On the Eighth Day
We beseech Thee, O Lord, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant fellowship with Thy Saints and Elect to the soul of Thy handmaiden Rebecca, whose burial seven days since we commemorate, and wouldst pour upon it the everlasting dew of Thy mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, through all of the ages of ages. Amen.
Today is the eighth day after your burial (counting your burial day as the first). The eighth day mystically represents eternity. I pray that for you it is a day of peace, a day of comfort, a day of rest in the Lord Who made you. May your name be found in the book He has written and your memory be eternal.
Labels: prayers for the dead, Rebecca
3 Comments:
You were much on my mind yesterday, dear friend. I stopped at Sts. Peter and Paul for little while. Leaving there I followed the sound of music to the park a block away, where the students of the Naperville North High School orchestra were doing well with their final practice before their final performance of the season. I stood and looked at the steeple cross and bell tower, illuminated by a bright evening sun, a few picture-perfect cumulus clouds in the background, the students playing behind me, and thought, this was a moment to share with you.
After that, I bought some ice cream and watched a movie of the sort we would watch gladly, but only one time. I think you would have called it a good pick. It looked at internationalization of the labor market, at downsizing, unemployment, shame, and failure, but there was also piano-playing and food. There was family violence and divorce, self-indulgence and the suggestion that we shouldn't just be living for ourselves. Military service was touched on. It was all set in Japan, a country of great interest to you. I wish you could have seen it with me.
One of the pieces the orchestra played was part of the finale to Beethoven's sixth symphony ("Shepherd's song; cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm"). Timely for Naperville after the heavy rain we received a couple days ago. May God make you cheerful and thankful.
... and I went to another concert yesterday evening, the American Wind Band, with whom you played. The band dedicated its performance of A Trumpeter's Prayer by Tutti Camarata to your memory. They also played a medley of broadway marches including Consider Yourself (from Oliver!) and some swing tunes, both of which made me think of you. Happy memories.
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