The Order for the Burial of the Dead – The Prayer Book Society of Canada

THE ORDER FOR

THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD

The Pastor of the Parish shall be responsible for the conduct of the Service of Burial.

Unless there be special cause to the contrary, the first part of the Service shall take place in the Church.

The Office ensuing is not to be used for any that die unbaptized, or excommunicate, or by their own wilful act while in a sound state of mind.

When this Office is not to be used, the Priest may use Psalm 51 or 130, St Matthew 25. 31-46, and the Sentences beginning, In the midst of life, followed by the Lesser Litany, the Lord’s Prayer, and other Prayers from this Order at his discretion.

The Priest and Clerks, meeting the body and going before it, either into the Church or towards the grave, shall say or sing the following Sentences or a selection therefrom.

I AM the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
St John 11. 25, 26.

LET not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
St John 14. 1, 2.

I KNOW that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
Job 19. 25.

WE brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
1 Timothy 6. 7. Job 1. 21.

THE eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
Deuteronomy 33. 27.

WHETHER we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Romans 14. 8, 9.

I AM persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8. 38, 39.

BLESSED be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.
1 St Peter 1. 3, 4.

Then shall be said or sung one or more of these Psalms following:

DOMINE, REFUGIUM. PSALM 90.

LORD, thou hast been our refuge, / from one generation to another.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever the earth and the world were made, / thou art God from everlasting, and world without end.
Thou turnest man back to the dust, / and thou sayest, ‘Return, ye children of men.’
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, / and as a watch in the night.
Thou carriest them away as with a flood, and they are even as a sleep; / in the morning they are like grass that groweth up.
In the morning it is green and groweth up, but in the evening it is cut down and withered.
For we consume away in thy displeasure, and are afraid at thy wrathful indignation.
Thou hast set our misdeeds before thee, and our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
For when thou art angry all our days are gone: / we bring our years to an end, as it were a tale that is told.
The days of our age are threescore years and ten, / or, if men be so strong, they may come to fourscore years;
Yet is their pride but labour and sorrow: / so soon passeth it away, and we are gone.
But who regardeth the power of thy wrath, or feareth aright thine indignation?
So teach us to number our days, / that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
TURN thee again, O LORD, at the last, / and be gracious unto thy servants.
O satisfy us with thy mercy, and that soon: / so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
Comfort us again according to the time that thou hast afflicted us, / and for the years wherein we have suffered adversity.
Show thy servants thy work, / and their children thy glory.
And let the glorious majesty of the Lord our God be upon us: / prosper thou the work of our hands upon us, O prosper thou our handy-work.

GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, / world without end. Amen.

LEVAVI OCULOS. PSALM 121.

I WILL lift up mine eyes unto the hills: / O whence cometh my help?
My help cometh even from the LORD, / who hath made heaven and earth.
HE will not suffer thy foot to be moved: / and he that keepeth thee will not sleep.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel / shall neither slumber nor sleep.
THE LORD himself is thy keeper: / the LORD is thy defence upon thy right hand;
So that the sun shall not burn thee by day, / neither the moon by night.
THE LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: / yea, it is even he that shall keep thy soul.
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in, / from this time forth for evermore.

GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, / world without end. Amen.

DE PROFUNDIS. PSALM 130.

OUT of the deep have I called unto thee, O LORD; / Lord, hear my voice.
O let thine ears consider well / the voice of my complaint.
If thou, LORD, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, / O Lord, who may abide it?
But there is forgiveness with thee; / therefore shalt thou be feared.
I LOOK for the LORD; my soul doth wait for him: / in his word is my trust.
My soul looketh for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, / yea, more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, trust in the LORD, for with the LORD there is mercy, / and with him is plenteous redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel / from all his sins.

GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, / world without end. Amen.

Or Psalm 23, page 356.

Here shall follow the Lesson taken out of the fifteenth chapter of the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians. Or there may be read 2 Corinthians 4. 16-5. 10, or Romans 8. 14-39.

NOW is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made to live. But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s, at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Foolish, man, that which thou sowest is not made to live, except it die. And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: but God giveth it a body, as it hath pleased him, and to every seed a body of its own.
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a life-giving spirit. Howbeit, that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man was of the earth, earthy: the second man was the Lord from heaven. As was the earthy, so also are they that are earthy: and as was the heavenly, so also are they that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality; then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Here may follow a Hymn or Canticle, and this Anthem.

