“Be ready when virtue calls for your effort,
Be ready to triumph over the eternal Deceiver,
Be ready each morning to receive my Body.
Be ready to forgive, for that is to prove that one loves,
Be ready to honour the God of your baptism,
And, if you walk alone, to walk straight nonetheless.
Be ready to offer yourself on an ordinary altar,
Be ready, like a true scout, to answer the call,
Be ready at every moment to depart for Heaven.”
These lines are taken from a poem, Be Ready, written by Father Jacques Sevin. From adolescence, his need for escape found an outlet in poetry. This love of words remained rooted in his heart throughout his life, and he would later use it to give scouts some of their most captivating songs.
