In paradisum deducant te angeli...

In paradisum deducant te angeli,
in tuo adventu
suscipiant te martyres
et perducant te 
in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem
Chorus angelorum te suscipiat
et cum Lazaro quondam paupere
æternam habeas requiem.

May the angels lead you into paradise,
and the martyrs receive you
in your coming,
and may they guide you
into the holy city, Jerusalem.
May the chorus of angels receive you
and with Lazarus, once poor,
may you have eternal rest.

Recently I have been indulging in thoughts of my death, and more specifically, my funeral. I've always thought that I'd like to plan my funeral in advance, just to make sure it strengthens and encourages others, and doesn't turn into a sentimental swamp. Therefore, I wrote a list of instructions as to what it should and shouldn't have: the readings, the Gospel, no eulogy, vetoed songs and song suggestions. To say the least, I had a lot of chant in there, or classical stuff like the one linked above (though I know that they'd never manage to get it! I can dream, though...). I've also vetoed stuff like Amazing Grace and The Lord's My Shepherd (Scottish Psalter version) because they are overplayed (and I'm still not too sure about the former, anyway). Other things like On Eagle's Wings are OUT! Anyway, I'll print out this list and show it to my younger brother. He's one of the few people that doesn't really mind talking about stuff like this. But always be prepared!