NOVEMBER 02, 2017 : THE COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
(All Souls)
Lectionary: 668

The following are a selection of the readings that may be chosen for this day.

Reading 1WIS 3:1-9

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
they shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.

Responsorial Psalm PS 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

Reading 2ROM 5:5-11

Brothers and sisters:
Hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his Blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.

OrROM 6:3-9

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus 
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, 
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead 
by the glory of the Father, 
we too might live in newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, 
we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
We know that our old self was crucified with him, 
so that our sinful body might be done away with, 
that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.

AlleluiaMT 25:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelJN 6:37-40

Jesus said to the crowds:
"Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day."

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Meditation: "Every one who believes in him will be raised up at the last day"

 Is your hope in this present life only? What about the life to come after our physical death? God puts in the heart of every living person the desire for unending life and happiness. While physical death claims each of us at the appointed time, God gives us something which death cannot touch - his own divine life and sustaining power. 

God does not abandon us to the realm of the dead
One of the greatest examples of faith and hope in the promise of everlasting life with God is the testimony of Job in the Old Testament. God allowed Job to be tested through great trial, suffering, and the loss of everything he had. In the midst of his sufferings Job did not waver in trusting God. In chapter 19 of the Book of Job, he exclaims: 

"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another" (Job 19:25-27). 

Through testing and purification God strengthened Job in faith and abundantly rewarded him for his trust and hope in God's promises.

King David also expressed his unwavering hope in the promise of everlasting life with God. In Psalm 16 David prays, 

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (Psalm 16:9-11 NIV translation). 

We wait with hope for the Lord to raise us up to everlasting life
Jesus made an incredible promise to his disciples and a claim which only God can make and deliver: Whoever sees and believes in Jesus, the Son of God, shall have everlasting life and be raised up at the last day (John 6:40)! How can we see Jesus? The Lord makes his presence known to us in the reading of his word (John 14:23), in the breaking of the bread, and in his church, the body of Christ. 

The Lord Jesus reveals himself in many countless ways to those who seek him with eyes of faith (Hebrews 12:2, 11:27). When we read the word of God in the Bible the Lord Jesus - who is the Word of God - speaks to us and reveals to us the mind and heart of our heavenly Father. When we approach the table of the Lord, Jesus offers himself as spiritual food which produces the very life of God within us (I am the bread of life, John 6:35). He promises unbroken fellowship and freedom from the fear of being forsaken or cut off from everlasting life with God. And he offers us the hope of sharing in his resurrection - being raised again with him to abundant life that will never end. Do you recognize the Lord's presence in your life and do you long for the day when you will see him face to face?

The Holy Spirit is the key to growth in faith
What is the source of faith and how can we grow in it? Faith is an entirely free gift which God offers us through his Son Jesus Christ. We could not approach God if he did not first approach us and draw us to himself. The Lord Jesus gives us his Holy Spirit who works in us to open our ears to hear God's word and to respond to it with trust and submission. The Holy Spirit is the key to our growing in faith. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide who makes our faith come alive as we cooperate with his help and and to his wisdom and instruction. 

To live, grow, and persevere in faith to the end we must nourish it with the word of God. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) said: I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe. Jesus promises that those who accept him as their Lord and Savior and submit to his word will be raised up to everlasting life with him when he comes again at the close of this age. Is your life securely anchored to the promises of Christ and his kingdom of everlasting peace,joy, and righteousness?

"Lord Jesus Christ, your death and resurrection brought life and hope where there was once only despair and defeat. Give me unwavering faith, unshakeable hope, and the fire of your unquenchable love that I may know you fully and serve you joyfully now and for ever in your everlasting kingdom."

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Whoever sees and believes, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"He has said two things: 'This is the work of God that you should believe in the one whom he has sent,' while here he added, 'whoever sees and believes.' The Jews saw but did not believe; they had the one condition, lacked the other. How could they attain to eternal life without the other? The reason those who saw did not attain eternal life was because they did not also believe. If so, what about us who have believed but have not seen? If it is those two things that earn eternal life, seeing and believing - and whoever is lacking one of them cannot attain to the reward of eternal life - what are we to do? The Jews [who saw him] lacked the one; we the other. They had seeing but lacked believing. We have believing but lack seeing. Well, as regards our having believing and lacking seeing, we have prophetically been declared blessed by the Lord himself just as Thomas, one of the Twelve, was blessed when he felt [Jesus'] scars by touching them." (excerpt from HOLY VIRGINITY 3.1)

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THE COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED (ALL SOULS' DAY)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, JOHN 6:37-40
(Wisdom 3:1-9; Psalm 25; Romans 5:5-11; or any readings taken from the Masses for the Dead)

