"It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead." Maccabees, ii. 12,
And can we do no more for thee,
But lay thee in the tomb?
Bedew the grassy mound with tears,
Bid flow'rets o'er it bloom?
Dwell upon happy moments past,
When thou didst sojourn here,
And let the surcharged bosom heave
With many a sigh sincere?
Oh, loved one, yes, our Mother Church
Hath bade us do much more;
And taught, that praying breath, the soul
Wafts to the happy shore.
Then for thee richly be it spent,
Nor for bereft ones vain;
For wilt thou not remember us,
When thou shalt heaven gain?
Surely, for her below, thy heart
Was ever fill'd with love;
Which in its purity regales
The spirits blest above.
Sweet soul, that thou wast lov'd of God,
Wast faithful to his grace;
We doubt not, and have lively hope,
Thou soon wilt see his face.
But one so prized as thou wast here,
Could scarce all pure remain;
Nor would thy own humility
Plead nought of earthly stain.
Then, as the soul who heaven gains,
As heaven must spotless be,
Oft at a throne of mercy will
We supplicate for thee.
Who doeth this and owns not balm
O'er the reaved heart is shed?
And that " it is a holy thought"
To pray for the faithful dead.
Then, in the words of Holy Church,
We pray thou mayst be blest,
Loved spirit, with perpetual light
And never-ending rest.
Source: Catholic Hymns, 1847
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