I HEARD a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, From henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: Even so, saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labours.

Here may be said the Apostles’ Creed.

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.

Then the Minister shall say:

The Lord be with you;
People. And with thy spirit.
Minister. Let us pray.

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.

Then these versicles and responses may be said or sung:

Priest. O Saviour of the world, who by thy Cross and precious Blood hast redeemed us;
People. Save us, and help us, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
Priest. Graciously look upon our afflictions, O Lord;
People. Pitifully behold the sorrows of our hearts.
Priest. Make thy servants to be numbered with thy Saints;
People. In glory everlasting.

Then shall the Minister say:

ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live the spirits of them that depart hence in the Lord, and with whom the souls of the faithful are in joy and felicity: We praise and magnify thy holy Name for all thy servants who have finished their course and kept the faith; and committing our brother N. to thy gracious keeping, we pray that we with him, and with all those that are departed In the true faith of thy holy Name, may have our perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and soul, In thy eternal and everlasting glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Additional prayers which may be used here or at the graveside.

O LORD Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who hast opened unto us the gate of everlasting life, and art the peace and light of those who rest in thee: In company with thy holy Apostles, Prophets, and Martyrs, and with all the faithful departed, we praise and glorify thee for the fulness of joy which thou givest to all who put their trust in thee; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.

O GOD, whose days are without end, and whose mercies cannot be numbered: Make us, we beseech thee, deeply sensible of the shortness and uncertainty of human life; and let thy Holy Spirit lead us in holiness and righteousness, all our days; that, when we shall have served thee in our generation, we may be gathered unto our fathers, having the testimony of a good conscience; in the communion of the Catholic Church; in the confidence of a certain faith; in the comfort of a reasonable, religious, and holy hope; in favour with thee our God, and in perfect charity with all men. Grant this, we beseech thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O HEAVENLY Father, whose Blessed Son Jesus Christ did weep at the grave of Lazarus, his friend: Look, we beseech thee, with compassion upon those who are now in sorrow and affliction; comfort them, O Lord, with thy gracious consolations; make them to know that all things work together for good to them that love thee; and grant them evermore sure trust and confidence in thy fatherly care; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

ALMIGHTY God, Father of all mercies and giver of all comfort: Deal graciously, we pray thee, with those who mourn, that casting every care on thee, they may know the consolation of thy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O ALMIGHTY God, the God of the spirits of all flesh: Multiply, we beseech thee, to those who rest in Jesus, the manifold blessings of thy love, that the good work which thou didst begin in them may be perfected unto the day of Jesus Christ. And of thy mercy, O heavenly Father, grant that we, who now serve thee here on earth, may at the last, together with them, be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light; for the sake of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

GIVE rest, O Christ, to thy servant with thy Saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting; where thou, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

O FATHER of all, we pray to thee for those whom we love but see no longer. Grant them thy peace; and in thy loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of thy perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

REST eternal grant unto him, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him. Amen.

There may also be included with these prayers the Collect of All Saints’ Day, the Collect of Easter Even, the prayer which follows the Committal, and Prayers and Thanksgivings, Nos. 42 and 43, pages 55 and 56.

The Grace, or one of the following Blessings, may be said here.

THE LORD bless you, and keep you. The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace, both now and evermore. Amen.

THE God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant: Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

AT THE GRAVE

When they come to the grave, the Priest shall say, or the Priest and Clerks shall sing:

IN the midst of life we are in death: of whom may we seek for succour, but of thee, O Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased?

Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful ears to our prayer; but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O holy and merciful Saviour, thou most worthy Judge eternal.

Then, while the earth shall be cast upon the body by some standing by, the Priest shall say:

FORASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to receive unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed: we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our mortal body, that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.

At a cremation he shall say, we therefore commit his body to be consumed by fire, and at a burial after cremation, we therefore commit his ashes to their resting-place.

At the burial of the dead at sea.

FORASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to receive unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed: we therefore commit his body to the deep, looking for the resurrection of the body, (when the sea shall give up her dead,) and the life of the world to come, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who at his coming shall change our mortal body, that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.

Then shall be said or sung:

I HEARD a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, From henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: Even so, saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labours.
This prayer shall be said either at the grave or in the Church.

