SJHN Divine Worship I. The Wound The altar groans beneath a fractured rite, When hands forget the holiness they hold; For once the sacred slips from earnest sight, Its fire grows thin, its embers faint and cold. The Church stands bruised when reverence is lost, And Christ is met with casual, hurried breath; Such wounds, though quiet, carry weight and cost, For they unteach the way that leads from death. II. Identity Unmade The Church forgets the grammar of her grace When gestures stray from what the Fathers knew; Her ancient voice grows strange within this place, And borrowed forms obscure what once rang true. For liturgy is language of the Bride, The shape of love made visible and clear; When this is blurred, her heart is pushed aside, And mission falters where it should draw near. III. The Mission Dimmed A people formed by rites malformed will fade, Uncertain of the gift they bear within; For worship teaches how the world is made, And how the Cross unmakes the power of sin. If rites ...