It is a great privilege to be deemed Worthy to suffer for some great cause or good, And only righteous men are so esteemed That they are chosen from the common brood. The idle, indolent, indifferent kind Are never asked to bear the brunt of toil, Nor do they ever gain immortal mind Or reap the best fruits of the tiller's soil. And Christ Himself has been the guiding star Of those who've suffered long and patiently, And they have looked with hopeful eyes afar To that fair land which ever theirs will be; And though at times the pain and grief they bear Seems to o'erwhelm them in life's darkened room, They ne'er should be bowed down by dark despair, For angels gladly would their tasks assume. |