O MERCIFUL God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life; in whom whosoever believeth shall live, though he die; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in him, shall not die eternally; who also hath taught us (by his holy Apostle Saint Paul) not to be sorry, as men without hope, for them that sleep in Jesus: We meekly beseech thee, O Father, to raise us from the death of sin unto the life of righteousness; that, when we shall depart this life, we may rest in him, as our hope is this our brother N. doth; and that, at the Resurrection in the last day, we with him may receive that blessing, which thy well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all that love and fear thee, saying, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: Grant this, we beseech thee, O merciful Father, through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen.

Then shall be said the Grace or one of the Blessings already set forth.

A Form for the Hallowing of a grave in unconsecrated ground.

O LORD Jesu Christ, who by thy burial didst sanctify an earthly sepulchre: Vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to bless and hallow this grave, that it may be a resting-place, peaceful and secure, for the body of thy servant, which we are about to commit [or which has been committed] to thy gracious keeping, who art the resurrection and the life, and who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

AT THE BURIAL OF A CHILD

The Priest and Clerks, meeting the body and going before it, either into the Church or towards the grave, shall say or sing:

I AM the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
St John 11. 25, 26.

HE shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom.
Isaiah 40. 11.

BLESSED are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
St Matthew 5. 4.

Then shall be said or sung the Psalm following:

DOMINUS REGIT ME. PSALM 23.

THE LORD is my shepherd; / therefore can I lack nothing.
He shall feed me in a green pasture, / and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.
He shall restore my soul, / and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness, for his Name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; / for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff comfort me.
THOU shalt prepare a table before me in the presence of them that trouble me; / thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full.
Surely thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; / and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, / world without end. Amen.

Then shall follow the Lesson taken out of the eighteenth chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Matthew.

AT the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me. Take heed that Ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Here may be sung a Hymn or an Anthem; then shall the Minister say:

The Lord be with you;
People. And with thy spirit.
Minister. Let us pray.

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

OUR Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.

Priest. Blessed are the pure in heart;
People. For they shall see God.
Priest. Blessed be the Name of the Lord;
People. Henceforth, world without end.
Priest. Lord, hear our prayer;
People. And let our cry come unto thee.

O HEAVENLY Father, whose face the angels of the little ones do always behold in heaven: Grant us stedfastly to believe that this child hath been taken into the safe keeping of thine eternal love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O LORD Jesu Christ, who didst take little children into thine arms and bless them: Open thou our eyes, we beseech thee, that we may perceive that thou hast now taken this child into the arms of thy love, and hast bestowed upon him the blessings of thy gracious favour; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

O GOD whose ways are hidden and thy works most wonderful, who makest nothing in vain and lovest all that thou hast made: Comfort thou thy servants, whose hearts are sore smitten and oppressed; and grant that they may so love and serve thee in this life, that together with this thy child, they may in the world to come obtain the fulness of thy promises; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Other suitable prayers found elsewhere in this Order may also be used here.

When they come to the grave, the Minister shall say:

AS one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you.
Isaiah 66. 13.

LIKE as a father pitieth his own children, even so is the LORD merciful unto them that fear him.
Psalm 103. 13.

Then, while the earth shall be cast upon the body by some standing by, the Priest shall say:

FORASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to receive unto himself the soul of this dear child here departed: we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our mortal body, that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.

Then shall be said or sung:

LET the little children come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.

Then the Minister shall say:

O HEAVENLY Father, give us grace to entrust the soul of this child to thy unfailing care and love, and bring us all to thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE LORD bless you, and keep you. The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace, both now and evermore. Amen.

AT THE COMMUNION

The Order of the Holy Communion may be used either in combination with the Order for the Burial of the Dead, or as a separate and additional Service. In the former case, it should follow the Psalm or the Lesson.

THE COLLECT

GRANT, O Lord, that as we are baptized into the death of thy blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, so by continual mortifying our corrupt affections we may be buried with him; and that, through the grave, and gate of death, we may pass to our joyful resurrection; for his merits, who died, and was buried, and rose again for us, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O LORD, the maker and redeemer of all believers: Grant to the faithful departed all the unsearchable benefits of thy Son’s passion; that in the day of his appearing they may be manifested as thy true children; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE EPISTLE. Romans 8. 31.

WHAT shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

THE LESSON. Revelation 21. 1.

I SAW a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

THE GOSPEL. St John 6. 35.

JESUS said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.