To Cheer the Heart of Man

That wine may cheer the heart of man*
The good God made the vine.
Creation’s third day of the six,
He did this thing divine.

He lavished on it sun and rain,
And placed it in rich soil;
And when the wrong tree Adam chose,
God added Adam’s toil.

So now the vintner adds his art
To what God made at first,
And makes this cheer for heart of man
Midst labor, sweat, and thirst.

But vintner’s craft does not compare
To that of Christ the Priest.
Who joined the wine to wheat and words
And made a perfect feast.

Our bodies and our souls He loves
As only Jesus can,
For with both wine and Sacrament,
He cheers the heart of man.

Written on the Feast of Saint Gregory Nazianzen (May 9), 2017

* Cf. Psalm 103:15