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OFFICE OF THE DEAD

For the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
on All Souls' Day (November 2), for vigils before funerals,
and as votive Offices of the dead.

MATTINS EVENSONG
FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED

MorningEvening Prayer for the Departed begins without the usual
Sentence and Opening Versicles. At once the Invitatory Psalm
is said with its Antiphon. a selection of Psalms
is said with proper Antiphons.

Venite, exultemus Domino. (Psalm xcv.)

Antiphon: The King of all them that live: * O come, let us adore him.

O COME, let us sing unto the Lord; * let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; * and show ourselves glad in him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God; * and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are all the corners of the earth; * and the strength of the hills is his also.

The sea is his, and he made it; * and his hands prepared the dry land.

O come, let us worship and fall down, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is the Lord our God; * and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts * as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness;

When your fathers tempted me, * proved me, and saw my works.

Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, * It is a people that do err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways:

Unto whom I sware in my wrath, * that they should not enter into my rest.

 V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon: The King of all them that live: * O come, let us adore him.

Antiphon: I believe verily to see the goodness of the Lord * in the land of the living.

Psalm 27. Dominus illuminatio.

THE Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? * the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?
2  When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, * they stumbled and fell.
3  Though an host of men were laid against me, yet shall not my heart be afraid; * and though there rose up war against me, yet will I put my trust in him.
4  One thing have I desired of the Lord, which I will require; * even that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the fair beauty of the Lord, and to visit his temple.
5  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his tabernacle; * yea, in the secret place of his dwelling shall he hide me, and set me up upon a rock of stone.
6  And now shall he lift up mine head * above mine enemies round about me.
7  Therefore will I offer in his dwelling an oblation, with great gladness: * I will sing and speak praises unto the Lord.
8  Hearken unto my voice, O Lord, when I cry unto thee; * have mercy upon me, and hear me.
9  My heart hath talked of thee, Seek ye my face: * Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
10  O hide not thou thy face from me, * nor cast thy servant away in displeasure.
11  Thou hast been my succour; * leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
12  When my father and my mother forsake me, * the Lord taketh me up.
13  Teach me thy way, O Lord, * and lead me in the right way, because of mine enemies.
14  Deliver me not over into the will of mine adversaries: * for there are false witnesses risen up against me, and such as speak wrong.
15  I should utterly have fainted, * but that I believe verily to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
16  O tarry thou the Lord's leisure; * be strong, and he shall comfort thine heart; and put thou thy trust in the Lord.
V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon: I believe verily to see the goodness of the Lord * in the land of the living.

Antiphon: Teach us to number our days, * that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Psalm 90. Domine, refugium.

LORD, thou hast been our refuge, * from one generation to another.
2  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever the earth and the world were made, * thou art God from everlasting, and world without end.
3  Thou turnest man to destruction; * again thou sayest, Come again, ye children of men.
4  For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, * and as a watch in the night.
5  As soon as thou scatterest them they are even as a sleep; * and fade away suddenly like the grass.
6  In the morning it is green, and groweth up; * but in the evening it is cut down, dried up, and withered.
7  For we consume away in thy displeasure, * and are afraid at thy wrathful indignation.
8  Thou hast set our misdeeds before thee; * and our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9  For when thou art angry all our days are gone: * we bring our years to an end, as it were a tale that is told.
10  The days of our age are threescore years and ten; and though men be so strong that they come to fourscore years, * yet is their strength then but labour and sorrow; so soon passeth it away, and we are gone.
11  But who regardeth the power of thy wrath? * or feareth aright thy indignation?
12  So teach us to number our days, * that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
13  Turn thee again, O Lord, at the last, * and be gracious unto thy servants.
14  O satisfy us with thy mercy, and that soon: * so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
15  Comfort us again now after the time that thou hast plagued us; * and for the years wherein we have suffered adversity.
16  Show thy servants thy work, * and their children thy glory.
17  And the glorious majesty of the Lord our God be upon us: * prosper thou the work of our hands upon us; O prosper thou our handy-work.
V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon: Teach us to number our days, * that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Antiphon: He shall feed me * in a green pasture.

Psalm 23. Dominus regit me.

THE Lord is my shepherd; * therefore can I lack nothing.
2  He shall feed me in a green pasture, * and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.
3  He shall convert my soul, * and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness for his Name's sake.
4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; * for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff comfort me.
5  Thou shalt prepare a table before me in the presence of them that trouble me; * thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full.
6  Surely thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; * and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon: He shall feed me * in a green pasture.

