OH, YOU WHO WE HAVE LOVED, WE LOVE YOU STILL
Our dear friend, Danny Risdon is in the throes of grief on account of the sad passing of his close friend and spiritual director, Father Philip Cross. On May 3rd, Father Philip died at the age of 86.
Danny and Father Philip used visit the graveyard together and recite De Profundis for the souls of the dearly departed. We may now do for Father Philip that which he did for other souls:
Out of the depths I have cried unto Thee, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
If Thou, O Lord, shalt mark our iniquities: O Lord, who can abide it?For with Thee there is mercy: and by reason of Thy law I have waited on Thee, O Lord. My soul hath waited on His word: my soul hath hoped in the Lord. From the morning watch even unto night: let Israel hope in the Lord. For with the Lord there is mercy: and with Him is plenteous redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
(Eternal rest or “Requiem aeternam”)
Eternal rest give to them, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.
Amen.
V/. Lord, hear my prayer.
R/. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray.
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful; grant to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that by our devout supplications they may obtain that pardon which they have always desired. Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
V/. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord.
R/. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
V/. May they rest in peace.
R/. Amen.
Oh Mary! I just buried my beautiful and saintly mother yesterday. She suffered for over 11years following a stroke with extremely limited mobility and a feeding tube, while retaining her mental faculties. I loved her so much -- so much that I feel like the grief will drown me in moments when the waves crash over. She bore her afflictions with kindness and without complaint and continued to console me despite her physical woes. I will miss her forever. She was the embodiment of Proverbs 31.
ReplyDeleteThank you so very much for sharing these prayers. And, if you are so inclined, please say a prayer for Marion Joan Kovacs.
In the hope of Resurrection,
Katherine
My Dear Katherine, I am deeply sorry for your loss. So beautiful to hear that your mother comforted you even though her physical trials were immense, truly as you say, your mother was an embodiment of Proverbs 31and was clothed in strength and dignity.
DeleteThank you for this prayer request, I will include her in the Rosary which my husband and I offer everyday for the dearly departed. Also, prayers for you, and those of thanksgiving for your mother’s life. Tis my honor to ask graces for your mother in case she is in Purgatory. I have a calling to pray for the dead and I believe she will intercede for us. She may have done a lot of her Purgatory on earth when she was a stroke victim.
May your pain at her passing lessen. I’m sure you are probably offering it for Marion Joan.
Yours devotedly in Christ, Mary
Mary, I am overwhelmed by your Christian charity. Although complete strangers, you and James have brought me more solace than most family members. Truly, the Holy Spirit unites us in love. I will most earnestly pray that God's richest blessings be poured upon you for your generosity. Much love and deep gratitude to you.
DeleteKatherine
Prayers to bring the grace of consolation to Danny and Katherine. Prayers for the souls of Father Philip Cross and Marion Joan Kovacs.
ReplyDeleteKatherine, I was impressed by one thing in your mother's obituary. That was the fact that you asked for a mass your mother's soul. As a Catholic lawyer for reading obituaries is a part of my job, I must say mass requests have become rare as hen's teeth. I will fulfill your family's loving request and have a mass said for the repose of her soul.
ReplyDeleteDear James, I'm so moved by your response and your incredible generosity. You have brought me to tears. I will most certainly remember you in my prayers. Your kindness is a gift of grace during a time of grief.
DeleteIn Christ,
Katherine
Dear James, What a gem you are, thank you with all my soul for arranging for the Holy Sacrifice to be offered for Marion Joan (what a GREAT name). If you give me the date, I can put up a post inviting all my readers to unite in prayer for Marion Joan at the time of the Holy Mass. May you be rewarded a hundred fold, Mary
DeleteKatherine, I was quite moved by your message of the loss of your beloved mother. It sounds to me that Danny and you are suffering much the was I did at the loss of my dear mother several years ago. Perhaps even more! I believe Padre Pio suffered greatly over his mother's death, as did St. John Bosco. I know it is recent, and I will pray for you both that the agonizing sorrow will lessen each day, to be replaced with pleasant memories of the deceased. God bless you, and Danny.
