His Cross Stands Empty is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office (1974), it is used with the Office of Readings on Holy Saturday. The suggested musical setting in the Divine Office is the 1861 tune: Eventide by William Henry Monk (1823-1889), as featured in the following video. Curiously, Eventide's hymn meter (10.10.10.10) does not match the meter of His Cross Stands Empty (11.8.11.8). The Divine Office makes note of this and has likely recommended Eventide because the words can be adapted to fit this melody, and (because 11.8.11.8 is so rarely used) there are very few 11.8.11.8 meter tunes that could otherwise be used.
My God I Love Thee is a translation of O Deus Ego Amo Te, attributed to the great Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552). It was likely written sometime in the 1540's during his time in India. The original text was likely composed as a sonnet in Spanish or Portuguese and then later translated into Latin, either by Xavier himself and/or by others, for there are several Latin versions. It has been translated into English many times. The most well known is the 1849 translation by Fr. Edward Caswall (1814-1878). In the Divine Office (1974) it is set to the tune, Everlasting Love. A more commonly used setting is to the tune, St. Fulbert (see 1st video). The 2nd video features a 2 stanza 18th century Latin hymn from the album, Angels and Saints At Ephesus performed by the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles. In the Divine Office, My God I Love Thee is used on Holy Saturday.
Tune: St. Fulbert
My God I Love Thee (Translation by Fr. Caswall)
My God, I love Thee, not because
I hope for heaven thereby;
Nor yet since they who love Thee not
Must burn eternally.
Thou, O my Jesus, Thou didst me
Upon the Cross embrace;
For me didst bear the nails and spear,
And manifold disgrace;
And griefs and torments numberless,
And sweat of agony;
E’en death itself; and all for one
Who was Thine enemy.
Then why, O blessed Jesus Christ,
Should I not love Thee well,
Not for the sake of winning heaven,
Or of escaping hell;
Not with the hope of gaining aught,
Not seeking a reward;
But as Thyself hast loved me,
O ever-loving Lord?
E’en so I love Thee, and will love,
And in Thy praise will sing,
Solely because Thou art my God,
And my eternal King.
O Deus Ego Amo Te (18th Century Hymn)
O Deus, ego amo te,
Nec amo te ut salves me,
Nec quod qui te non diligent,
Æterno igne pereunt.
Ex cruces lingo germinat,
Qui pectus amor occupant,
Ex pansis unde brachiis,
Ad te amandum arripes. Amen.
Traditional Latin Text
O Deus, ego amo te,
Nec amo te, ut salves me,
Aut, quia non amantes te
Æterno punis igne.
Tu, tu, mi Jesu, totum me
Amplexus es in cruce;
Tuliste clavos, lanceam,
Multamque ignominiam,
Innumeros dolores,
Sudores, et angores,
Et mortem, et hæc propter me,
Ac pro me peccatore.
Cur igitur non amem te,
O Jesu amantissime,
Non, ut in cœlo salves me,
Aut ne æternum damnes me,
Nec præmii ullius spe;
Sed sicut tu amasti me?
Sic amo et amabo te,
Solum quia Rex meus es,
Et solum, quia Deus es.
O Loving Wisdom of Our God was written by Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890). It is an abridgement (beginning at the 2nd stanza) of the more well known, Praise to the Holiest, also used with the Liturgy of the Hours. Both are adapted from Cardinal Newman's 1865 epic poem, The Dream of Gerontius. The text of the hymn is drawn from the final section of the work where a choir of angels sing as the departed soul crosses the threshold to be judged by God. Newman had been asked by fellow convert to Catholicism, Fr. Henry James Coleridge S. J.(1822-1893), editor of The Month magazine, to make a contribution. He had expected Newman to write on some matter of theology, but instead received The Dream of Gerontius, which took Newman less than a month to compose. O Loving Wisdom of Our God is set to the tune, Billing by Richard R. Terry (1865-1938). In the Divine Office (1974), it is used on Holy Saturday.
Tune: Billing
O LOVING WISDOM OF OUR GOD by John Henry Newman, 1865 (Public Domain)
1. O loving wisdom of our God!
When all was sin and shame,
A second Adam to the fight
And to the rescue came.
2. O wisest love! that flesh and blood,
Which did in Adam fail,
Should strive afresh against the foe,
Should strive and should prevail!
3. O generous love! that He, Who smote
In Man for man the foe,;
The double agony in Man
For man should undergo!
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