Antiphon: Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my soul; * O save me for thy mercy’s sake.

Psalm 6. Domine, ne in furore.

O LORD, rebuke me not in thine indignation, * neither chasten me in thy displeasure.
2  Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak; * O Lord, heal me, for my bones are vexed.
3  My soul also is sore troubled: * but, Lord, how long wilt thou punish me?
4  Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my soul; * O save me, for thy mercy's sake.
5  For in death no man remembereth thee; * and who will give thee thanks in the pit?
6  I am weary of my groaning; * every night wash I my bed, and water my couch with my tears.
7  My beauty is gone for very trouble, * and worn away because of all mine enemies.
8  Away from me, all ye that work iniquity; * for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.
9  The Lord hath heard my petition; * the Lord will receive my prayer.
10  All mine enemies shall be confounded, and sore vexed; * they shall be turned back, and put to shame suddenly.
V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon: Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my soul; * O save me for thy mercy’s sake.

Antiphon: If thou wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, * O Lord, who may abide it?

Psalm 130. De profundis.

OUT of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord; * Lord, hear my voice.
2  O let thine ears consider well * the voice of my complaint.
3  If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, * O Lord, who may abide it?
4  For there is mercy with thee; * therefore shalt thou be feared.
5  I look for the Lord; my soul doth wait for him; * in his word is my trust.
6  My soul fleeth unto the Lord before the morning watch; * I say, before the morning watch.
7  O Israel, trust in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, * and with him is plenteous redemption.
8  And he shall redeem Israel * from all his sins.
V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon: If thou wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, * O Lord, who may abide it?

Antiphon: Thy hand shall lead me, * and thy right hand shall hold me.

Psalm 139. Domine, probasti.

O LORD, thou hast searched me out, and known me. * Thou knowest my down-sitting, and mine uprising; thou understandest my thoughts long before.
2  Thou art about my path, and about my bed; * and art acquainted with all my ways.
3  For lo, there is not a word in my tongue, * but thou, O Lord, knowest it altogether.
4  Thou hast beset me behind and before, * and laid thine hand upon me.
5  Such knowledge is too wonderful and excellent for me; * I cannot attain unto it.
6  Whither shall I go then from thy Spirit? * or whither shall I go then from thy presence?
7  If I climb up into heaven, thou art there; * if I go down to hell, thou art there also.
8  If I take the wings of the morning, * and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea;
9  Even there also shall thy hand lead me, * and thy right hand shall hold me.
10  If I say, Peradventure the darkness shall cover me; * then shall my night be turned to day.
11  Yea, the darkness is no darkness with thee, but the night is as clear as the day; * the darkness and light to thee are both alike.
12  For my reins are thine; * thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
13  I will give thanks unto thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: * marvellous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.
14  My bones are not hid from thee, * though I be made secretly, and fashioned beneath in the earth.
15  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; * and in thy book were all my members written;
16  Which day by day were fashioned, * when as yet there was none of them.
17  How dear are thy counsels unto me, O God; * O how great is the sum of them!
18  If I tell them, they are more in number than the sand: * when I wake up, I am present with thee.
19  Wilt thou not slay the wicked, O God? * Depart from me, ye blood-thirsty men.
20  For they speak unrighteously against thee; * and thine enemies take thy Name in vain.
21  Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? * and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22  Yea, I hate them right sore; * even as though they were mine enemies.
23  Try me, O God, and seek the ground of my heart; * prove me, and examine my thoughts.
24  Look well if there be any way of wickedness in me; * and lead me in the way everlasting.
V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon: Thy hand shall lead me, * and thy right hand shall hold me.

Antiphon: I will walk before the Lord * in the land of the living.

Psalm 116. Dilexi, quoniam.

