And did those feet in ancient time

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?

And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of Desire;
Bring me my Spear; O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of Fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant Land.

William Blake (1757 – 1827)

Happy St. Joseph of Arimathea Day! Joseph, "a good and a just man" (Luke 23:50), was a wealthy Israelite who a secret disciple of Jesus. Legend has it that Joseph was the founder of Christianity in Great Britain; he is said to have established Glastonbury Abbey, and to have been the first guardian of the Holy Grail. Another legend associated with J of A says that he was Jesus's great-uncle, and that on one of his visits to Britain, he brought the young Jesus with him. This latter legend inspired today's poem.

St. Joseph of Arimathea is not, of course, the only Roman Catholic saint whose feast day falls on March 17. There's also St. Gertrude of Nivelles, St. Jan Sarkander, and St. Paul of Cyprus, to say nothing of Bl. Peter Lieou. Oh, and the guy who wrote this poem, which with a remarkable lack of foresight I featured in this space in October 2005.