Eternal Rest

Requiem aeternam

These are the opening words of the Requiem Mass, sung at Catholic funerals for over a thousand years, and they echo a line from the Fourth Book of Esdras, an ancient text outside the canon, that promises rest and everlasting light. The prayer asks two things for the dead: rest from their labors and the light of God’s presence. Catholics say it on hearing of a death, at a grave, and on 2 November, All Souls’ Day.

Requiem introit; echo of 4 Esdras 2:34-35