MY delight is in the Lord; * because he hath heard the voice of my prayer;
2  Because he hath inclined his ear unto me; * therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
3  The snares of death compassed me round about, * and the pains of hell gat hold upon me.
4  I found trouble and heaviness; then called I upon the Name of the Lord; * O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
5  Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; * yea, our God is merciful.
6  The Lord preserveth the simple: * I was in misery, and he helped me.
7  Turn again then unto thy rest, O my soul; * for the Lord hath rewarded thee.
8  And why? thou hast delivered my soul from death, * mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
9  I will walk before the Lord * in the land of the living.
10  I believed, and therefore will I speak; but I was sore troubled: * I said in my haste, All men are liars.
11  What reward shall I give unto the Lord * for all the benefits that he hath done unto me?
12  I will receive the cup of salvation, * and call upon the Name of the Lord.
13  I will pay my vows now in the presence of all his people: * right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
14  Behold, O Lord, how that I am thy servant; * I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid; thou hast broken my bonds in sunder.
15  I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, * and will call upon the Name of the Lord.
16  I will pay my vows unto the Lord, in the sight of all his people, * in the courts of the Lord's house; even in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord.
V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon: I will walk before the Lord * in the land of the living.

Antiphon: The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil, * yea, it is even he that shall keep thy soul.

Psalm 121. Levavi oculos.

I WILL lift up mine eyes unto the hills; * from whence cometh my help?
2  My help cometh even from the Lord, * who hath made heaven and earth.
3  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; * and he that keepeth thee will not sleep.
4  Behold, he that keepeth Israel * shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5  The Lord himself is thy keeper; * the Lord is thy defence upon thy right hand;
6  So that the sun shall not burn thee by day, * neither the moon by night.
7  The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; * yea, it is even he that shall keep thy soul.
8  The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in, * from this time forth for evermore.
V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon: The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil, * yea, it is even he that shall keep thy soul.

Antiphon: Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; * for I am desolate, and in misery.

Psalm 25. Ad te, Domine, levavi.

UNTO thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul; my God, I have put my trust in thee: * O let me not be confounded, neither let mine enemies triumph over me.
2  For all they that hope in thee shall not be ashamed; * but such as transgress without a cause shall be put to confusion.
3  Show me thy ways, O Lord, * and teach me thy paths.
4  Lead me forth in thy truth, and learn me: * for thou art the God of my salvation; in thee hath been my hope all the day long.
5  Call to remembrance, O Lord, thy tender mercies, * and thy loving-kindnesses, which have been ever of old.
6  O remember not the sins and offences of my youth; * but according to thy mercy think thou upon me, O Lord, for thy goodness.
7  Gracious and righteous is the Lord; * therefore, will he teach sinners in the way.
8  Them that are meek shall he guide in judgment; * and such as are gentle, them shall he learn his way.
9  All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, * unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
10  For thy Name's sake, O Lord, * be merciful unto my sin; for it is great.
11  What man is he that feareth the Lord? * him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
12  His soul shall dwell at ease, * and his seed shall inherit the land.
13  The secret of the Lord is among them that fear him; * and he will show them his covenant.
14  Mine eyes are ever looking unto the Lord; * for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
15  Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; * for I am desolate, and in misery.
16  The sorrows of my heart are enlarged: * O bring thou me out of my troubles.
17  Look upon my adversity and misery, * and forgive me all my sin.
18  Consider mine enemies, how many they are; * and they bear a tyrannous hate against me.
19  O keep my soul, and deliver me: * let me not be confounded, for I have put my trust in thee.
20  Let perfectness and righteous dealing wait upon me; * for my hope hath been in thee.
21  Deliver Israel, O God, * out of all his troubles.
V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon: Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; * for I am desolate, and in misery.

First Lesson

(One of the following threetwo choices.)

Isaiah 25:6-9.

Reader: A Lesson from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined. And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

Reader: Here endeth the Lesson.

Or:

Isaiah 43:1-7.

Reader: A Lesson from the Book of Book of the Prophet Isaiah.

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, every one who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

Reader: Here endeth the Lesson.

Or:

Wisdom 3:1-9c.

Reader: A Lesson from the Book of Wisdom.

But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction, and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them. In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever. Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect.

Reader: Here endeth the Lesson.

Lamentations 3:17-26.

Reader: A Lesson from the Book of Lamentations.

My soul is bereft of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, "Gone is my glory, and my expectation from the LORD." Remember my affliction and my bitterness, * the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, * his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Reader: Here endeth the Lesson.

Or:

Job 19:21-27a.

Reader: A Lesson from the Book of Job.

Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me! Why do you, like God, pursue me? Why are you not satisfied with my flesh? "Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were graven in the rock for ever! For I know that my Redeemer* lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; * and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from * my flesh I shall see God, * whom I shall see on my side, * and my eyes shall behold, and not another.

