LITURGY

Taking the Host in his hands, he says:

I will take the Bread of heaven, and will call upon the name of the Lord. Then striking his breast, he says thrice:

Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof: but say only the word, and my soul shall be healed.

After which he receives the Blessed Sacrament, saying:

May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul unto life everlasting. Amen.

Pausing awhile to meditate on the blessing he has received, he gathers up the fragments and puts into the chalice, saying:

What return shall I make the Lord for all He has given to me? I will take the chalice of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. Praising, I will call upon the Lord, and I shall be saved from mine enemies.

life.

Then he receives the sacred blood, saying:

May the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul unto everlasting
Amen.

Whilst the clerk pours the wine into the chalice the priest says: Grant, O Lord, that what we have taken with our mouth, we may receive with a pure mind, that of a temporal gift it may become to us an eternal remedy.

Whilst he washes his fingers over the chalice with wine and water he says:

May thy Body, O Lord, which I have received, and thy Blood which I Who livest, &c. have drunk, cleave to my bowels; and grant that no stain of sin may remain in me, who have been fed with this pure and holy sacrament.

Amen.

Then the book is moved to the Epistle side of the altar, where he says:

THE COMMUNION. ¶

Let eternal light shine upon them, O Lord, with thy saints for ever, because Thou art merciful.

V. Grant them eternal rest, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. With thy saints for ever: because Thou art merciful.

V. The Lord be with you.

R. And with thy spirit.

POSTCOMMUNION (Præsta)

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that the soul of thy servant which to-day hath departed this world, being purified and freed from sins by this sacrifice, may obtain both forgiveness and eternal rest. Through.

POSTCOMMUNION FOR A PATRIARCH, BISHOP OR PRIEST.

(Prosit).

May thy clemency, which we implore, benefit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the soul of thy servant the Patriarch [Bishop or Priest], N.; that through thy mercy he may attain unto the everlasting fellowship of Him in whom he both believed and hoped. Through.

The Lord be with you.

R. And with thy spirit.
May they rest in peace.
R. Amen.

After this, bowing in the middle of the altar, he says in a low voice: PLACEAT TIBI. Let the performance of my homage be pleasing to Thee, O holy Trinity; and grant that the sacrifice which I, though unworthy, have offered up in the sight of thy Majesty, may be acceptable to Thee; and through thy mercy may it be a propitiation for me, and for all those for whom it has been offered. Through. After which he goes to the Gospel side of the altar, and there he says aloud: The Lord be with you.

R.

And with thy spirit.

The beginning of the holy gospel according to St. John.

R

Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was made nothing that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men; and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him. He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light. That was the true light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world.

He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto his own, and his own received Him not. But as many as received Him, He gave them power to be made the sons of God; to them that believe in his name, who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH, and dwelt among us (and we saw his glory, as it were the glory of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.

At the end of the Mass the priest lays aside the maniple and chasuble, and puts on a black cope. Then standing at the foot of the corpse, he says the following prayer.

Enter not into judgment, O Lord, with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man be justified, unless by Thee is granted to him the remission of all his sins. Let not then, we beseech Thee, the sentence of thy judgment fall heavily upon him whom the true supplication of Christian Faith commends to Thee; but by the assistance of thy grace may he be worthy to escape the judgment of thy vengeance, who whilst he lived was signed with the sign of the Holy Trinity: Thou who livest and reignest for ever and ever. R. Amen.

The following Responsory is then sung or said:

Deliver me, O Lord, from everlasting death on that dreadful day: when the heavens and the earth shall be moved: when Thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.

Y.

I quake with fear and I tremble, awaiting the day of account and the wrath to come.

R. When the heavens and the earth shall be moved.

That day, the day of anger, of calamity and misery, that great day and most bitter.

R

When Thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.

y. Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

V. Deliver me, O Lord, from everlasting death on that dreadful day: when the heavens and the earth shall be moved: when Thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.

While this Responsory is being sung, the priest, assisted by the acolyte or deacon, puts incense into the thurible.

At the end of the Responsory is said or sung:

Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy.

Our Father.

Then the priest says in a loud voice:

Which is continued by the rest in silence.

