Robert was a Jesuit priest and poet born in 1561 in England. He lived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, when being a Catholic priest could lead to imprisonment or death. In a time when outward loyalty and public reputation often meant safety, many people learned to protect their image. Robert chose differently. He served in secret, moved from house to house, and was eventually arrested, tortured, and executed in 1595. In the middle of danger, he wrote poems that questioned what truly lasts—and what only looks strong for a moment.
One of his strongest poems about vanity is “Look Home.”
Farewell, fond world, thy sports and pleasures pass;
Thy honors, wealth, and ease are but a bait
To catch weak minds; thou art but brittle glass,
And dust in dust, and slime in slime shalt waste.
Thy pleasures are but toys, and soon decay;
Thy flatterers are but nets to catch the wind;
Thy beauties fade, thy glories fall away,
Thy proudest state is but a shade of mind.
When first thou cam’st to lure our hearts to love,
Thou gav’st a taste of joy to make us crave;
But after sweet, thy sour doth soon reprove,
And with a storm dost drown us in a wave.
O world, thou art a labyrinth of woe,
Where we but wander to our greater loss;
The way is broad where many choose to go,
But narrow is the path that leads the cross.
Look home, my soul, and count thy true estate;
What thou hast lost, and what thou yet may’st gain;
The world is short, and death is at the gate,
Heaven is thy home, and there thou shalt remain.
O happy they whom happiest end hath blest;
Not they that glitter most, but those that stand;
Whose faith is firm, whose conscience is at rest,
Whose hope is fixed in Heaven’s eternal land.
Today we live in a world that praises what looks good and popular. It can feel like being seen means being important. Success can seem like it will last forever. But trends change, positions change, and people stop clapping. Saint Robert’s message is simple: let us not build our life on things that can easily disappear. What truly matters is not shining for a short time, but ending our life faithful and strong.
Let’s keep learning the saints’ way—day by day.
⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ
