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Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts, Thou fount of life, thou light of men, From the best bliss that earth imparts We turn unfilled to thee again. Our restless spirits yearn for thee…

A mother, whose kids were definitely not known their good behavior, once said to me, "as long as my kids are healthy, that’s the most important thing." "Best bliss" for her did not go much farther than that. For others, "best bliss" is an impressive education at a prestigious...

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A mother, whose kids were definitely not known their good behavior, once said to me, "as long as my kids are healthy, that’s the most important thing." "Best bliss" for her did not go much farther than that. For others, "best bliss" is an impressive education at a prestigious school; social stature, a sizeable bank account and political power; or an influential title in the business world.

But undoubtedly the most obvious meaning of "best bliss" communicated by our media controlled culture is: things!

St. Paul originally sought his "bliss" in religious deeds. Read about them in this catalogue of accomplishments in Philippians 3:

• I was circumcised on the 8^th day.
• I was born a member of God’s chosen people, the Israelites.
• Not only that, but I was part of Israel’s favored clan, the tribe of Benjamin.
• I was a Hebrew son of Hebrew parents and able to speak the Hebrew language when most of my peers only knew common Aramaic.
• Not only was I a member of the Jewish religion, but I was a part of the most strict and prestigious group of all the Jews, the Pharisees.
• My zeal for God was so great that I even persecuted Christians.
• I was blameless before God for I followed every law of my religion!

In short, Paul was a son of whom any Jewish mother would be enormously proud! But, listen to his verdict on all these accomplishments:

Your "best bliss" is…? And mine…?

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"Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts" comes from a portion of Bernard of Clairvaux’s poem, Jesu dulcis memoria, roughly translated "Remembrance of Jesus’ Sweetness." It is made up of stanzas 4,3, 20 28 and 10 of the work as it appeared in Herman A. Daniel’s Thesaurus Hymnologicus (1841-1855). The hymn "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee" comes from the same work, along with other, less familiar hymns.

Bernard of Clairvaux was a nobleman by birth, but gave up his life of l...

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"Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts" comes from a portion of Bernard of Clairvaux’s poem, Jesu dulcis memoria, roughly translated "Remembrance of Jesus’ Sweetness." It is made up of stanzas 4,3, 20 28 and 10 of the work as it appeared in Herman A. Daniel’s Thesaurus Hymnologicus (1841-1855). The hymn "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee" comes from the same work, along with other, less familiar hymns.

Bernard of Clairvaux was a nobleman by birth, but gave up his life of luxury to become a monk. Having tasted the "best bliss that earth imparts" he knew that he was "unfilled" and turned instead to Jesus.

Jesu dulcis memoria was translated by several authors. Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf wrote the best German translation. The English translation most commonly used is the one by Roy Palmer. It was a free paraphrase, so it could be said that Mr. Palmer wrote this hymn.

This hymn is an inspiration to many. Dr. David Livingstone repeated parts of it on his African journeys. He said:

"Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts" was first published in the Sabbath Hymn Book, 1858.

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