We give them back to thee, dear Lord, who gavest them to us;
Yet as thou dost not lose them in giving, so we have not lost them by their
return.
Not as the world giveth, givest thou, O Lover of Souls.
What thou gavest, thou takest not away,
For what is thine is ours also if we are thine.
And Life is eternal and Love is immortal, and death is only an horizon, and an
horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.
Lift us up, strong Son of God, that we may see further;
Cleanse our eyes that we may see more clearly;
Draw us closer to thyself so that we may know ourselves to be nearer to our
loved ones who are with thee.
And while thou dost prepare a place for us, prepare us also for that happy
place, that where thou art we may be also for evermore.
Prayer used by Fr Bede Jarrett, O.P.
prayer written by William Penn