Throughout the year we are reminded to pray for the souls of our dear friends and family who have passed from this life to the next. The Church has many different prayers from its rich patrimony, and among them is a “Byzantine Prayer for the Deceased.”
The prayer is found in the Compendium of the Catholic Church, and originates from the Panachida service for the dead that is celebrated by Eastern Christians. It is usually said at the graveside of the faithful departed and is part of the prayers that conclude the memorial service.
It is a beautiful prayer, one that paints a resplendent picture of heaven, asking God’s mercy on the deceased and praying that he/she will find the rest they sought for on earth.
God of the spirits and of all flesh, who have trampled death and annihilated the devil and given life to your world, may you yourself, O Lord, grant to the soul of your deceased servant N. rest in a place of light, a verdant place, a place of freshness, from where suffering, pain and cries are far removed. Do You, O good and compassionate God forgive every fault committed by him in word, work or thought because there is no man who lives and does not sin. You alone are without sin and your justice is justice throughout the ages and your word is truth. Since you, O Christ our God, are the resurrection, the life and the repose of your deceased servant N., we give you glory together with your un-begotten Father and your most holy, good and life-creating Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.
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