REMEMBRANCE SERVICE 2014
Prelude When I Am Laid In Earth (Purcell)
‘When I am laid in earth…remember me’
Remembering
Opening Prayer
We come together this evening to remember:
To remember with love and affection
those who have died whom we hold close to our hearts
To remember with gratitude
those who made a difference in our lives and with whom we shared so much
To remember with sadness
those who died tragically and suddenly for whatever reason
And in our remembrance we give thanks to God for memory itself through which we can cherish special moments and celebrate times past.
We also recall the sorrow of parting, of words left unsaid and of wounds not healed
We entrust all of these memories to the heart of love, Jesus Christ, our saviour and our friend. Amen.
Song Jesus Remember Me (Taizé)
All sing: Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom
Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom
Reflection Saint Monica
On her deathbed Saint Monica addressed these words to her son, Saint Augustine, to let him know how she would like to be remembered.
‘Bury my body wherever you will; let not care of it cause you any concern. One thing only I ask you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be.’
All those we call to mind this evening will be remembered at all Masses here in the Monastery until the end of the month of November.
Song Think Of Me (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
Think of me, think of me fondly when we’ve said goodbye.
Remember me ev’ry so often promise me, you’ll try.
On that day, that not so distant day, when you are far away and free (from me)
If you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me.
And though it’s clear, though it was always clear,
That this was (n)ever meant to be,
If you happen to remember, stop and think of me.
Think of August when the trees were green, Don’t think about the way things might have been.
Think of me, think of me waking silent and resigned (serene)
Imagine me trying too hard to put you from my mind.
Think of me, please say you’ll think of me,
whatever else you choose to do.
There will never be a day when I won’t think of you.
Eternal
We commend all who have died to God whose mercy and love knows no bounds. They carry with them for all eternity the good that they have done
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord
All say: And let perpetual light shine upon them
May they rest in peace.
All say: Amen.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
All say: Amen.
Reading Revelation 14:13
Then I heard a voice from heaven say to me, ‘Write down: Happy are those who die in the Lord! Happy indeed, the Spirit says; now they can rest for ever after their work, since their good deeds go with them.
Song Grant Them Eternal Rest (Owen Alstott)
All sing: Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
Mourning
Saint Paul was anxious that the Thessalonians would understand grief through the lens of Christian faith in the resurrection. He speaks the same words to us today.
Reading I Thess 4:13-14
We want you to be quite certain about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who died in Jesus: God will bring them with him.
Song Christ In Me Arise (Trevor Thomson)
All sing: Christ in me arise and dispel all the darkness
Christ in me arise with your power and your strength
Christ in me pour out your forgiveness and healing
Christ in me arise and I will rise in you.
Prayer Let us pray,
All say: God of healing and everlasting love,
Fill our hearts with a spirit of hope
that you who raised Jesus from the dead
will hold all those who have died in your eternal care
and raise them to new life in your kingdom.
Enlightenment
Song Soon And Very Soon (Andrae Crouch)
Soon and very soon, We are going to see the King,
Soon and very soon, We are going to see the King.
Soon and very soon, We are going to see the King,
Hallelujah, hallelujah, We are going to see the King.
No more crying there, We are going to see the King,
No more crying there, We are going to see the King.
No more crying there, We are going to see the King,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, We are going to see the King.
Saint Paul proposed to the Corinthians a new way of looking at life both now and in the time to come. He offers these words of enlightenment to us too.
Reading 1 Corinthians 2:7- 9
The hidden wisdom of God which we teach in our mysteries is the wisdom that God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began. It is a wisdom that none of the masters of this age have ever known or they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; we teach what scripture calls: the things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him.
Song ctd. Soon And Very Soon (Andrae Crouch)
No more dying there, We are going to see the King,
No more dying there, We are going to see the King.
No more dying there, We are going to see the King,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, We are going to see the King.
Memories
Prayer Let Us Pray
All say: God of mindfulness and compassion
Help us to cherish the memories of those who have died
To follow the good example they showed
To recall the happy times we shared
To forgive the hurts of the past.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Reflection Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was an African/American writer of books and poetry that inspired many people. She died in May of this year at the age of 88. Her life was varied and she encountered many ups and downs. Her Christian faith was important to her and just a year before she died she spoke in an interview about it.
‘It’s a wonderful thing to know that there is something greater that I am, and that is God…..
This wise woman left behind a rich legacy that will continue to inspire many generations. These are just some of her thoughts and memories:
‘I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.’
‘I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.’
‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will remember how you made them feel.’
Song Because You Love Me (Diane Warren)
For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I’ll be forever thankful baby
You’re the one who held me up, never let me fall.
You’re the one who saw me through, through it all.
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ‘coz you believed
I’m everything I am because you loved me.
