Bishop’s Note: Commendation

Bishop Eric Menees

Bishop’s Note: Commendation

Dear brothers and sisters,  I pray that this Bishop’s Note finds you safe and well! Today we are continuing our examination of the 2019 Book of Common Prayer’s Pastoral Rites section. Last week, as we examined the Burial of the Dead we looked at the Eucharist, today we look at the Commendation. The Commendation is both old and new to Anglicanism. In the medieval period the part of the service immediately following the Eucharist was referred to as the Absolution of the Dead. It was a time for prayers asking God to forgive the sins of the deceased. This whole idea was tied into the medieval notion of purgatory and indulgences, that people should give financially and pray for the forgiveness of the sins of their loved ones who have died. In Anglicanism they softened it significantly in the first BCPs, becoming a prayer where it was acknowledged that God forgives sins. Eventually even that prayer was removed, and for much of its history Anglicanism hasn’t had a similar prayer in this section. In the 20th century Anglicanism started to return prayers to that section of the burial and the Roman Catholic Church significantly changed their liturgy to remove the Absolution and replace it with a Commendation, going the same direction as Anglicanism. Eventually it got to the point that both Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism have a prayer for Commendation here. Rather that being a prayer where we ask God to forgive the sins of the deceased, this is a section where we commend or entrust the deceased to God. It’s also a time to remember that as Christians, our stories don’t end with our death. The petitions during the Commendation ask “Give rest, O Christ, to your servant with your saints.” It’s not rest as in sleep, it’s rest in the sense of comfort in anticipation. In a sense the souls of the faithful are in a rest stop before the resurrection and final judgement to come. I pray you all a blessed Palm Sunday!

T H E  C O M M E N D A T I O N The Officiant and other ministers take their places at the body.

Officiant All Officiant All Give rest, O Christ, to your servant with your saints, Where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting. You only are immortal, the creator and maker of mankind; and we are mortal, formed of the earth, and to earth shall we return. For so did you decree, saying, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Give rest, O Christ, to your servant with your saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.