Unnamable, unthinkable God,
Lord of the dead and the living,
teach us how transient we are
and how fragile is everything we love.
For all of us flash into being,
as insubstantial as a breath.
Our lives are a fleeting shadow;
then we vanish into the night.
And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My only trust is in you.
Help me to give up my desires
and to let go of who I am.
You have granted me this brief existence,
which is almost nothing in your sight:
may I receive it gratefully
and gratefully give it back.
Turn toward me; touch my spirit;
stay beside me, until
the moment when I must step out
into your final darkness.