A funeral Mass last evening. Those occasions are coming more frequently, as the parents of my friends and contemporaries are gathered to their inheritance in the Lord Jesus Christ.



Among the hymns and anthems during the beautiful Mass were the words of Richard Proulx, sung to Thaxted, the name of the hymn setting taken from the Jupiter section of The Planets by Gustav Holst, the music which is also used for the noble I Vow To Thee, My Country by Cecil Spring-Rice.



Here the words are appropriately those of acceptance, assurance, remembrance and the praise of the living God.



O God Beyond All Praising



O God, beyond all praising,

we worship you today

and sing the love amazing

that songs cannot repay;

for we can only wonder

at ev’ry gift you send,

at blessings without number

and mercies without end:

we lift our hearts before you

and wait upon your word;

we honor and adore you,

our great and mighty Lord .



The flow’r of earthly splendor

in time must surely die,

its fragile bloom surrender

to you, the Lord most high;

but hidden from all nature

the eternal seed is sown—

though small in mortal stature,

to heaven’s garden grown:

for Christ the man from heaven

from death has set us free,

and we through him are given

the final victory.



Then hear, O gracious Savior,

accept the love we bring,

that we who know your favor

may serve you as our King;

and whether our tomorrows

be filled with good or ill,

we'll triumph through our sorrows

and rise to bless you still:

to marvel at your beauty

and glory in your ways,

and make a joyful duty

our sacrifice of praise.