St. Ambrose is famed for being a composer—both of lyrics and melody. His hymns were simple, rhythmic, and full of devotion. They were very popular in Milan and spread throughout the Church in the years after his death.
One of these hymns—Veni, Redemptor gentium (Come, Thou Redeemer of the earth)—was written for Christmas. Both his good friend St. Augustine and Pope St. Celestine I admired its concise beauty.
The words of the hymn declare the great beliefs of the Church—the united divinity and humanity of Jesus and the virginity of the Blessed Mother before, during, and after the Incarnation—which were under attack by various heresies at the time.
Here are some verses from this profound hymn:
Come, Thou Redeemer of the earth,
And manifest Thy virgin birth:
Let every age adoring fall;
Such birth befits the God of all…
The virgin womb that burden gained
With virgin honor all unstained;
The banners there of virtue glow;
God in His temple dwells below.
Forth from His chamber goeth He,
That royal home of purity,
A giant in twofold substance one,
Rejoicing now His course to run.
O equal to the Father, Thou!
Gird on Thy fleshly mantle now;
The weakness of our mortal state
With deathless might invigorate…
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to Thee
Eternal praise and glory be,
Whom with the Father we adore
And Holy Spirit, evermore.
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