Christian Rite – A Collection of Prayers

In the history of the Christian Church, All Saints Day, November 1, is a time for visiting graves and remembering the faithful departed. The following may be used at home or when visiting the grave of a family member or friend.

We know that the one who raised the Lord + Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and bring us into his presence. (2 Corinthians 4:14)
Amen.

The following Scriptures or other passages may be read:

Now we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal home in heaven, which is not made by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ,
you told Mary and Martha
that you are the Resurrection and the Life.
You promised your disciples
that you would prepare a place for them.
You promised the repentant thief
that he would be with you in Paradise.
And through the disciple John,
you revealed to us
that you will wipe away every tear from our eyes
in the Day when there is no death or sorrow or crying or pain.
Fill our hearts
with these firm and certain promises.
Comfort us with the assurance
that those who have died in faith
now see you face to face.
Strengthen us
with these words of your gospel;
you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
surrounded by a great multitude that no one can count,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

How blessed are those who live in your house.
They are always praising you.

How blessed is everyone whose strength is found in you.
The highways to Jerusalem are in their hearts.

As they pass through the Valley of Weeping,
it becomes full of springs.

They go from strength to strength.
Each one will appear before God in Zion.

O LORD, God of Armies, hear my prayer.
Give ear, O God of Jacob.

One day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather wait at the doorway of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

The LORD is a sun and shield.
God gives grace and glory.

The LORD does not withhold any good thing from those who walk with integrity.
O LORD of Armies, how blessed is everyone who trusts in you. (from Psalm 84)

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever. (Revelation 5:13)

How blessed are those who live in your house.
They are always praising you.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ + Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
Amen.

__________

This short rite is based in part on the outline of a short rite in Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers © 2007 by the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, you told Mary and Martha…” and the responsory from Psalm 84 are newly composed. “Valley of Weeping” is in the footnote. Biblical text reads “Valley of Baca.” All Scripture is taken from The Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version, © 2017. www.wartburgproject.com

This “Home Liturgy for All Saints Day” has been translated into Portugese, available at lecionario.com website.

In most liturgies, the Agnus Dei immediately follows the Words of Institution. The Agnus Dei is based on John the Baptist’s short sermon, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This short song brings the liturgy of the Divine Service to a sort of fulfillment. In the Kyrie we sang “Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.” In the Agnus Dei, this is repeated: “Lamb of God,… have mercy on us,… have mercy on us,… grant us peace.” In the Gloria in Excelsis we sang most of the words while singing the praise of Christ, “Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us.” The words of the Agnus Dei also reflect on the words of Jesus in the Lord’s Supper, “Given and poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

In one form or another, the Agnus Dei has been part of the Western Rite since the seventh century. It is has been called the “fraction anthem,” meaning that the bread for Holy Communion would be broken while it is sung. In some traditions, the distribution of Holy Communion begins with the Agnus Dei. Here is the standard English text from ELLC:

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
grant us peace.

The Latin text and other English versions of the text can be seen in this Wikipedia article.

The German translation from the time of the Reformation added “Christe,” or “O Christ,” either to clarify who the Lamb of God is, or to fill out the meter of the notes so that the German text could be sung to the same notes as the Latin. Here is the German tune from Luther’s Deutsches Messe, “Christe, du Lamm Gottes.”

Agnus Dei — WELS *Book of Hymns,* 1920, 1931

And in the video it is sung with the English text, “O Christ, Lamb of God” at the 2017 WELS National Worship Conference. It is preceded by an intonation and a new harmonization by Kermit Moldenhauer.

Here it is in English with the new standard text in a contemporary setting by Ricky Manalo:

Here is the Latin text, sung to a setting by Samuel Barber. When performed by an orchestra with no choir, it is called the Adagio for Strings. It is very beautiful and haunting with the Latin text:

Here is Agnus Dei from Schubert’s Deutsche Messe. The Agnus Dei is sometimes interpolated or adapted, so instead of “Lamb of God,” the text in some of the petitions may be “Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us,” etc.:

Tag: Christian Rite

A Home Liturgy for All Saints Day

Agnus Dei / Lamb of God