prayers in the burial offices

 

In my years as a parish priest and in retirement, I've officiated several dozen funeral services, which the Book of Common Prayer titles "Burial of the Dead" and I've assisted in some way at as many more. All have followed one service or the other from The Book of Common Prayer. When I've been the officiant I've used Rite  One (and I've specified that Rite One is to be used at my own funeral if it's from the church, although I won't be there to complain if the officiant uses Rite Two). Almost without exception, when I've assisted another priest who was the officiant, he/she has used Rite Two. 

We've been using the current BCP since 1976 (finally ratified by General Convention as the 1979 BCP); but I remember when the new prayer book first came out, reading the Rite Two burial office and thinking that it had been written by a first year Roman Catholic seminarian who prepared it as his semester term paper, and that he got a D Minus and everyone else in the class had failed with an F grade.

My mind has shifted over the years, but to me, having grown up with the burial office of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer dating back to Cranmer, the "new" Rite Two burial office still has the feeling of Liturgy Lite and a mandatory prep course before registering for Theology-101. 

There are significant theological differences, and this is important, because lex orandi lex credendi, the theology of our church is discernible in what we do and say and sing and pray when we gather for worship. That is to say, if you want to know what Episcopalians believe, come to church and worship with us and pay attention to the words of our prayers and other liturgical words. 

My favorite example in teaching this to confirmation classes over the years was to start with any Collect for the Day and analyze it, which is quite simple. I'll do one: here's our Collect for the upcoming Sunday, March 16, the Third Sunday in Lent: 

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A collect is a short prayer that's meant to collect the congregation's thoughts into something like unity, i.e., "common prayer." Our collects typically consist of three parts: an opening address to God, a single petition or sometimes two, and a closing in the Name of the Trinity. The opening address to God includes a theological assertion, and usually ends with a colon (:); the theological assertion here is "whose glory it is always to have mercy" - so that's what we believe about God, that God is always merciful, that's our theology. The rest of the collect is theological also, including "the unchangeable Truth of your Word, Jesus Christ," which you can sort out for yourself if you wish; and also the theological assertion in the closing that God the Father lives and reigns with the Son and the Holy eternally. My point is that it's easy to tell what we believe by paying attention to our prayers.

Just so then with the prayers in our two burial offices. Below I've copy-and-pasted both sets of the prayers. Both sets include a short series of petitions in litany form. The Rite One form is warm, spiritually assuring, and theologically substantial; the Rite Two form is - - - other.

My muse in this, today's blogpost is of no importance to anyone but myself; but I'm at the wilderness point in my total retirement that I can say whatever I DWP and anyone who might think they are in "authority" over me can mercifully dismiss it as "aging" - - or ignore me - - or they could tell me "Stop" which would only prod me on. Which brings to mind that forty-five or so years ago I spoke my mind rather sharply to a priest who was my designated supervisor at the Time; offended, he challenged me, "What gives you the right to say such things to me?" Pushing past him and out the door, I said, "I'm an American" and left. 

Anyway here are the Burial Office prayers in case anyone besides me wants to compare them:   

Rite One (BCP 480)

In peace, let us pray to the Lord.

Almighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in one
communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son
Christ our Lord: Grant, we beseech thee, to thy whole
Church in paradise and on earth, thy light and thy peace.
Amen.

Grant that all who have been baptized into Christ's death and
resurrection may die to sin and rise to newness of life, and
that through the grave and gate of death we may pass with
him to our joyful resurrection. Amen.

Grant to us who are still in our pilgrimage, and who walk as

yet by faith, that thy Holy Spirit may lead us in holiness and
righteousness all our days. Amen.

Grant to thy faithful people pardon and peace, that we may
be cleansed from all our sins, and serve thee with a quiet
mind. Amen.

Grant to all who mourn a sure confidence in thy fatherly
care, that, casting all their grief on thee, they may know the
consolation of thy love. Amen.

Give courage and faith to those who are bereaved, that they
may have strength to meet the days ahead in the comfort of a
reasonable and holy hope, in the joyful expectation of eternal
life with those they love. Amen.

Help us, we pray, in the midst of things we cannot understand,
to believe and trust in the communion of saints, the forgiveness
of sins, and the resurrection to life everlasting. Amen.

Grant us grace to entrust N. to thy never-failing love; receive
him into the arms of thy mercy, and remember him according
to the favor which thou bearest unto thy people. Amen.

Grant that, increasing in knowledge and love of thee, he may
go from strength to strength in the life of perfect service in
thy heavenly kingdom. Amen.

Grant us, with all who have died in the hope of the
resurrection, to have our consummation and bliss in thy
eternal and everlasting glory, and, with [blessed N. and]
all thy saints, to receive the crown of life which thou dost
promise to all who share in the victory of thy Son Jesus
Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Rite Two (BCP 497)

For our brother (sister) N., let us pray to our Lord Jesus 
Christ who said, "I am Resurrection and I am Life."

Lord, you consoled Martha and Mary in their distress; draw 
near to us who mourn for N., and dry the tears of those who 
weep.
Hear us, Lord.

You wept at the grave of Lazarus, your friend; comfort us in
our sorrow.
Hear us, Lord.

You raised the dead to life; give to our brother (sister) eternal 
life.
Hear us, Lord.

You promised paradise to the thief who repented; bring our
brother (sister) to the joys of heaven.
Hear us, Lord.

Our brother (sister) was washed in Baptism and anointed 
with the Holy Spirit; give him fellowship with all your saints.
Hear us, Lord.

He was nourished with your Body and Blood; grant him a 
place at the table in your heavenly kingdom.
Hear us, Lord.

Comfort us in our sorrows at the death of our brother 
(sister); let our faith be our consolation, and eternal life our 
hope.

Silence may be kept.

The Celebrant concludes with one of the following or some other prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to you our brother (sister) 

N., who was reborn by water and the Spirit in Holy Baptism. 
Grant that his death may recall to us your victory over death, 
and be an occasion for us to renew our trust in your Father's 
love. Give us, we pray, the faith to follow where you have led 
the way; and where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy 
Spirit, to the ages of ages. Amen.

or this

Father of all, we pray to you for N., and for all those whom 
we love but see no longer. Grant to them eternal rest. Let 
light perpetual shine upon them. May his soul and the souls 
of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 
Amen.

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