November 2, 2021

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 I

Wis 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

23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

1.  (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 II

Rom 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.

Alleluia

Mt 25:34

1. 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.

Gospel

Jn 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.”

Reflection: CHRIST'S MEANING FOR DEATH

The month of November is always seen as a month dedicated to the holy souls in purification. We have a beautiful tradition of celebrating masses for the dead during this month. The tradition of the Catholic Church has it that we can pray not only for the holy souls but also pray to the holy souls in the purification stage. As we saw yesterday, we are in communion with the souls in the process of purification. They need our prayers, and we need their intercession to become worthy of God. They are closer to God than we are! This is also a month when we meditate on the meaning of death and the mystery of Jesus's passion, death, and resurrection. The Christian meaning of death is that it is not an end, but a new beginning of a life that is eternal. It is interesting that today's Gospel passage is also taken from Beatitudes. It is already a clue to see the connection between All Saints Day and All Souls Day! I would like to present today the beatitudes from another angle. Beatitudes refer to an alternative 'culture of life', fullness of life in Christ. Surrounded as we are by a 'culture of death' with its expressions in supreme forms of consumerism that slowly leads thousands of people to starvation and misery, exploitation and oppression of the poor and needy, the near death of the environment, etc. Each of the beatitudes is an invitation to look at life differently and more meaningfully as the term 'beatitude' itself expresses. Often it is translated as 'blessed' not 'happiness!! The Greek word used is 'makarioi' which means blessedness because of the indwelling of God.