Today the church prays for all those who have died. We pray in faith and hope. As St Paul says, what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by his death we have been made righteous in the eyes of God (Romans 5:8-10). God does not wait for us to be perfect before reaching out to us in love.
We join with the whole Church in praying that God welcome our departed sisters and brothers fully into the Divine embrace.
Prayer
Listen kindly to our prayers, Loving God,
and, as our faith in your Son, raised from the dead, is deepened,
so may our hope of resurrection for your departed servants
also find new strength. Through Christ, our Lord.
Amen
Merciful Father, we commend our loved one into your hands.
You know the depth of our love and their life on earth.
Wipe away our tears and comfort our grieving hearts.
Welcome them into the light of your eternal peace and joy.
Life is changed, not ended.
Love lives on in memory and spirit.
Peace surrounds your loved one now.
AMEN.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God,
rest in peace. In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters.