Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Ordinary Time Lyrics
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And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At His feet the six winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!
The lyrics of Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence reflect the awe and reverence that humans should feel when confronted with the divine presence of Christ on earth. The opening line captures this sentiment, calling for all "mortal flesh" to "keep silence" and approach with fear and trembling. The subsequent lines exhort the listener to put aside earthly thoughts and focus on the blessing that Christ brings with him as he descends to demand our full homage. In the second stanza, Christ is introduced as the "King of kings," born of Mary and taking on human form to offer himself as heavenly food to the faithful. The final stanza describes the heavenly host gathering to welcome Christ's descent, and the seraphim and cherubim offering ceaseless voice in praise and worship of the "Lord Most High." Overall, the lyrics present a powerful vision of Christ's presence on earth and the overwhelming reverence and worship that it inspires.
Line by Line Meaning
Let all mortal flesh keep silence
May all physical beings hold their breath and remain completely still
And with fear and trembling stand
They must stand in reverence and awe of this divine presence
Ponder nothing earthly minded
Do not dwell on Materialistic thoughts for their mind should be devoid of such distractions
For with blessing in His hand
Christ our savior comes with blessings for His faithful
Christ our God, to earth descendeth
Our Lord comes down to Earth from the Heavens above
Our full homage to demand
He comes to receive the complete adoration, worship, and respect that He deserves
King of kings, yet born of Mary
Christ is the King of all Kings which has been born to Mary
Lord of lords, in human vesture
Despite being the supreme Lord He takes on human form and comes down to be with us
In the body and the blood
We receive Christ's own physical form and blood during Holy Communion
He will give to all the faithful
Christ will give His benevolence to all His followers
His own self, for heavenly food
Christ gives His own self as food for the soul to reach salvation
Rank on rank the host of heaven
The Angelic Hosts line up, rank upon rank,
Spreads its vanguard on the way
They position themselves as the front guard guiding Christ's descent
As the Light of light descendeth
Christ is the purest, brightest light descending down to us
From the realms of endless day
He descends from the eternal light of Heaven
That the powers of hell may vanish
Thus diminishing any power the forces of darkness may have had in the world
As the darkness clears away
He illuminates the world with his pure white light, dispelling all darkness within it
At His feet the six winged seraph
The seven highest angels bow before him and lay at His feet,
Cherubim with sleepless eye
Exalted Angels with vigilance as they bow
Veil their faces to the presence
They hide their visages as they stand face to face with God
As with ceaseless voice they cry
They continually proclaim with joy at His arrival
Alleluia, Alleluia
The refrain that is repeated by the angels in total bliss and joy
Alleluia, Lord Most High!
Praising the Most High Lord with reverence and respect.
Contributed by Brooklyn Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.