KEY VERSE: "Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me" (v.37).
TO KNOW: Jesus came into the world to reveal God's reign, yet some refused to believe in him. They did not understand that he was the fullness of God's revelation and the source of eternal salvation. They failed to comprehend the meaning of the miraculous sign of the bread that Jesus gave the people in the wilderness (v.30-31). He was the life-giving "bread" sent by God who would satisfy the people's hunger and thirst forever. Jesus did not reject anyone who came to him in faith. Just as he was careful not to lose a single fragment of the miraculous loaves, none of the souls God entrusted to him would perish; they would share in his resurrection. For believers, life was changed at death, not ended. The souls of the just who lived the Paschal mystery of Christ's dying and rising share in his eternal life. All the faithful live in hope of enjoying the fullness of life with Jesus. Today, we join with our departed loved ones in their celebration of victory over death.
TO LOVE: Do I pray for the souls of my deceased loved ones?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, reveal your glory to all who are alive in you.

NOTE: Historically, the custom of praying for the dead dates as far back as 2 Maccabees 12:42-46. The custom of setting apart a special day of intercession for the faithful departed was first established in 998, and soon spread. While November 2 remains the liturgical celebration, the entire month of November is associated in the Western Catholic tradition with prayer for the departed. Lists of names of those to be remembered are often placed near the altar on which the sacrifice of the mass is offered.

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS, OR DAY OF THE DEAD

More than 500 years ago, when the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico, they encountered natives practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death. Unlike the Spaniards, who viewed death as the end of life, the natives viewed it as the continuation of life. Instead of fearing death, they embraced it. However, the Spaniards considered the ritual to be sacrilegious, barbaric and pagan. To make the ritual more Christian, the Spaniards moved it so it coincided with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Nov. 1 and 2), which is when it is celebrated today. Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is celebrated in Mexico and certain parts of the United States. People don skull masks and dance in honor of their deceased relatives. People visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. They decorate grave sites with marigold flowers and candles. In the United States and in Mexico's larger cities, families build altars in their homes, dedicating them to the dead. They surround these altars with candles, flowers, food and pictures of the deceased.

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Thursday 2 November 2017

All The Faithful Departed.

Job 19:1, 23-27 (alt). Psalm 26(27):1, 4, 7-9, 13-14. Matthew 11:25-30

The Lord is my light and my salvation — Psalm 26(27):1, 4, 7-9, 13-14.

‘When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her’

The woman of Nain is surrounded by townspeople, but she is without family. Her security, her husband and now her son, is gone, her future shattered. She is alone and defenceless in a society where women rely entirely upon their menfolk. Jesus (identified as the Lord) feels an intense sadness and pity for the woman. His deep compassion motivates his decision to end her suffering.

When I choose not to feel and shut myself off from another person’s pain then I lose an opportunity to grow and share. Loneliness, misery and poverty prevail. Deep compassion, the visceral gut feeling, even pain we feel for another, draws from this example of Jesus’ compassion for the woman at Nain.

It is a love whose source begins in God. Lord, give us compassionate hearts to be a source of strength for others and to create opportunities for joy and healing.

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ALL SOULS DAY

The commemoration of all the faithful departed is celebrated by the Church on November 2, or, if this falls on a Sunday or a solemnity, the feast is celebrated on November 3. The Office of the Dead must be recited by the clergy on this day, and all the Masses are to be of Requiem except one of the current feast, where this is of obligation.

The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine that the souls which, on departing from the body are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for past transgressions, are debarred from the Beatific Vision, and that the faithful on earth can help them by prayers, almsgiving and especially the sacrifice of the Mass.

In the early days of Christianity the names of the departed brethren were entered in the diptychs. Later, in the sixth century, it was customary in Benedictine monasteries to hold a commemoration of the deceased members at Whitsuntide. In Spain there was such a day on Saturday before Sexagesima or before Pentecost, at the time of Saint Isidore (d. 636). In Germany there existed (according to the testimony of Widukind, Abbot of Corvey, c.980) a time-honoured ceremony of praying to the dead on October 1. This was accepted and sanctified by the Church.

Saint Odilo of Cluny ordered that the commemoration of all the faithful departed be held annually in the monasteries of his congregation. From here, it spread among the other congregations of the Benedictines and among the Carthusians.

Of all the dioceses, Liège was the first to adopt it under Bishop Notger (d. 1008). It is then found in the martyrology of Saint Protadius of Besançon (1053-66). Bishop Otricus (1120-25) introduced it into Milan for October 15. In Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, priests say three Masses on this day. A similar concession for the entire world was asked of Pope Leo XIII; he would not grant the favour, but ordered a special Requiem on Sunday September 30, 1888.

In the Greek Rite this commemoration is held on the eve of Sexagesima Sunday, or on the eve of Pentecost. The Armenians celebrate the passover of the dead on the day after Easter.

