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Day 9

A reading from the Book of Wisdom (2:12, 18-24)

[The ungodly say], ‘Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,

because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;

he reproaches us for sins against the law,

and accuses us of sins against our training.

for if the righteous man is God’s child, he will help him,

and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.

Let us test him with insult and torture,

so that we may find out how gentle he is,

and make trial of his forbearance.

Let us condemn him to a shameful death,

for, according to what he says, he will be protected.’

Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray,

for their wickedness blinded them,

and they did not know the secret purposes of God,

nor hoped for the wages of holiness,

nor discerned the prize for blameless souls;

for God created us for incorruption,

and made us in the image of his own eternity,^*

but through the devil’s envy death entered the world,

and those who belong to his company experience it.

From The Mirror of Charity by St. Aelred of Rievaulx

In heaven there is nothing except true and eternal love, an eternity spent in the delight of love and in the enjoyment of truth, in the beholding of the eternal, true and most loveable Trinity. In heaven alone is the rest and peace of happiness perfectly possessed. Why then do we rush around all over the place, driven by anxiety? Why are we so absorbed in trivia? Whatever we seek and wherever we seek it, ultimately it can be found in God alone. Excellence, knowledge, riches, delight—all are to be found in heaven, and only there, in their perfection.

Does this world’s pit of death and miry clay yield true excellence? Can there be perfect knowledge when we live under the shadow of death? What real delight can be found in this howling wilderness, this barren desert? There is no excellence in this world that is immune to fear, no knowledge in a person who does not know himself, no delight in earthly things that will not ultimately render us like a horse or mule. If your pleasure is in the pursuit of glory or riches, remember you can take nothing with you when death claims you, nor will your earthly glory have any power in the land of the dead. True excellence is to be found only where ambition can yearn for nothing higher, true knowledge only where nothing escapes its grasp, true delight only where nothing can ever vitiate the pleasure, true riches only where the possession of them can never be exhausted.

It was a sad day when we ran away from you, O Lord. Our exile drags on, and we yearn to know when we will come and see your face. O that we had the wings of a dove, so that we could fly away to you and in you find our rest! Meanwhile, Lord Jesus, I beg you to allow my soul to grow wings in the next of your teaching. May my soul embrace you who was crucified for me, and drink the life-giving draught of your precious blood. May the thought of you and your passion dominate my memory so that the fog of forgetfulness does not obscure you. Until I come before your face I will shun all knowledge except that of my crucified Lord, lest the untruth of error undermine the foundations of my faith. May all my love be directed to you, lest its energy be frittered away in useless desires.

Musical Selection (Libera)

For all who need comfort, for all those who mourn

All those whom we cherished will be reborn

All those whom we love but see no more

They are not perished, but gone before

And lie in the tender arms of he

Who died for us all to set us free

From hatred and anger and cruel tyranny

May they rest in peace, and rise in glory

All suffering and sorrow will be no more

They'll vanish like shadows at heaven's door

All anguish and grieving will one day be healed

When all of God's purpose will be revealed

Though now for a season lost from sight

The innocent slain in the blindness of right

Are now in the warmth of God's glorious light

Where they rest in peace, and rise in glory

Lord give me wisdom to comprehend

Why I survive and not my friend

And teach me compassion so I may live

All my enemies to forgive

For all who need comfort, for all who mourn

All those whom we cherished will be reborn

All those whom we love but see no more

They are not perished, but gone before

And Lord keep them safe in your embrace

And fill their souls with your good grace

For now they see you face to face

Where they rest in peace, and rise in glory

Prayer

Holy Lord, almighty and eternal God,

hear our prayers for your servants

whom you have summoned out of this world.

Forgive their sins and failings

and grant them a place of refreshment, light and peace.

Let them pass unharmed through the gates of death

to dwell with the blessed in light,

as you promised to Abraham and his children for ever.

Accept them into your safekeeping

and on the great day of judgement

raise them up with all the saints

to inherit your eternal kingdom.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever. Amen.

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