DeleteWith prayers,
Mary K Jones
Mary K,
DeleteWhat a beautiful prayer! How very lovely of you. I'm overwhelmed by the kindness of this community. Thank you for the gentle reminder that Danny, too, is in the throes of grief, indeed the subject of Mary's post. He will be in my prayers, along with your dear departed mother. My grief made me forget the universality of loss and the pain of others.
In Christ,
Katherine
Katherine, I want you to know that there was no intent of a reminder. It was only that I was so moved by yours and Danny's grief as an acknowledgement that you are experiencing that very sorrow right now. It makes me realize there must be others suffering this grief on each day, and will try to remember in my daily prayers to ask Our Lord for relief for those suffering it. May God bless you!
DeleteKatherine and Mary, Sorry for the late reply. The date for the Divine Liturgy is Saturday July 2, which we be celebrated as a 40-day liturgy. I know it does not perfectly align, but it is close enough for our purposes. We will also have the Panakyhda, our special prayers for the dead, said after the Divine Liturgy for your mom. I will say again, I am happy to do this!
ReplyDeleteI am also having a retired priest friend say mases for many deceased clients and a couple of men who died/suffered as a result of the battle of Stalingrad.
Our lives are very short and quick. When we are young, it seems like a long-life span that moves slowly, but as we get older, it starts to move faster. I already hear the whispers from the other world.
Most lawyers do not understand how to do pre-death preparation because they have not looked themselves in the mirror. Some may not like to talk about it, but I think it is spiritual negligence on the part of an attorney not to address such issues. Obviously, the approach to everyone differing circumstances is adaptive.
I can also say that often the deceased reach out to me by sending their family to me. Since I am willing to make home visits, it gives me the opportunity to say the rosary before I show up at the client's home.
Dear James, Thank you for your sublime generosity and such wise words! I’ve read your comment several times and hope I can live up to it in my own life when it’s more diplomatic never to mention the finality of death. So important that lawyers prepare their clients for their passing, in fact this ought be a staple part of law school in any Catholic college worth its salt. We will unite in prayer for Katherine’s mother on July 2nd! In due course, I’ll post on this. Yours devotedly in Christ, Mary O’R
DeleteDear James,
DeleteI'm overwhelmed by your love and generosity for a complete stranger. My dearly beloved mother is so grateful for the mass offering and the special prayers offered during the Panakhyda. My husband and I sometimes attend Orthodox services and have found comfort in the 40 day remembrance. Truly He is a God who sees and hears. May God's richest blessings continue to be poured out upon you for your faithful witness. I'm humbled and deeply grateful for the care you have shown for my mother's beautiful soul.
Let me also again thank Mary for providing a meeting place for such a blessed encounter. You are loved.
Be assured of my prayers for you (Mary Kay, too)
With sincere gratitude,
Katherine
My Dearest Katherine,
DeleteYour mother is a special soul - she has inspired such devotion to her memory and now we have a certain love for her that you have imparted to us. We all know each other before the Lord in this life and if we die in a state of grace we may know each other for eternity in Heaven.
And thank you, Katherine, for the joy your request has given us. I think your mother is interceding for us in ways we will only know when we go to God.
One thing, James Ignatius is a Byzantine Rite Catholic. For years now we have shared a zeal to help the Holy Souls.
With continued prayers, Mary O'R
Katherine, I am pleased to say that the 40th day Divine Liturgy for your mother, Marion Joan, was said today, July 2nd with panakhyda. I served the liturgy with my don and another young man. God bless your mom, you, and your siblings, you I hope we all meet in Heaven
ReplyDeleteMy dear Mary and James,
DeleteI'm so very moved by your beautiful note. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for the 40 day Liturgy and panakhyda. Truly, my mother was a special soul, as are both of you. I've had an incredible outpouring of blessing on my life since her passing. Her death has connected me in an amazing with so many people. The love continues to flow.
May God grant us the gift of eternal life. I treasure the hope of meeting my beloved mom and you in Heaven.
In Christ,
Katherine
Dearest Katherine, You are most welcome. I believe that we may have a tremendous intercessor in your mother, she may be praying for us from Purgatory with the aim of praying for us before the Beatific Vision, if she is not there already. Yours in Christ through Our Lady, Mary
ReplyDelete