Missal of Robert of Jumièges: Agenda mortuorum (Order for the Dead) (written in England, probably at Peterborough or Ely, c. 1015–25)

At the Agony of Death

Here begin the prayers in the office of the dead. When the soul is seen to be labouring in the agony of its departure and the loosing of the body, the brethren or any others of the faithful shall be careful to come together, and the seven penitential psalms are to be sung: two "O Lord, rebuke me not in thine indignation", two "Hear my prayer, O Lord", "Blessed is he whose unrighteousness is forgiven", "Have mercy upon me, O God", and "Out of the deep"; and the litany is to be said as the time permits and as the case of the one about to depart can be seen or judged. The litany, as above for the sick, is then begun by all.

Ant. Come to his aid, saints of God; come forth to meet him, angels of the Lord, receiving his soul, offering it in the sight of the Most High. When it is finished let the priest say this prayer or commendation for him:

Unto thee, O Lord, we commend the soul of thy servant, that, being dead to the world, he may live to thee; and whatever he has committed through the frailty of his worldly life, do thou wipe away by the pardon of thy most merciful goodness. Through.

Another. We are constrained, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God, by the affection of thy loving-kindness to ask thy mercy for others, though we are in no way sufficient to pray for our own sins; yet trusting in thy goodness and inborn kindness, we beseech thy clemency, that thou wouldest receive with mercy the soul of thy servant returning to thee. May Michael, the angel of thy covenant, be with it; and vouchsafe by the hands of thy saints to set him among thy saints and elect in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, thy patriarchs; so that, delivered from the princes of darkness and from the places of punishment, it may be confounded no more by any errors of its first birth, or of ignorance, or of its own iniquity or frailty, but rather be acknowledged by thine own and enjoy the rest of holy blessedness; that when the day of the great judgement comes, he may be raised up among thy saints and elect, and be satisfied for ever with the glory of the open vision of thee. Through.

At the Departure of the Soul

But if he lives on, these psalms are sung: Psalm 25 (Unto thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul), Psalm 27 (The Lord is my light), Psalm 51 (Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness), Psalm 57 (Be merciful unto me, O God, for my soul trusteth in thee); or litanies are said until the soul is loosed from the earthly corruption of the body. At its going forth let the antiphon be said:

Ant. May Christ receive you, who created you, and may the angels lead you into Abraham's bosom. Psalm 114 (When Israel came out of Egypt).

Prayer. Almighty, everlasting God, who didst vouchsafe to breathe into the human body a soul after thine own likeness: while, at thy bidding, dust returns to dust, do thou command thine image to be joined with thy saints and elect in the eternal seats; and receive him gently and lightly as he returns to thee out of the land of Egypt; send thy holy angels to meet him, show him the way of righteousness, and open to him the gates of thy glory. Drive away from him, we beseech thee, all the princes of darkness, and acknowledge the faithful deposit which is thine own. Receive, O Lord, thy creature, not made by strange gods but by thee alone, the living and true God; for there is no other God beside thee, O Lord, and none whose works are like thine. Make glad, most merciful God, the soul of thy servant, and glorify him in the multitude of thy mercy. Remember not, we beseech thee, his old iniquities and his drunkenness, which the fury of evil desire stirred up. For though he sinned, yet he did not deny thee, but, marked with the sign of faith, faithfully worshipped thee [the text here is corrupt]. Who livest.

Ant. May the choir of angels receive you, and set you there in Abraham's bosom, and with Lazarus, once a poor man, may you have eternal rest. Psalm 116 (I am well pleased), and the following psalms as far as Psalm 120 (When I was in trouble).

Prayer. Struck by the freshness of a grievous wound, and as it were wounded in our hearts, we implore thy mercy with weeping voices, O Redeemer of the world, that thou wouldest gently and lightly receive the soul of our dear one returning to thy clemency, who art the fountain of loving-kindness; and that the stains which it contracted from its dwelling in the flesh thou, O God, of thine inborn goodness, wouldest mercifully blot out, graciously pardon, and give over to oblivion for ever; and bid that soul, which shall render this praise to thee with the rest and shall one day return to its body, be gathered to the companies of thy saints. Who with God.

Then the priest asks them to pray for him. And lead us not into temptation. Rest eternal grant unto him, O Lord. His soul shall dwell at ease. And enter not into judgement. From the gate of hell. Deliver, O Lord.

