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A Reading from the Book of Wisdom 3:1-9
The souls of the virtous are in the hands of God,
No torment shall ever touch them.
In the eyes of the unwise, they appear to die,
their going looked like a disaster.
They are leaving us,
but they are at peace.
If they experienced punishment as men see it,
their hope was rich with immortality;
slight was their affliction, great will their blessings be.
God has put them to test and proved them worthy to be with him;
He has tested them like gold in a furnace,
and accepted them as a holocaust.
When their time comes for his visitation they will shine out;
As sparks run through the stubble, so will they.
They shall judge nations, rule over peoples,
And the Lord will be their king forever.
They who trust in him will understand the truth,
Those who are faithful will live with him in love;
For grace and mercy await those he has chosen.
[First Reading at Anne Indrani Drepaul's Requiem Mass at Ealing Abbey on
29 October 2008 by Robert Shami Drepaul] | 
