XXIV
LOINS

Underneath the veil of mystery           Isaiah 11:5.
that girds your loins
—the cloth that dried your disciples’ feet           John 13:5, 10.
when they were washed, after which
 the entire man was cleansed—under that veil
—the loins girded as though in motion—           Luke 12:35.
the strength of the man, Lord, is hidden.
From the blessed Eve, the virgin mother,
You, blessed Adam, took the flesh
of a sinful father from a virgin womb
and you placed it on the bed of the cross.
You gave birth when you died; it was
your death that made you the father
of our life; your death was the vital result
of your manhood; then, because of it,
You knew the bride of Humanity
and You became her bridegroom of blood.           Exodus 4:25.
Without You, Jesus, we are born only
to die; but with You we die to be born
once more, and so you give birth to us!