Bereavement
One of the great blessings of our time is the development of Bethany Bereavement Groups. Their members support those who are grieving the loss of someone who has died. They take their name from the home of Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus at Bethany near Jerusalem. When Lazarus died Jesus went to their house offering love, compassion and support to Mary and Martha and then raised their brother from the dead. At another time Jesus reassured people that he himself was going to prepare a place for them beyond the boundaries of this life.
Song Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled (David Haas)
All sing: Do not let your hearts be troubled,
have faith in God and faith in me
I will go forth to prepare a place for you
and I’ll come back to take you with me
that where I am you may also be.
Rest
We gather the names of those we particularly remember this evening and place them in the basket of remembrance which we will leave here at the altar for the remainder of the month of November – may they rest in peace.
Instrumental
Song Dona Eis Requiem (Owen Lynch)
Angels
In the Rite of Christian Funerals the celebrant offers these final words before leaving the church to make the final journey to the place of committal – ‘In peace let us bring our sister or brother to their place of rest’. The song that accompanies that procession expresses the wish that the angels will carry the one who has died to their eternal home and sing them to their rest.
Song May Flights Of Angels (Orlando Gibbons)
May flights of angels lead you on your way to paradise and heavens eternal day!
May martyrs greet you after deaths’ dark night and bid you enter into Zion’s light!
May choirs of angels sing you to your rest with once poor Lazarus, now forever blest.
New Life
In the Book of Ecclesiastes we read: ‘There is a season for everything – a time for giving birth, a time for dying, a time for planting… The Christian understanding of death and resurrection is mirrored in the seasons of the year. At this time we observe the death of leaves and flowers but we also look forward with hope to the new blossoms of spring. As we remember those who have died we profess our faith in the gift of new life that Jesus himself wishes to share with others.
Song Ag Críost An Síol (Seán Ó Riada)
Ag Críost and síol Christ’s is the seed,
Ag Críost an fómhar Christ’s is the harvest,
In iothlainn Dé to the barn of Christ
Go dtugtar sinn. may we be brought.
Ag Críost an mhuir Christ’s is the sea,
Ag Críost an t-iasc, Christ’s is the fish,
I Iionta De in the nets of Christ
Go gcastar sinn. may we be caught.
Ó fhás go haois, From the growth to age,
Ó aois go bás, from age to death,
Do dhá lámh, a Chríost, your two arms, Christ,
Anall tharainn. around about us.
Ó bhás go críoch, From death to the end,
Ní críoch ach athfhás, not end but re-growth,
I bParthas na nGrás in the heaven of graces
Go rabhaimid. may we be.
Comfort
Reflection The Footprints Prayer
One night I had a dream…
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord, and Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; One belonged to me, and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of my life flashed before us, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that many times along the path of my life, There was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life This really bothered me, and I questioned the Lord about it. “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, You would walk with me all the way; But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, There is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why in times when I needed you the most, you should leave me.
The Lord replied, “My precious, precious child. I love you, and I would never, never leave you during your times of trial and suffering. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.
Song God Is (LaRue/ Stevens)
When all you see is here and now
When everything is crumbling, falling to the ground
This is just a moment, this is not forever
I know it seems impossible when all your hope is gone
But God is, God is, Greater than the fear your facing
Greater than the storm that’s raging God is, God is,
With you when you cry, so cry out His name ‘Cause God is greater than the pain
He knows the trials His children face
He knows the tears that fall that we all have to taste
But don’t you dare let go now, don’t let the candle blow out
His love is strong, so just hold on ‘Cause He is with you through it all
But God is, God is, Greater than the fear your facing
Greater than the storm that’s raging God is, God is,
With you when you cry, so cry out His name ‘Cause God is greater than the pain
Everlasting
Reflection Donal Walsh
Donal Walsh was 16 years of age when he died in April 2013 after a long battle with cancer. He was a young man of faith and these are some of his words written shortly before he died, words that will last forever in the hearts of those who read them.
‘I’ve grown fully in both mind and body by climbing God’s mountains. He’s had me fight cancer three times, face countless deaths and losses in my life, he’s had my childhood dreams taken off me but at the end of the day he has made me a man. ..I’ve climbed God’s mountains, faced many struggles for my life and dealt with so much loss. And as much as I would love to go around to every fool on this planet and open their eyes to the mountains that surround them in life, I can’t. But maybe if I shout from mine they’ll pay attention.’
Song To Where You Are
Who can say for certain? Maybe you’re still here I feel you all around me Your memories so clear
Deep in the stillness I can hear you speak You’re still an inspiration Can it be
That you are my forever love And you are watching over me from up above?