Prayer. May he obtain a part in the blessed resurrection, and be counted worthy to have eternal life in heaven, through thee, O Jesus Christ, who livest and reignest.

O God, to whom alone it belongs to give healing after death, grant, we beseech thee, that the soul of thy servant, stripped of earthly contagion, may be numbered in the portion of thy redeemed. Through.

The Washing and the Bringing into Church

Then the body of the dead is washed. Prayer after the washing of the body, before it is carried out of the house:

Receive, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, whom thou hast vouchsafed to call from the prison-house of this world, and deliver him from the princes of darkness; that, loosed from every bond of sin, he may enjoy the blessedness of eternal rest and light, and be counted worthy to be raised up among thy saints and elect in the glory of the resurrection. Through.

Then with the responsory "Come to his aid, saints of God" and other responsories of the dead he is carried away; and when they draw near the church, Psalm 51 (Have mercy upon me, O God) is sung with the antiphon Rest eternal. In the church the body of the dead shall rest until Mass is sung for his soul and an offering made by all who think fit.

The Mass

Here begin the Mass prayers. Ant. Rest eternal grant unto him, O Lord. Psalm 65 (Thou, O God, art praised in Sion). Psalm 64 (Hear my voice, O God).

We beseech thee, O Lord, grant to the soul of thy servant N., the day of whose death we commemorate, the fellowship of thy saints and elect, and pour upon it the everlasting dew of thy mercy. Through.

Secret. Be present, O Lord, at our supplications, and graciously and kindly accept this oblation which we offer to thee on the day of the burial of N. for the soul of thy servant. Through our Lord.

Preface. It is truly right… everlasting God, for whom our bodies do not perish by dying but are changed for the better, and by whom, through keeping thy fear, an everlasting place is won for the dead. Wherefore, most loving Father, we pour out humble prayers and entreat thy majesty with devout minds, that the soul of thy servant N., loosed from the bonds of sin, may be counted worthy to have passage to life. Through Christ.

Within the canon. This oblation therefore, which we offer to thee for the soul of thy servant N., whom today thou hast freed from fleshly corruption, we beseech thee, O Lord, graciously accept; and release whatever he has contracted through the stealth of the human condition, that, purified by thy remedies, he may come to everlasting joys. Through Christ.

After communion. Incline, we beseech thee, O Lord, thine ear to our prayers, in which we humbly entreat thy mercy, that thou wouldest set the soul of thy servant N., the day of whose burial we keep, in the region of peace and light, and bid it be a partaker with thy saints. Through.

The Absolutions at the Bier

After the celebration of Mass, let the priest stand by the bier and say:

Let us entreat the mercy of almighty God, by whose judgement we [are born and] come to our end, that eternal rest may receive the spirit of our brother N., whom the Lord in his goodness has bidden pass from his sojourn in this world; that he may present him at the blessed resurrection, and vouchsafe to set him in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Through.

R. Thou who [didst raise] Lazarus. V. Rest eternal. And three times Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray to the Lord, God the judge of all, the God of things in heaven, on earth and under the earth, for the spirit of our dear one N., that the Lord may vouchsafe to set him in rest and raise him up in the part of the first resurrection. Through our Lord.

R. Woe is me, O Lord. V. My soul. And three times Lord, have mercy.

O God, the creator and knower of all things, who art the blessedness of thy saints, grant to us who ask, that thou wouldest cause the spirit of our brother N., loosed from the bonds of the body, to be presented in the first resurrection. Through our Lord.

R. Destroy me not. V. Have mercy upon me, O God. And three times Lord, have mercy.

Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord, this mercy to thy servant departed, that he may not receive in punishment the requital of his deeds, who in his desires held fast thy will; that as here true faith joined him to the company of the faithful, so there thy mercy may unite him to the choirs of angels. Through our Lord.

The Procession to the Grave

And so let the body be lifted from the church. Ant. Open to him [the gates]. Psalm 118 (O give thanks unto the Lord).

With loving remembrance, dearest ones, we make commemoration of our dear one N., whom the Lord has taken from the prison-house of this world; beseeching the mercy of our Lord, that he may vouchsafe to grant him a calm and quiet dwelling, and forgive all the offences of slippery rashness; that, the pardon of full forgiveness being granted, whatever he has done amiss in this world by his own fault, he may wholly blot out and wipe away by his unspeakable goodness and kindness. Through.

Ant. I will go into [the place of the wonderful tabernacle]. Psalm 42 (Like as the hart).

