Mass Book Readings

The Ode

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old, Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, We will remember them. Lest we forget.

Tired And Weary

Tired and weary you made no fuss,
you tried so hard to stay with us,
you suffered so much and told so few,
you never deserved what you went through.
Close to our hearts you will always stay,
loved and remembered every day.

To All Who Loved Me

When I am gone, release me, let me go;
You have so many things to see and do.
You must not tie yourself to me with tears;
Be happy that we had so many years.

I gave you my love, you can only guess
How much you gave me in happiness.
I thank you for the love you all have shown
But now it’s time I travelled on alone.

So grieve awhile for me – if you must –
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It’s only for a while that we must part
So bless the memories within your heart.

I will not be far away, for life goes on –
So if you need me, call and I will come.
Though you cannot see or touch me, I’ll be near,
And if you listen with your heart you’ll hear
All of my love around you soft and clear.

Then when ‘you’ must come this way alone,
I will greet you with a smile
And a “Welcome Home”.

To Mourn Too Long

To mourn too long for those we love
is self indulgent…
But to honour their memory
with a promise to live a little better
for having known them
gives purpose to their life…
and some reason for their death.

To Those Whom I Loved

When I am gone, release me, let me go.
I have so many things to see and do.
You must not tie yourself to me with tears,
Be happy we had so many years.

I gave you my love, you can only guess,
How much you gave me in happiness.
I thank you for the love you have each shown,
But now it is time I travelled on alone.

So grieve a while for me, if grieve you must,
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It is only for a while that we must part,
So bless the memories within your heart.

I will not be far away, for life goes on,
So if you need me, call and I will come.
And if you listen with your heart, you will hear,
All of my love around you soft and clear.

Then, when you must come this way alone,
I will greet you with a smile
and a “Welcome Home”.

Togetherness

Death is nothing at all –
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Laugh as we always laughed
At the little jokes we always enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort.
Life means all that it ever meant,
It is the same as it ever was;
There is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of your mind,
Because I am out of your sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval,
Somewhere very near, just around the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost;
One brief moment and all will be as it was before –
Only better, infinitely happier and forever –
We will all be one together.

Henry Scott-Holland (1847-1918)
Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral, London

We Speak Your Name

We speak your name
with love and pride.
We smile through tears
we try to hide.
Thank you Mum/Dad for
the time we shared.
The love you gave
and the way you cared.
You left a place
no one can fill.
We miss you Mum/Dad
and always will.

What Is Dying?

I am standing upon that foreshore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze
and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength
and I stand and watch her until at length she hangs
like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky
come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says, “There! She’s gone!”
“Gone where?” “Gone from my sight, that’s all”,
she is just as large in mast and spar and hull
as ever she was when she left my side;
just as able to bear her load of living freight
to the place of her destination.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at that moment when someone at my side says,
“There! She’s gone!” there are other eyes watching her coming
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout,
“Here she comes!” And that is dying.

Bishop Brent

When I Must Leave You

When I must leave you for a little while,
please do not grieve and shed wild tears
and hug your sorrow to you through the years,
but start out bravely with a gallant smile;
and for my sake and in my name live on
and do all things the same.
Feed not your loneliness on empty days,
but fill each waking hour in useful ways.
Reach out your hand in comfort and in cheer
and I in turn will comfort you
and you will know that I am always near;
and never, never be afraid to die,
for I am waiting for you in the sky!

~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

Wisdom 3: 1-9

A reading from the book of Wisdom.

The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God, and no torment shall ever touch them. In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die, their going looked like a disaster, their leaving us, like annihilation; but they are in peace.

If they experienced punishment as men see it, their hope was rich with immortality; slight was their affliction, great will their blessings be.

God has put them to the test and proved them worthy to be with him; he has tested them like gold in a furnace, and accepted them as a holocaust.

When the time comes for his visitation, they will shine out; as sparks run through the stubble, so will they.

They shall judge nations, rule over peoples and the Lord shall be their king for ever.

They who trust in him shall understand truth, those who are faithful will live with him in love; for grace and mercy await those he has chosen.

The Word of the Lord.

Wisdom 4: 7-15

A reading from the book of Wisdom.

The virtuous man, though he die before his time, will find rest. Length of days is not what makes age honourable, nor number of years the true measure of life; understanding, this is man’s grey hairs, untarnished life, this is ripe old age.

He has sought to please God, so God has loved him; as he was living among sinners, he has been taken up.

He has been carried off so that evil may not warp his understanding or treachery seduce his soul; for the fascination of evil throws good things into the shade, and the whirlwind of desire corrupts a simple heart.

Coming to perfection in so short a while, he achieved long life; his soul being pleasing to the Lord, he has taken him quickly from the wickedness around him.

Yet people look on, uncomprehending; it does not enter their heads that grace and mercy await the chosen of the Lord, and protection, God’s holy ones.

The Word of the Lord.

With Tears We Saw You Suffer

With tears we saw you suffer,
We watched you fade away,
Our hearts were slowly breaking,
As you fought so hard to stay.
You did not want to leave us,
But you did not go alone,
For part of us went with you,
The day God took you home.

You Came To Us For Just A While

You came to us for just a while
and brought with you that lovely smile.
Eyes that beamed with love and sparkle
opened wide, the world to marvel.

A heart so young and filled with love,
but now you rest with those above.
We miss your presence, that’s no lie
and often we can’t help but cry.

But who could wish that you should stay
when pain and illness plagued your way.
Selfish thoughts would want to keep you
when the angels came to meet you.

Your time on earth was very brief,
but memories stay to swallow the grief.
Time will help to heal the pain,
slowly we will live again.

We know how much that we were blessed,
but now they’ve taken you to rest.
To lift again that lovely smile
you shared with us for just a while.

You Were Someone Special

You were someone special,
Someone good and true,
You will never be forgotten,
We thought the world of you.