Source: Catholic Encyclopedia, Copyright 1907.

www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=41

LECTIO DIVINA: ALL SOULS - JOHN 6,37-40

Lectio Divina: 

 Thursday, November 2, 2017

All Souls Day

1. Lectio

a) Opening prayer

Spirit of God, come from the four corners of the earth and breathe on these dead persons so that they may rise again (Ez 37: 9). Come Holy Spirit, breathe on our minds, hearts and souls so that we may become a new creation in Christ, firstborn into life eternal. Amen.

b) Gospel reading

Jesus said to them, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me; and him who comes to Me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me; and this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

c) Prayerful silent time

That the Word of God may enter into our hearts and enlighten our life.

2. Meditatio

a) A key to the reading

In John’s Gospel, the basic perspective concerning Jesus and His mission is that the Word made flesh is sent by the Father into the world to give us life and to save that which was lost. The world, however, rejects the Word incarnate. The prologue of the Gospel presents us with this thought (Jn 1: 1-18), which the Evangelist will gradually elaborate on in the Gospel story. The synoptic Gospels, in their own way, proclaim the same news. One need only think of the parables of the lost sheep and the lost drachma (Lk 15: 1-10) or the declaration: I did not come to call the just, but sinners (Mk 2: 17).

This thought is also found in this passage: I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent Me (Jn 6: 38). This is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life (Jn 6: 40). The key words in John’s Gospel are see and believe. To see implies and automatically means to believe in the Son sent by the Father. This faith brings the believer to possess eternal life. In John’s Gospel, the salvation of the world is already fulfilled by the first coming of Christ through the incarnation and the resurrection of the one who allows Himself to be lifted up on the cross. The second coming of Christ on the last day will be a completion of this mystery of salvation.

Today’s Gospel is taken from the section that speaks of the mystery of Jesus (Jn 1-12). The text takes us, for the second time in John’s Gospel, to Galilee at the time of the Passover: After this, Jesus went across the sea of Galilee ... it was near the Passover, the feast of the Jews (Jn 6: 1, 4). A great crowd followed him, (Jn 6: 2) and Jesus, seeing the crowd that followed him, multiplies the loaves. The crowd wants to proclaim Him king, but Jesus disappears and goes up to the mountain alone (Jn 6: 15). After a brief pause that allows us to contemplate the Lord walking on the water (Jn 6: 16-21). the story continues the next day (Jn 6: 22)when the crowd , seeks out Jesus. Then comes the discourse on the bread of life and Jesus’ warning to obtain the food that will last forever (Jn 6: 27). Jesus defines Himself as the bread of life. He makes reference to the manna given to the people by Moses as a figure of the true bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world (Jn 6:, 30-36). This is the context in which the words of Jesus are pronounced (Jn 6: 37-40). In this context we come across a new kind of opposition and a new rejection of the revelation of the Christ as the bread of life (Jn 6: 41-66).

Jesus’ words concerning everyone who goes to him echo God’s invitation to take part in the benefits of the banquet of the covenant (Is 55: 1-3). Jesus does not reject those who come to him. R ather, He gives them eternal life. In fact, His mission is to seek and save the lost ones (Lk 19: 27). We are reminded of this in the story of the meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan woman by Jacob’s well (Jn 4: 1-42). Jesus does not reject the Samaritan woman, but begins a ‘pastoral’ dialogue with the woman who comes to the well to draw material water and there finds the man, the prophet, and the Messiah who promises to give her the water of eternal life (Jn 4: 13-15). In our passage, we find the same structure. On the one hand the people seek material bread. On the other hand, Jesus gives them a long spiritual discourse on the bread of life. The witness of Jesus who eats the bread of God’s will (Jn 4: 34) echoes the teaching of the Master in this Gospel passage (Jn 6: 38).

At the last supper, Jesus takes up this discourse again in chapter 17. It is He who gives eternal life (Jn 17: 2) and preserves and watches over all those whom the Father has given to him. Of these none is lost except the son of perdition (Jn 17: 12-13).

b) A few questions

to guide our meditation and practice.

* The Word made flesh is sent into the world by the Father to give us life, but the world rejects the incarnate Word. Do I welcome into my life the Divine Word who gives eternal life? How?

* I came down from heaven not to do my will, but the will of Him who sent Me (Jn 6: 38). In Jesus, we see obedience to the will of the Father. Do I internalise this virtue in my life and live it out daily?

* Anyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life (Jn 6: 40). Who is Jesus for me? Do I try to see Him with the eyes of faith, listen to His words and contemplate His way of being? What does eternal life mean for me?

3. Oratio

a) Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want;
he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

b) Closing prayer

O God, who at the table of your word and of the bread of life nourish us so that we may grow in love, grant that we may welcome your message into our heart so that we may become yeast and instruments of salvation in the world. Through Christ our Lord. Amen

4. Contemplatio

Contemplation is knowing how to adhere with one’s mind and heart to the Lord who by His Word transforms us into new beings who always do His will. “Knowing these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (Jn 13: 17)

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