Reader: Here endeth the Lesson.

¶ Silence may be kept after the lesson.

Ego dixi in dimidio. The Song of Hezekiah.
Isaiah 38:10-20

I SAID in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: * I am deprived of the residue of my years.

I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living: * I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

Mine age is departed, * and is removed from me as a shepherd’s tent;

I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: * from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: * from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: * I did mourn as a dove.

Mine eyes fail with looking upward: * O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

What shall I say? He hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: * I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: * so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.

Behold, for peace I had great bitterness; but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: * for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

For the grave cannot praise thee;death cannot celebrate thee: * they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: * the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

The Lord was ready to save me:* therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.

V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Magnificat. St. Luke i. 46.

Antiphon: I heard a voice from Heaven, saying, * Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.

MY ✠ soul doth magnify the Lord, * and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded * the lowliness of his handmaiden.

For behold, from henceforth * all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath magnified me; * and holy is his Name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him * throughout all generations.

He hath showed strength with his arm; * he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat, * and hath exalted the humble and meek.

He hath filled the hungry with good things; * and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel; * as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.

V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon: I heard a voice from Heaven, saying, * Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.

Second Lesson

(One of the following threetwo choices.)

1 Corinthians 15:51-57.

Reader: A Lesson from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians.

Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Reader: Here endeth the Lesson.

John 5:24-29.

Reader: A Lesson from the Gospel of John.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. "Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself, and has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.

Reader: Here endeth the Lesson.

Revelation 7:9-17.

Reader: A Lesson from the Book of Revelation.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!" And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen." Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?" I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Reader: Here endeth the Lesson.

John 11:21-27.

Reader: A Lesson from the Gospel of John.

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; * he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."

Reader: Here endeth the Lesson.

Or:

Revelation 1:9-18.

Reader: A Lesson from the Book of Revelation.

I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to La-odicea." Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast; his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters; in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Reader: Here endeth the Lesson.

¶ Silence may be kept after the lesson.

Benedictus.
St. Luke i. 68.

Antiphon:I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: * he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die.

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 hand 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.

V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon:I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: * he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die.

Nunc dimittis. St. Luke ii. 29.

Antiphon:Preserve us, O Lord, while waking, and guard us while sleeping; * that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

LORD, ✠ now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, * according to thy word.

For mine eyes have seen * thy salvation,

Which thou hast prepared * before the face of all people;

To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, * and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

V. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Antiphon:Preserve us, O Lord, while waking, and guard us while sleeping; * that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

The Apostle's Creed.
I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:

   And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty: From thence he shall come to Judge the quick and the dead.

   I believe in the Holy Ghost: The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints: The Forgiveness of sins: The Resurrection of the body: ✠ And the Life everlasting. Amen.

The Lesser Litany.
¶ Whenever the officiant is a layperson:       ¶ Only if the officiant is a priest or deacon:
Lay Officiant: O Lord hear our prayer.       Priest or Deacon: The Lord be with you.
People: And let our cry come unto thee.       People: And with thy spirit.
Officiant: Let us pray.       Officiant: Let us pray.
 
Lord, have mercy upon us.
            Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

The Lord's Prayer.
OUR Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil. Amen.

V.     Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R.     And let light perpetual shine upon them.
V.     From the gates of hell,
R.     Deliver their souls, O Lord.
V.     I believe verily to see the goodness of the Lord.
R.     In the land of the living.

¶ The Officiant then says one or more of the following Collects:

O GOD the Creator and Redeemer of all them that believe: grant unto the souls of thy servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins; that as they have ever desired thy merciful pardon, so by the supplications of their brethren they may receive the same; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

O GOD, whose nature and property is ever to have mercy and to forgive: have compassion on the souls of thy servants and handmaids; and grant unto them the remission of all their sins, that, being delivered from the bonds of this our mortal nature, they may be found worthy to pass into everlasting life; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

O LORD, the Maker and Redeemer of all believers: Grant to the faithful departed (especially thy servant or handmaid N.) all the unsearchable benefits of thy Son’s Passion; that in the Day of his Appearing thy faithful may be manifested as thy true children; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

¶ The Office concludes as follows:

V.     Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R.     And let light perpetual shine upon them.
V.     May they rest in peace.
R.     Amen.

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