818. While a student, he came under the influence of the Oxford Movement, which sought to bring back to Anglican theology and worship what some felt had been lost at the time of the Reformation. Neale rediscovered the richness of liturgical texts in the early Church. He translated hundreds of hymns from Latin, Greek, and other languages. His translations are both faithful and beautiful, offering English speakers access to an extraordinary tradition.
 
John Mason Neale was chronically ill, and died at the young age of 48. But his words live on. Where would we be without his brilliant translations of “O come, O come Emmanuel,” “All glory, laud, and honor,” “O sons and daughters, let us sing,” and “Let all mortal flesh keep silence,” among others…?  Not to mention his original compositions, like “Good King Wenceslaus”!
 
J. M. Neale is honored with a commemoration in the calendars of the Anglican and Lutheran churches on August 7. Appropriately, the Book of Common Prayer collect for Neale emphasizes beauty: “Almighty God, beautiful in majesty, majestic in holiness… Teach us to drive from the world the ugliness of chaos and disorder, that our eyes may not be blind to your glory, and that at length everyone may know the inexhaustible richness of your new creation in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Corinna Laughlin