The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations/Litany for the Dead
Litany for the Dead.
LORD, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, receive our prayers.
Lord Jesus, grant our petitions.
O God the Father, Creator of the world, Have mercy on the souls of the faithful departed.
O God the Son, Redeemer of mankind, Deliver the souls of the faithful departed.
O God the Holy Ghost, Perfecter of the elect, Complete the bliss of the souls of the faithful departed.
O Sacred Trinity, three persons and one God, Give rest to the souls of the faithful departed.
| Blessed Virgin Mary, who, by a special privilege of grace, wast triumphantly assumed into the kingdom of thy Son, | |
| Blessed angels, who, ordering aright the first act of your will, were immediately settled in an unchangeable state of felicity, | Pray for the souls, etc. |
| Blessed patriarchs, whose spirits were filled with joy when the desired of all nations brought redemption to your long captivity, | |
| Blessed prophets, who, having patiently awaited the coming of the Messias, were at length refreshed with the happy visit of his divine person, |
O all you blessed saints, who, after the glorious resurrection of your Saviour, were by him translated from the bosom of Abraham to the clear vision of God,
Blessed apostles, who, at the last and terrible day, shall sit on the twelve thrones, judging the tribes of Israel,
Blessed disciples of our Lord, who, following his sacred steps in the narrow path of perfection, went straight on to the heavenly Jerusalem,
Blessed martyrs, who, passing through the red sea of your own blood, without journeying through a tedious wilderness, entered immediately into the land of promise.
Blessed confessors, who, despising the vanities here below, and placing your affections entirely on the joys above, are already arrived at the full possession of all your wishes,
Blessed virgins, who, watching continually with your lamps prepared, were ready at the first voice of the chaste spouse of heaven to enter with him into the marriage feast,
O all you holy saints, who, not retaining at your death the least irregular adherence to any creature, were perfectly capable of an immediate union with your Creator,
Be merciful, O Lord, And pardon their sins.
Be merciful, O Lord, And hear our prayers.
| From the shades of death, where they sit deprived of the blissful light of thy countenance, | Deliver, &c. |
| From the evils to which their defective mortifications in this world have exposed them in the other, |
| From thy anger, which now too late they grieve to have provoked by their negligence and ingratitude, | |
| From the bonds of sin, wherein they remain entangled by the disorder of their affections, | |
| From the pains of purgatory, justly inflicted on them as the proper effects of their sins, | |
| From that dreadful prison, whence there is no release till they have paid the last farthing, From all their torments, incomparably greater than the sharpest pains of this life, By the multitude of thy mercies, who hast always shown compassion on the frailties of human nature, |
Deliver them, O Lord |
| By the infinite merits of thy death upon the cross, where thou reconciledst the world to thy Father, | |
| By thy victorious descent into hell, to break asunder the chains of death, and free such as were imprisoned, | |
| By thy glorious resurrection from the grave, when thou openedst the kingdom of heaven to believers, | |
| By thy triumphant ascension into heaven, when thou didst lead captivity captive, and promisest to prepare a place for thy servants, | |
| By thy dreadful coming to judge the world, when the works of every one shall be tried by fire, | |
| We sinners, Beseech thee, hear us. | |
| That it would please thee to hasten the day of visiting thy faithful, detained in the receptacles of sorrow, and transport them to the city of eternal peace, |
| That it would please thee to shorten the time of expiation of their sins, and graciously admit them into thy holy sanctuary, where no unclean thing can enter, | |
| That it would please thee, through the prayers and alms of thy Church, and especially the inestimable sacrifice of thy holy altar, to receive them into the tabernacles of rest, and crown their longing hopes with everlasting fruition. That the blessed vision of Jesus may comfort them, and the glorious light of his cross shine upon them, | |
| That thy holy angels may bring them into the land of the living, and the glorious Queen of saints present them before thy throne, That the venerable patriarchs may meet them, and all the ancient prophets rejoice to see them, That the sacred college of apostles may open to them the gates of bliss, and the victorious army of martyrs conduct them to thy palace, That the blessed company of confessors may place them in seats of eternal glory, and the chaste train of virgins, with heavenly anthems, congratulate their reception, | We beseech thee, hear us. |
| That the whole triumphant Church may celebrate the jubilee of their deliverance, and all the choirs of angels sing hymns of joy for their new and never-ending felicity, | |
| That, in the midst of all these triumphs, the souls that are delivered may themselves adore the glorious Author of their happiness, and in their white robes eternally sing, Alleluia! salvation to our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb that redeemed us by his blood, and made us kings to reign with him for ever, Son of God, |
O Lamb of God, at whose presence the earth shall be moved, and the heavens melt away, Give rest to the souls of the faithful departed.
O Lamb of God, in whose blessed book of life all their names are written, Give eternal rest to the souls of the faithful departed.
THE ANTIPHON.
DELIVER us, O Lord, and all thy faithful, in that day of terror, when the sun and moon shall be darkened, and the stars fall down from heaven; in that day of Calamity and amazement, when heaven itself shall shake, the pillars of the earth be moved, and the glorious majesty of Jesus come with innumerable angels to judge the world by fire.
V. Deliver us, O Lord, in that dreadful day.
R. And place us with the blessed at thy right hand for ever.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come to thee.
LET US PRAY.
ALMIGHTY God, with whom the spirits of the perfect live, and in whose holy custody are deposited the souls of all those that depart hence in an inferior degree of thy grace, who, being by their imperfect charity rendered unworthy of thy presence, are detained in a state of grief and suspended hopes: as we bless thee for the saints already admitted to thy glory, so we humbly offer our prayers for thy afflicted servants, who continually wait and sigh after the day of their deliverance: pardon their sins, supply their unpreparedness, and wipe away the tears from their eyes, that they may see thee, and in thy glorious light eternally rejoice: through Jesus Christ, etc.
O eternal God, who, besides the general precept of charity, hast commanded a particular respect to parents, kindred, and benefactors; grant, we beseech thee, that as they were the instruments by which thy providence bestowed on us our birth, education, and innumerable other blessings, so our prayers may be the means to obtain for them a speedy release from their excessive sufferings, and free admittance to thy infinite joys: through Jesus Christ, etc.
Most wise and merciful Lord, who hast ordained this life as a passage to the future, confining our repentance to the time of our pilgrimage here, and reserving for hereafter the state of punishment and reward, vouchsafe us thy grace, who are yet alive, and still have opportunity of reconciliation with thee, so to watch over all our actions, and correct every least deviation from the true way to heaven, that we be neither surprised with our sins uncancelled, nor with our duties imperfect; but when our bodies go down into the grave, our souls may ascend to thee, and dwell for ever in the mansions of eternal felicity: through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour. Amen.