The Meaning

Christ is the Alpha of our prayers;
We know not how to pray
Save as His Spirit in our hearts
Shall teach us what to say.

Christ is the Omega of prayer,
The Father's great Amen
That rounds our halting periods
To sense beyond our ken.

But in the little space between
He lets us make the links,
And with our slow and stammering speech
Interpret what He thinks.

O First and Last, take Thou the prayers
Of every trusting soul,
And weld them to Thine own desire
To make a perfect whole.

Thou great Beginning of that Word
We cannot speak or spell,
Of the short syllable we lisp
Be Thou the End as well!