By what means
shall a brother lay bare
the many thoughts
that cast millstones upon his heart,
bridle his tongue to a halt
and render his fingers numb
on account of ravaging grief?

Death
is the inevitable terminus
of all flesh;
but the means
by which a brother returns to dust
should never stem
from the hands of a mortal;
for that mere mortal
possesses no whit of capacity
to create or sustain life.

By revelation, we understand
that by the ordination
of the Sovereign One,
there are some amongst us
who were numbered
with the saints
that must give up mortality
at the instance
of the swords of mortals,
for the sake of Jesus Christ.
For the brothers
who must sleep this way,
we grieve differently,
having gained
sufficient...