Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende statt

This morning, randomly, I was listening to this in the shower. Out of nowhere, during the concluding fugue, I was dissolved in tears and exclaimed, in spite of myself, “It’s so good. Thank God for this.”
I am a confirmed atheist, as Sam Wagstaff had it, “eye-wateringly stringent.” Well, I’m not as stringent as Sam. I allow for the possibility of consciousness without a body, which in theory would make something like eternal life possible. But I entertain less and less doubt of the non-existence of god or anything outside the natural order with each passing year. Some call that agnosticism. For me, that’s trifling. I’m an atheist.

But the real point of this is that, quite apart from any effort of mine, and having nothing to do with me, the German Requiem was here when I arrived. It is one more thing for which I feel gratitude. Is it possible to feel gratitude without an object? Yes, it surely is. At the end of my sits, I dedicate the merit—“By the power and the truth of this practice, may all beings enjoy happiness and the causes of happiness; may they be free from suffering and the causes of suffering; may they never be separated from the great happiness devoid of suffering; may they dwell in the great equanimity that is beyond attachment and aversion,” and bow my head to the Buddha carved in front of me. Who knows if Gautama even existed! I thank every Buddha down the ages who labored and cared enough to make sure the Dharma reached me, and now I continue that labor, just a drop in the ocean of that labor. Similarly, I do not thank Johannes Brahms for this—he was just Brahmsing, and good for him. I thank his mother, and every mother.

Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt,
For we have no permanent place
sondern die zukünftige suchen wir.here,
but we are seeking one to come.
Hebrews 13:14


Siehe, ich sage euch ein Geheimnis:
Behold, I tell you a mystery:
wir werden nicht alle entschlafen,
we shall not all sleep,
wir werden aber alle verwandelt werden;
but we shall all become transfigured,
und dasselbige plötzlich,
and become so suddenly,
in einem Augenblick, zu der Zeit
in the blink of an eye, at the time
der letzten Posaune!
of the last trumpet!
Denn es wird die Posaune schallen,
For the trumpet shall resound,
und die Toten werden auferstehen
and the dead shall rise
unverweslich, und wir werden incorruptible,
and we shall
verwandelt werden.
be transfigured. 
Dann wird erfüllet werden das Wort,
Then shall be fulfilled the word
das geschreiben steht:
has been written:
I Corinthians 15:51, 52, 54b, 55


“Der Tod ist verschlungen in den Sieg!”
“Death is swallowed in victory!”
Isaiah 25:8


“Tod, wo ist dein Stachel!
“Death, where is your sting,
Hölle, wo ist dein Sieg!
”Hell, where is your victory!” 
Hosea 13:14


Herr, du bist würdig zu nehmen
Lord, you deserve to receive
Preis und Ehre und Kraft;
praise and honor and power;
denn du hast alle Dinge erschaffen;
for you have created all things,
und durch deinen Willen haben sie
and by your will they have
das Wesen, und sind geschaffen.
their being and were created.
Revelation 4:11,13