Nunc Dimittis

Libera's Ben Crawley sing a duet with Aled Jones.

Palestrina

Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum, ita desiderat anima mea ad te, Deus.
(As the deer longs for running water, so longs my soul for you, O Lord.)
Asi como el ciervo ansia fuentes de agua, así ansia mi alma por ti, Señor.
King's College Choir

C.S. Lewis

"You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."

BLOGGER'S NOTE

Lately I've been caught up in my own Roman Catholic tradition, which is not solely what this page is about (particularly when I get blindsided by the jackasses in the Gerontology Ward that is the Vatican! But neither is this page a place for my personal rants. Please visit "Erato's Hideaway" if you're interested in that.) This is supposed to be a non-sectarian space. I want to explore relationships, mine and others, with creation and the creator.
In that context I present "Kaddish", the Jewish prayer for the dead.
Years ago, I wanted to compose a musical "Elegy" and asked my friend Nate Horowitz for a copy of the Jewish prayer at funerals. When he gave me "Kaddish", I asked,"Where's the mention of the dead, of heaven and hell?" He called me something like a "Meshuganah" (which I think means "wise man") and told me they praise God and pray for peace. That is their prayer.
So, in that spirit, here's "Kaddish". I praise you, God, and peace be upon us!

Kaddish

Please note that this page contain the name of God.
If you print it out, please treat it with appropriate respect.
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Yit'gadal v'yit'kadash sh'mei raba (Cong: Amein).
May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified (`Cong: Amen.)

b'al'ma di v'ra khir'utei
in the world that He created as He willed.

v'yam'likh mal'khutei b'chayeikhon uv'yomeikhon
May He give reign to His kingship in your lifetimes and in your days,

uv'chayei d'khol beit yis'ra'eil
and in the lifetimes of the entire Family of Israel,

ba'agala uviz'man kariv v'im'ru:
swiftly and soon. Now say:
(Mourners and Congregation:)

Amein. Y'hei sh'mei raba m'varakh l'alam ul'al'mei al'maya
(Amen. May His great Name be blessed forever and ever.)

Yit'barakh v'yish'tabach v'yit'pa'ar v'yit'romam v'yit'nasei
Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled,

v'yit'hadar v'yit'aleh v'yit'halal sh'mei d'kud'sha
mighty, upraised, and lauded be the Name of the Holy One
(Mourners and Congregation:)

B'rikh hu.
Blessed is He.

l'eila min kol bir'khata v'shirara
beyond any blessing and song,

toosh'b'chatah v'nechematah, da'ameeran b'al'mah, v'eemru:
praise and consolation that are uttered in the world. Now say:
(Mourners and Congregation:)

Amein
Amen

Y'hei sh'lama raba min sh'maya
May there be abundant peace from Heaven

v'chayim aleinu v'al kol yis'ra'eil v'im'ru
and life upon us and upon all Israel. Now say:
(Mourners and Congregation:)

Amein
Amen

Oseh shalom bim'romav hu ya'aseh shalom
He Who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace,
aleinu v'al kol Yis'ra'eil v'im'ru
upon us and upon all Israel. Now say:
(Mourners and Congregation:)

Amein
Amen

Sand Paintings

Tibetan

Navajo

The Courtesy of Liturgy

"Liturgy is not, as some suppose, aesthetics. It is courtesy. And theology. It is being mindful that there are others to whom God speaks and who risk their lives in an answer. It is the gracious acknowledgement that others in the family also have needs and rights, and that I am neither the only nor the favorite child…

It is God’s will that none of us do any of this alone.
Individuals don’t “make up” the community, they are produced by it.
Helmer Ringgren told us bluntly: “The psalms were not written for private use.” We were not invited, it seems, to a private audience with our God.

Left to ourselves, we are never more selfish than when we pray. With God as the Great Sympathizer, the Great Giver, the Great Promiser we go to our knees and indulge every impulse for gratification.

Liturgy pulls our prayers out of the tiresome business of looking after ourselves and into the exhilarating enterprise of seeing and participating in what God is doing."


-------Eugene H. Peterson
“Answering God”