Fly me up to where you are Beyond the distant star I wish upon tonight To see you smile
If only for awhile To know you’re there A breath away’s not far To where you are
Are you gently sleeping Here inside my dream? And isn’t faith believing? All power can’t be seen
As my heart holds you Just one beat away I cherish all you gave me Everyday
‘Cause you are my forever love Watching me from up above And I believe that angels breathe And that love will live on and never leave
Fly me up to where you are Beyond the distant star I wish upon tonight To see you smile
If only for awhile To know you’re there A breath away’s not far To where you are
I know you’re there A breath away’s not far To where you are
Reflection Darren Maher
On November 21, 2002, my grandmother Kathleen Maher passed away after a short illness. She was 54 years old. She died due to a brain tumour. As you can imagine, today and tomorrow have particular significance for me. 12 years ago today she was alive. 12 years ago tomorrow, she wasn’t. I remember being brought home from school and being ushered upstairs, along with my 7 year old sister. We were sat on the bed in a room down the hall from hers by our mother and we were told “your nana is going to die.” We were devastated. My sister started crying. Then I started crying. Then my mum burst into tears. Then my dad came into the room and saw us crying, and then he started to cry!
We sat there for another few minutes, before being brought into her bedroom to see her. My family is a little bit stranger than most others, so when we went in, my mum said to us through a waterfall of tears and a quivering voice, “Say thanks to your nana for getting you the rest of the week off school.” We did. Silver linings and all that. I was 10 years old at the time, so the rest of that week was spent doing what other 10 year olds do. Playing with my toys, and watching television. Now I always had the thought in the back of my mind that my nana was going to die. But of course, at that age, I didn’t understand death. I mean, I could tell you what its definition was, I knew the implications; this person isn’t going to be around anymore. But I didn’t truly comprehend it. The best way to say it is, I knew the ‘what’ of it, but I didn’t know the ‘why’. I think that many of us in here still don’t know the why of it. Why is this person I love suffering? Why have they been taken from me?
That Thursday, the morning of the 21st, myself and my sister were in the sitting room eating our breakfast and watching television, when our parents called us into the kitchen. We were told that Kathleen had died that morning. I remember exactly what happened next. I went back inside and continued to watch tv. There were no tears, there were no hysterics. This thing that we were worked up about on Monday had happened, and our reaction was completely different. Looking back now, I realise it’s because I couldn’t process it. For years afterwards I still couldn’t process it. Which i think is true for many of us when we lose someone. We go on with our lives, but at some point, weeks, months or years later, we’ll just stop in the middle of what we’re doing and think, “She’s not here. She’s gone.” And then we start to think about what they’ve missed out on. All of the major life events that they should have been there for. Almost like going through your memories with a checklist, checking off everything they’ve missed. It’s sobering.
On the day of her 10th anniversary, I came to a realisation. I was 10 when she died. It was now 10 years since then. At that point, I had known her for less than half my life. The time in which I had been on this earth with her, was now smaller than the time that I have been on it without her. Despite that I can remember in perfect detail her face, her voice, the way she walked, the way she dressed. The minutia. I still remember conversations that I had with her almost 15 years ago, when I would do sleepovers with her. She’d order me a curry, we’d watch winning streak and talk about politics. I was 8 at the time, so I called it politricks. On days like today we gather to remember who we’ve lost. But that’s not to say that we ever forget them, and only once a year do we go “Oh yeah…” Rather, it’s days like today that we come together, different people with different lives and different struggles. We come gather as one group and we say, let’s remember the people who we’ve lost together. If there is one thing that binds every single person in this room, regardless of race, creed or gender, it’s loss. When someone we love dies, the world can seem smaller. On nights like this, when we’re all gathered here, we can realise that maybe it’s not so small after all. Each one of us here has someone in mind that we’re thinking about. So to Kathleen, and all those people who are no longer with us we say this. Tonight we remember you. Everyday we miss you.
Concluding Prayer
All say: Lord someone we love has been taken from us, someone precious and irreplaceable,
And we know that there are no words that we can say at this moment to express what we are feeling, no words can alleviate our sorrow or take away our pain.
So we have come here tonight simply the grief, the pain, the angst, the emptiness, the loneliness, the fear, the uncertainty that still at times threatens to overwhelm us.
We come bringing these feelings honestly before you and ask for strength in times of darkness. Hold on to us even when we find it hard to hold on to you.
Be very near… even when we feel you to be very far away.
Support us in the weeks, months and yes even the years ahead.
Grant us the comfort you have promised, until the time finally comes when we can look back
Not just with pain
But with thanksgiving.
Not just with sorrow but with joy
Recessional Song: May The Road Rise (Lori True)
All sing: May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
May the rain fall softly on your fields
And until we meet again
May you keep safe in the gentle loving arms of God.