My LORD’s BibleThe Roman Missal: Masses for the Dead (English) 1
The Mass for the Dead (the Requiem Mass) of the Roman Rite in English: the Mass for the Day of All Souls with the Dies irae, the Masses for the day of death or burial and for the anniversary, the Common Mass for the Dead, and the various prayers for a pope, a man, a woman or a parent, as printed in the Rev. F. C. Husenbeth's Missal for the use of the Laity (London, 1853), in the form used from the Council of Trent until the liturgical reform of the 1960s. This is the English only; the Latin of the chants and prayers is to be added. The words in square brackets are the Missal's own headings and directions. A liturgy of the Catholic Church, not scripture.
1[Masses for the Dead. For the Day of All Souls.]
5Epistle. 1 Corinth. xv. 51—57. Brethren, Behold I tell you a mystery: we shall all indeed rise again, but we shall not all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall rise again incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. And when this mortal hath put 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? Now the sting of death is sin: and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
6Gradual. Eternal rest give to them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. The just shall be in everlasting remembrance; he shall not fear the evil hearing.
7Tract. Absolve, O Lord, the souls of all the faithful departed from every bond of sins: And by the help of thy grace may they be enabled to escape the judgment of punishment: And enjoy the happiness of light eternal.
8[Sequence.]
10How great the trembling and the fear / When the tremendous Judge draws near, / When the great trumpet's blown!
11And thundering to earth's utmost bound, / Shall rouse the slumbering nations round, / To stand at God's high throne!
12Nature and death shall see amazed / Poor trembling man for judgment raised, / Leaving the dreary tomb;
14He shall be judge, whose piercing sight / Brings every hidden deed to light, / And leaves no thought concealed;
15Where then shall be the sinner's place, / When scarcely shall the just find grace / For all his works revealed?
17Jesus, my God! to thee I pray, / O save me in that dreadful day, / By all thou didst for me.
19O righteous Judge! 'tis thine to spare, / Let me thy kind forgiveness share / Before that awful day.
20Conscious of guilt, I weep and groan, / I blush my weight of sins to own; / O cleanse my soul's deep stain!
22Let my unworthy prayer be heard, / Save me by thy indulgent word, / From hell's dark, dreadful land;
24When sinners on that day shall know / Their sentence to eternal woe, / Call me to bliss above:
26A fearful day, a day of tears, / When, to be judged, poor man appears, / Summoned at God's behest:
27Spare me then, Lord! receive my prayer. / Let those who sleep thy mercy share, / Grant them eternal rest. Amen.
28Gospel. St John v. 25—29. At that time, Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews, Amen, amen, I say unto you, that the hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, so he hath given to the Son also to have life in himself; and he hath given him power to do judgment, because he is the Son of man. Wonder not at this, for the hour cometh wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that have done good things shall come forth unto the resurrection of life, but they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.
29Offertory. O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, deliver the souls of all the faithful departed, from the pains of hell and from the deep pit: deliver them from the mouth of the lion, that hell may not swallow them up, and they may not fall into darkness; but may the holy standard bearer Michael introduce them to the holy light: Which thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed.
30We offer to thee, O Lord, sacrifice and prayers: do thou receive them in behalf of those souls whom we commemorate this day: grant them, O Lord, to pass from death to that life: Which thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed.
32Communion. May light eternal shine upon them, O Lord: With thy saints for ever, because thou art merciful.
33Eternal rest give to them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them: With thy saints, &c. as above.
34Postcom. Animabus. We beseech thee, O Lord, that the prayer of thy suppliants may benefit the souls of thy servants; that thou mayest deliver them from all their sins, and make them partakers of thy redemption. Who livest and reignest, &c.
35[No blessing is given in Masses for the Dead.]
36[Note.—That in all Masses for the Dead, the Introit, Gradual, Tract, Offertory, and Communion, are the same as above.]