St. Louis Marie de Montfort - Benefits of Almsgiving

Hymn No. 17 - Benefits of Almsgiving (pdf)
St. Louis Marie de Montfort

1. I see a light descending,
Approaching, shining near.
Ah! Truly, it is charity,
It is heartfelt mercy.
She yearns to espouse us,
O! how kind she is,
We must not refuse her
For she is too charming.

2. Although awesome in her greatness,
Although God be her throne,
Because of her gentleness,
Almsgiving is her name.
She is compassion
For the wretched,
The tender abundance
Of a loving hand.

3. This queen seems forgetful
Of her divine birth.
She sacrifices herself
For the suffering poor;
She gladly clasps to her breast
The greatest miseries,
And how gently she dresses
The most repulsive wounds.

4. You miser with one foot in hell,
You would rather not believe;
But dear chosen soul, trust me,
For it concerns your glory.
Gently lend your ear
To everything I’ll now explain,
So you may believe it perfectly
And put it into practice.

5. Almsgiving is necessary,
Our faith itself attests,
Everything confirms this truth
Even nature itself.
Our neighbor has the good fortune
Of having the same father as we,
So we must help him with all our heart,
As our own brother.

6. Almsgiving is the commandment
Of Jesus, our Master,
Only the truly blind
Are ignorant of this.
Give and it will be given unto you,
That is my commandment.
Without it, you will be condemned,
No exceptions granted.

7. Transform iniquity
And transitory goods,
Into treasures for eternity
And friends, without a doubt;
Then no thief can pilfer
By force or by cunning,
Nor will the wealth ever spoil
From rust or from years.

8. Everything grants alms for God,
Each in its own way:
The air, the sea, the earth, the fire
And all nature itself.
Look at all the animals:
One gives us food, another carries us,
They all assist us in our needs
By lending strong support.

9. But what greater blessings
When it comes to grace:
The Father sends His Son
In spite of our disgrace,
The Son gives Himself all to all
Right up to the Eucharist,
The Holy Spirit comes upon us.
Oh! What alms so infinite!

10. When I see heaven’s Queen,
(She is our only hope),
Put in this world’s poor
All her confidence,
Give all things to us in charity,
And become our Mother,
I say: Almsgiving, in truth,
Is great and necessary.

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Read more here (pdf)


From Collected Writings of St. Louis Marie de Montfort,
Hymns of Montfort, No. 17