INTROIT
4 Esd. 2:34-35.
Eternal rest give to them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
Ps 64:2-3
To You we owe our hymn of praise, O God, in Sion; to You must vows be fulfilled in Jerusalem. Hear my prayer; to You all flesh must come.
Eternal rest give to them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
COLLECT
O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Your servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins, that they may obtain by our loving prayers the forgiveness which they have always desired.
Who livest…
EPISTLE
Lesson from the first letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians
1 Cor. 15:51-57
Brethren: Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall all indeed rise, but we shall not all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall rise incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this corruptible body must put on incorruption, and this mortal body must put on immortality. But when this mortal body put on immortality, then shall come to pass the word that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory! O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God Who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
GRADUAL
4 Esd. 2:34-35.
Eternal rest give to them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
Ps 111:7
The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance; an evil report he shall not fear.
Tractus
O Lord, absolve the souls of all the faithful departed from every bond of sin.
℣. And by the help of Your grace may they be worthy to escape the sentence of vengeance.
℣. And to enjoy all the beatitude of the light eternal.
SEQUENCE
Dreaded day, that day of ire,
When the world shall melt in fire,
Told by Sibyl and David’s lyre.
Fright men’s hearts shall rudely shift,
As the Judge through gleaming rift
Comes each soul to closely sift.
Then, the trumpet’s shrill refrain,
Piercing tombs by hill and plain,
Souls to judgment shall arraign.
Death and nature stand aghast,
As the bodies rising fast,
Hie to hear the sentence passed.
Then, before Him shall be placed,
That whereon the verdict’s based,
Book wherein each deed is traced.
When the Judge His seat shall gain,
All that’s hidden shall be plain,
Nothing shall unjudged remain.
Wretched man, what can I plead?
Whom to ask to intercede,
When the just much mercy need?
You, O awe-inspiring Lord,
Saving e’en when unimplored,
Save me, mercy’s fount adored.
O sweet Jesus, mindful be,
That You came on earth for me:
Cast me not from You this day.
Seeking me Your strength was spent
Ransoming Your limbs were rent:
Is this toil to no intent?
You, awarding pains condign,
Mercy’s ear to me incline,
Ere the reckoning You assign.
I, felon-like, my lot bewail,
Suffused cheeks my shame unveil:
God! O let my prayer prevail.
Mary’s soul You fashioned white,
And did to heaven the thief invite;
Hope in me these now excite.
Prayers of mine in vain ascend:
You are good and will forefend,
In quenchless fire my life to end.
When the cursed by shame oppressed,
Enter flames at Your behest,
Call me then to join the blessed.
Place amid Your sheep accord,
Keep me from the tainted horde,
Set me in Your sight, O Lord.
Prostrate, suppliant, now no more
Unrepenting, as of yore,
Save me dying, I implore.
Mournful day that day of sighs,
When from dust shall man arise,
Stained with guilt his doom to know,
Mercy, Lord, on him bestow.
Jesus, kind! Your souls release,
Led them thence to realms of peace.
Amen.
GOSPEL
Continuation ☩ of the Holy Gospel according to John
John 5:25-29
At that time, Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews, Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is here, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall live. For as the Father has life in Himself, even so He has given to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He has granted Him power to render judgment, because He is Son of Man. Do not wonder at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear the voice of the Son of God. And they who have done good shall come forth unto resurrection of life; but they who have done evil unto resurrection of judgment.
OFFERTORY
O Lord, Jesus Christ, King of glory, deliver the souls of all the faithful departed from the pains of hell and the deep pit; deliver them from the lion’s mouth, that hell engulf them not, nor they fall into darkness, but that Michael, the holy standard-bearer, bring them into the holy light * which You once promised to Abraham and his seed.
℣. We offer You, O Lord, sacrifices and prayers of praise; accept them for those souls whom we this day commemorate; grant them, O Lord, to pass from death to the life * which You once promised to Abraham and his seed.
SECRET
Look with mercy, we beseech You, O Lord, upon the sacrificial gifts we offer for the souls of Your servants and handmaids, so that, to those upon whom You conferred the merits of Christian faith, You will also grant its reward.
Through our Lord…
PREFACE
Dead
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God, through Christ our Lord. In whom the hope of a blessed resurrection hath shone forth unto us; so that those who are saddened by the certain lot of dying, may be consoled by the promise of a future deathless life. For to Thy faithful people, O Lord, life is changed, not taken away: and when the home of this earthly sojourn is dissolved, an eternal dwelling place is being prepared in the heavens. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing the hymn of Thy glory, evermore saying:
COMMUNION
4 Esdr 2:35; 2:34
May light eternal shine upon them, O Lord, with Your Saints forever, for You are kind.
℣. Grant them eternal rest, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them: with Your Saints forever, for You are kind.
POSTCOMMUNION
May the prayer of Your suppliants, O Lord, benefit the souls of Your servants and handmaids, that You may deliver them from all sins and make them sharers in Your redemption.
Who livest…