Vigil of the Dead – The Wake with Zen Father Master Reding – Transformation into new Responsibility
The Vigil of the Dead is a time of stillness and transition — a sacred pause between the world of form and the mystery beyond. Through prayer, silence, and remembrance, the living accompany the departed on their passage, helping the soul find peace, light, and renewal in the divine.
Vigil of the Dead – Transformation into New Responsibility
After death, not everything ends – rather, a new stage of being begins. In this sacred time between death and burial, the Vigil of the Dead, Master Reding from the Nigredo Monastery accompanies the departed and their loved ones with prayer, meditation, and quiet presence.
The vigil is a time of transformation. While the body rests, the soul begins its journey –
supported by the prayers, blessings, and loving thoughts of those who remain. In this shared silence, a bridge arises between worlds – a bridge of compassion, love, and trust
through which the departed finds the way toward new responsibility.
The Vigil
We come and we go, like clouds in the wind,
who can understand why we are here?
Traces in the sand – we come and we go,
the traces vanish, known to none.We walk and we wander – what drives us on,
from one to another, what draws us forth?
We walk and we hope against illusion.
The future is open – are we not His?
These verses describe the still moment between worlds – when what is visible dissolves and the soul begins its passage into light. The Vigil of the Dead offers space to say farewell consciously, to turn sorrow into stillness, and to find trust in the light beyond the dark.
Blessing and Accompaniment
During the Vigil, Master Reding recites prayers for the deceased and shapes the moment together with the family. It is usually held in the intimate circle of loved ones – simple, free of formal dogma, yet filled with dignity, stillness, and prayer.
Prepare my heart for the time of grace,
seek what is lost, turn our minds,
and lead us back to You.We go forth beyond the gates, it is not far.
Sing aloud, all who still have a voice.
Lift your eyes, all who are weary and faint.
Go the ways that none have dared to go.
These words remind us that death is not a fall into darkness, but a call to awaken – to step beyond what was known and to enter the greater light.
Prayer and Meditation for the Vigil
In the midst of life we are destined for death; what stands shall fall. The Father in Heaven gives and takes away.
We belong forever to the Lord who loves us; whatever may come, He gives and He takes.
In the midst of dying we are destined for life;
what falls shall rise again.
He gives, even when He takes.
This prayer reminds us that death is not an ending, but a transformation – from the earthly into the spiritual, from the finite into the eternal. Thus, the Vigil of the Dead becomes a moment of passage, where love and harmony continue to flow – quieter than life, yet just as alive.