November is the Month of Remembrance

Transcription

1 November is the Month of Remembrance Honouring the memory of the ones that we have loved. The commemoration of All Saints and the Holy Souls in November begins a month where the Church, in communion with all the saints, prays for the dead. For the bereaved, this month in particular, may mark some special time of remembrance. Prayer: Find a prayer that love for the one who has and Mary our Good and solace. Most special liturgies of recitations of the blessing of the cemetery. Pray to saint for their prayers. Ask your you. Keep in touch family. Going to will help you for the the familiar prayers and give you strength and ease care for you and let yourself be expresses the depth of your died. Ask our loving God Mother for comfort parishes will have remembrance, Rosary and graves at the your favourite intercessions and friends to pray with with your parish Mass each Sunday week ahead. Some of favourite hymns may your sadness. Trust in God to cared for by others. Light a Candle during a special meal with caring friends. A quiet moment during prayer before meals can be offered for your loved one. Place a candle near a photograph of your loved one. Cooking and sharing some favourite food with family and friends may ease your pain. Laugh: Honouring those who have died is remembering those little things that made that person special. The way they looked, the things they did, the caring gestures and the funny moments that happened quite unexpectedly. Recall some of those light-hearted moments and let your heart grow warm with fondness, love and laughter. Surround yourself with caring friends who understand you and are able to support you. Sometimes it is enough to be doing the daily tasks and just concentrating on those. It is OK not to feel sad all of the time. Your friends may take

2 you on an outing, away from the home. Take pleasure in the company of good and caring friends and don t feel guilty for enjoying some time out. Plant a tree in honour of your loved one. Is there a favourite shrub, flower or tree that you can plant and enjoy as a memorial of your loved one? Rosemary is traditionally associated with remembrance but others prefer to plant a special rose bush or a eucalypt seedling. Some people have a favourite park or a huge majestic tree in a part of the bush that they used to visit. Certain places, things or pieces of music can evoke powerful memories for us and can assist us in the grieving process. Thank God for the gift of love. When we think back on our life, we thank God for those wonderful moments of awareness of being loved deeply. We give thanks for being able to love and to be loved in return and for being enriched beyond measure by the presence of our loved one. How much poorer would we be without these experiences? Sitting quietly with God: Sit quietly for a while, letting your body relax, breathing slowly. Recall a passage from the Gospel or another biblical text that gives you comfort in your time of grief. Stay with that passage and reflect on it, then be quiet and allow God to give you comfort and solace. What is God saying to you today? Speak to God in your heart and tell God your troubles, anxieties and fears. Let God speak to you. Finish by thanking God for the gift of your loved one. Loving and merciful God, we entrust ( ) to your mercy and tender care. You loved (..). so deeply in this life: now that he/she is freed from all its cares, grant him/her happiness and peace in your loving embrace forever. Amen. 1 1 Adapted from Prayer for the Dead, Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing and Viaticum from the Roman Ritual.

3 Liturgies for Grief, Loss and Healing Apart from Eucharistic celebrations, your parish may wish to have a Liturgy of Remembrance. The ritual is based on the Liturgy of the Word. Keep the liturgy simple. Apart from the proclamation of the Word, your parish can decide what other ritual is most appropriate. The 4 part structure of the liturgy should be followed. Preparing the space A liturgy of remembrance can be held in a home or small and intimate worship space or in your parish church or devotional chapel. Arrange a small table or prayer focus with some beautiful fabric. Place either the Lectionary or a Bible in the prayer focus. Light the Paschal Candle or other candle (if not in the church). If meeting outside the church, have a cross in the prayer space. Prepare some music either sung/played or on CD Depending on your preference for symbolic action, you may wish to arrange sand bowls for tapers or tea-lights or a bowl of water (for rose petals) or a large cross (around which you may place flowers or names of the deceased). Offer a Remembrance Book for participants to write down the names of their deceased loved ones people can be invited to do this upon arrival. You may wish to hand out pocket prayer cards with messages of hope and faith (see sample verses below). Ensure that are ministers of hospitality to welcome people and usher them in. Gathering Light the Paschal Candle Gathering hymn (A Song about God s love and mercy) A Litany of the Saints can be sung or recited. Name those who have died Opening Prayer (selections from Order of Christian Funerals) Liturgy of the Word First reading (selections from Order of Christian Funerals) Responsorial Psalm (selections from Order of Christian Funerals) Gospel Acclamation (either sing a simple Alleluia or recite the verse) Gospel (selections from Order of Christian Funerals) A homily of comfort and hope

4 Prayers of the Faithful: remember those who have died, those who cared for them and those of us here. Symbolic Action Choose one of the following rituals or adapt one for your community. In a basket, place the names of those who have died. Place the basket at the foot of the Cross or at the foot of the Paschal Candle. Invite people to come forward to light tapers from the Paschal Candle and then place the tapers in a large sand bowl. (Suggest that the first tapers are placed at the back or the centre of the bowl to allow more tapers to be safely inserted.) Invite people to come forwards and place some rose petals into a large bowl of water. Sing some Taizé chants or Song of Farewell or other appropriate selection or play gentle instrumental music while the symbolic action is taking place. Sending forth You may wish to pray the prayer of commendation from the Order of Christian Funerals (with the response: Receive their souls and present them to God the most high.) Say Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.. together Choose an appropriate blessing from the Sacramentary or from the Book of Blessings Finish with a hymn of hope and trust in God Bless yourself with Holy Water on the way out as a reminder of baptism Show hospitality by offering some light refreshments for the assembly after the liturgy. Sample Verses I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Rom 8:38 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1

5 Let nothing trouble you. Let nothing frighten you. Those who seek God shall never go wanting. God alone fills us. St Teresa of Avila The Lord is my light and my salvation, I am sure I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Hope in God, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord. Psalm 27: 1, All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. Julian of Norwich Come to me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matt 11:28 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God Isaiah 40:1 May the choirs of angels come to greet you. May they speed you to paradise. May the Lord enfold you in his mercy. May you find eternal life. In Paradisum, Funeral Mass text Sophy Morley, Diocesan Coordinator for Liturgy Catholic Diocese of Sale Victoria, Australia smorley@sale.catholic.org.au