Let us pray to thy mercy, almighty, everlasting God, who didst vouchsafe to create man in thine own image, that thou wouldest gently and lightly receive the spirit and soul of thy servant, whom on this day thou hast bidden be taken from human affairs and summoned to thee. Let not the shadows of death have dominion over him, nor the chaos and gloom of darkness cover him; but, stripped of the stain of all his sins and set in the bosom of Abraham the patriarch, may he rejoice that he has reached the place of light and refreshment; and when the day of judgement comes, bid him be raised up with thy saints and elect. Through our Lord.

Ant. This is my rest. Psalm 132 (Lord, remember David).

O God, with whom the spirits of the dead live, and in whom the souls of the elect, the burden of the flesh laid down, rejoice in full blessedness: [grant] to us who pray, that the soul of thy servant, which through the body has been deprived of the sight of this present light, may enjoy the comfort of that eternal light. Let not the torment of death touch him; let not the grief of a dreadful vision afflict him; let not the fear of punishment torture him; let not the chain of the guilty bind him close; but, pardon of all his offences being granted him, may he attain the longed-for joys of the rest that has been promised. Through our Lord.

Ant. Of earth thou didst fashion me. Psalm 139 (O Lord, thou hast searched me out).

The Burial

And the body of the dead is laid in the tomb, with the antiphon: Most merciful Lord. V. His soul shall dwell at ease. V. Rest eternal.

Ant. With a glad mind. Psalm 51 (Have mercy upon me, O God).

Prayer after the body is buried. Let us pray, dearest brethren, for the spirit of our dear one, whom the Lord has vouchsafed to call from the prison-house of this world, and whose poor body is today committed to burial, that the Lord in his goodness may vouchsafe to set him in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; that when the day of judgement comes he may cause him to be raised up among his saints and elect, to be crowned on the right hand; by the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ, who with him and the Holy Spirit.

Another. O God, who art ever ready to hear just supplications, and vouchsafest to look upon devout prayers, grant to thy servant, to whom on the day of his burial we show these offices of humanity, a portion of the blessed reward with thy saints and faithful ones. Through our Lord.

Another. O God, the giver of life and the restorer of human bodies, who hast willed to be entreated by sinners, hear the prayers which with special devotion we pour out with tears for the soul of thy servant; that thou wouldest vouchsafe to deliver him from the torments of hell and set him among the hosts of thy saints; and bid him be clothed with that heavenly raiment and the robe of immortality, and refreshed with the delights of paradise. Through.

Another. O God, the eternal lover of human souls, make the soul of thy servant, which while it remained in the body held the true faith, an exile from every torment of hell; that, set apart from the prisons of the underworld, it may be counted worthy to be joined to the fellowship of the saints. Through our Lord.

Another. It is indeed rashness, O Lord, that man should dare to commend man, a mortal a mortal, ashes ashes, to thee the Lord our God. But because earth receives earth, and dust is turned to dust, until all flesh is brought back to its origin, therefore, most loving Father, we tearfully beseech thy goodness, that thou wouldest receive in the bosom of Abraham thy friend the soul of this thy servant, which thou art leading from the muddy whirlpool of this world to its heavenly homeland, and bathe it with the dew of refreshment. May it be set apart from the fierce burning of seething Gehenna, and joined, by thy gift, to blessed rest. And if there be in it, O Lord, faults worthy of torment, do thou pardon them by the grace of thy most gentle mildness; let it not receive the requital of sin, but feel the tender goodness of thy forgiveness. And when, at the appointed end of the world, the kingdom on high shall shine upon all, may he, joined to the companies of all the saints, rise with thine elect on the right hand to be crowned. Through our Lord.

Another. Fulfilling, after the manner of the faithful, the due office of burying a human body, let us faithfully pray to God, to whom all things live, that he may raise in the order of his saints this body of our dear one, buried by us in weakness, and bid his spirit be gathered to the saints and faithful, with whom he may be counted worthy to enjoy unspeakable glory and everlasting happiness. Through.

Then the priest asks them to pray for him. Our Father. And lead us not into temptation. Rest eternal. From the gate of hell.

And may he obtain a part in the blessed resurrection, and be counted worthy to have eternal life in heaven, through thee, O Jesus Christ, who livest and reignest.

Another. Absolve, O Lord, the soul of thy servant N. from every bond of sin, that in the glory of the resurrection he may be raised up and breathe again among thy saints and elect. Through.