O Lord our God, through whose love we have our being and in whose presence is eternal life, in this solemn hour we remember before thee, all those whose lives in this world claim our love and affection, admiration, respect, and gratitude, and whom thou hast now taken to eternity.
We recall the great of mankind who in signal measure have pointed the way as leaders of men and nations. We think of the heroes and martyrs, and also of all the families of the Earth, the witnesses to thy Holy Spirit in the world. May their names shine as the stars in Heaven forever and forever.
Oh, our merciful Father, we recall before thee, each one of us, those who are nearest and dearest to us. In the holy quiet of the Sanctuary, the names and the qualities of them all are counted over with tender longing. Each capacity, each merit, and each grace shines before us now as a crown to a treasured name and as an incentive to rich and noble living.
May the voice of reason speak to our troubled spirits of the essential place of death in the scheme of life. We could know no life of meaning and worth except through the pilgrimage of struggle which is the Earthly lot of us all. May the light of faith pierce the shadows that enfold us, and still the storm of our rebellion. May we be a little more content when our questions are not answered. May we be wise enough to sense the over-mastering mystery which no human mind can penetrate. In God’s holy presence we would subdue arrogance, and resign ourselves to a higher will. In the dwelling place of everlasting love, may we seek our rest—and our comfort in the faith that all souls, their and ours, are bound up in the bundle of life.
(Jewish Prayer)