Have You Nothing to Do?

Have you no­thing to do? in this world of ours

When weeds spring up with the fair­est flow­ers

Where smiles have oft but a fit­ful play

Where hearts are break­ing ev­ery day.

Plenty to do! plen­ty to do!

O my bro­ther

there’s la­bor for you.

Have you no­thing to do? there are minds to teach

The simpl­est lang­uage of Christ­ian speech;

There are souls to win with your lov­ing wile

From the low­est haunts of sin’s de­file.

Have you no­thing to do? there are pray­ers to lay

On the al­tar

as in­cense by night and day;

There are foes to bat­tle

with­in

with­out

And er­rors to con­quer though strong and stout.

Have you no­thing to do? there are lambs to feed

The pre­cious hope of the Church’s need

And strength to be borne to the weak and faint

And vi­gils to keep with the suf­fer­ing saint.

Have you no­thing to do? O Christ­ian soul

Why wrap thee round in thy self­ish stole?

Fling off thy gar­ments of sloth and sin

For Christ

thy Lord

hath a world to win.