Meanwhile the priest goes round the bier, and sprinkles the corpse thrice on each side, namely, at the feet, the middle, and the head, with holy water; returning to his place, he receives the censer and goes round the bier, incensing the corpse in like manner. On returning to his place he says:

O God, whose property it is ever to have mercy and to spare: we humbly entreat Thee, on behalf of the soul of thy servant, N., whom Thou hast this day ordered to depart from this world, that Thou wouldst not deliver him into the hands of the enemy, nor be for ever unmindful of him, but command him to be received by the holy angels, and to be taken to Paradise, his home: that, inasmuch as he put his hope and faith in Thee, he may not suffer the pains of hell, but may possess everlasting joys. Through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

After this Prayer the body is taken to the grave if it is to be then buried. While it is borne along, the following Antiphon is said or sung:·

May the angels lead thee into Paradise: may the martyrs receive thee at thy coming, and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem. May the choir of angels receive thee, and with Lazarus, who once was poor, mayest thou have eternal rest.

On reaching the grave, if it be not blessed, the priest blesses it, saying:—

O God, by whose mercy the souls of the faithful find rest, vouchsafe to bless this grave, and depute thy holy angel to guard it: and absolve from every bond of sin the souls of those whose bodies are herein interred, that in Thee they may for ever rejoice with thy saints. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

After the Prayer the priest sprinkles with holy water, and then incenses the body and the grave.

If the body is not to be buried till later, the above Antiphon In Paradisum and the blessing of the grave are omitted; but the following Antiphon is always said or sung :·

I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, although he be dead shall live, and everyone that liveth and believeth in Me, shall not die for

ever.

During the singing of the following Canticle the body is slowly and reverently lowered into the grave; or if the funeral service is through necessity performed in the house, blessed earth is put into the coffin.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: for He hath visited, and redeemed His people;

And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us: in the house of His servant David;

As he spake by the mouth of His holy Prophets: which have been since the world began;

That we should be saved from our enemies; and from the hands of all that hate us;

To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers: and to remember His holy Covenant;

To perform the oath which He sware to our forefather Abraham: that He would give us;

That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies: might serve Him without fear;

In holiness and righteousness before Him: all the days of our life.

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways;

To give knowledge of salvation unto His people: for the remission of their sins,

Through the tender mercy of our God: whereby the Day-spring from on high hath visited us;

To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord.

And let perpetual light shine upon him.

Ant. I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, although he be dead, shall live; and every one that liveth and believeth in Me, shall not die for ever.

Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy.

Our Father (in silence).

Then the priest shall say:

Meanwhile he sprinkles the corpse.

And lead us not into temptation.

R.

And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

Grant this mercy, O Lord, we beseech Thee, to thy servant (or handmaid) departed, that he may not receive in punishment the requital of his deeds, who in desire did keep thy will: and as the true faith here united him to the company of the faithful, so may thy mercy unite him above to the choirs of angels. R. Amen. Through Christ our Lord.

Eternal rest give to him, O Lord.

And let perpetual light shine upon him.

R.

May he rest in peace.

R.

Amen.

May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

R. Amen.

Before departing from the grave the priest and those present generally recite in English the Psalm, De Profundis, with the following prayers:

Let us pray.

To Thee, O Lord, we commend the soul of thy servant, N., that being dead to this world, he may live to Thee: and whatever sins he has committed in this life, through human frailty, do Thou in thy most merciful goodness, forgive. R. Amen. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Then for the living there may be added :

Let us pray.

Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, that whilst we lament the departure of thy servant, we may always remember that we are most certainly to follow him. Give us grace to prepare for that last hour by a good and holy life, that we may not be taken unprepared by sudden death; but may we ever be on the watch, that, when Thou shalt call, we may go forth to meet the Bridegroom, and enter with Him into glory everlasting. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy R. Amen. of God, rest in peace.

As the clergy return to the church they recite the Antiphon and the Psalm De Profundis.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

BURIAL OF A CHILD.

Priest (in a white stole and cope). The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken blessed be the name of the Lord.

away;

Answer. Now and for evermore.

Praise the Lord, ye servants.

Ps. cxiii.