O Lord,
there are moments that we don’t understand
the chaos you present us with,
the darkness of the road ahead,
the pain and the suffering and grief.
In those moments when I want to scream out “Why me?”
let me hear your voice say “Why not you?”
and teach me the right questions to ask,
how to be salt and light even when the darkness surrounds me,
how to say, “Where does it hurt?”,
and “What can I do?”
and the hardest thing of all, “Help!”
May I this day, and always,
see Christ in those you put before me,
even when anger percolates through my heart
and I want to reach out and hit something,
even when tears touch my heart and eyes,
and I want to roll into a ball,
even when I have no answers,
except to remember you,
and the darkest of days,
and how you gave all.
O Lord,
teach me to love as you love,
this day and always,
Amen.
We commend to thee, O Lord, the soul of thy servants lost today; that now being dead to this world, they may live unto thee, and that in thy boundless goodness and pity thou mayest forgive them those sins which out of human weakness they have committed during their life on earth; through Christ our Lord. Amen.