Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 11-02-03, Commemoration,All Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Reading I
Is 25:6, 7-9

On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
The web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord God will wipe away
the tears from all faces;
The reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 27:1, 4, 7 and 8b and 9a, 13-14

R (1) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
or:
R (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R The Lord is my light and my salvation.
or:
R I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R The Lord is my light and my salvation.
or:
R I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me and answer me.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me.
R The Lord is my light and my salvation.
or:
R I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD!
R The Lord is my light and my salvation.
or:
R I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

Reading II
Rom 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.

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."

From: Romans 6:3-9

Baptism (Continuation)

[3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into His death? [4] We were buried therefore with
Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

[5] For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall
certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. [6] We know
that our old self was crucified with Him so that the sinful body might
be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. [7] For He
who has died is freed from sin. [8] But if we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with Him. [9] For we know that
Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer
has dominion over him.

Commentary:

1-11. The universal dominion of sin, which began with the sin of Adam,
is not the only event to be reckoned with. When sin reached its full
extent, the grace brought by Jesus Christ came in superabundance.
Through Baptism this grace reaches each of us and frees us from the
control of sin. When we receive this Sacrament we die: that is to say,
our blameworthiness is destroyed, we renounce sin once and for all, and
are born again into a new life.

"The Lord", St. Ambrose tells the newly baptized, "who wanted His
benefactions to endure, the serpent's plans to be turned to naught, and
the harm done to be put right, delivered a sentence to mankind: 'You
are dust, and to dust you shall return' (Genesis 3:19), and made man
subject to death [...]. The remedy was given him: man would die and
rise again [...]. You ask me how? [...] Pay attention. So that in
this world too the devil's snare would be broken, a rite was instituted
whereby man would die, being alive, and rise again, being alive [...].
Through immersion in water the sentence is blotted out: 'You are dust,
and to dust you shall return'" ("De Sacramentis", II, 6).

This passage of the epistle, which reveals the key truths concerning
Baptism, also reminds us of the profound meaning of this rite which
Christ established, its spiritual effects in Christians and its
far-reaching effects with respect to the Christian life. Thus, we can
apply to Baptism what St. Thomas Aquinas says about all the sacraments:
"Three aspects of sanctification may be considered--its very cause,
which is Christ's Passion; its form, which is grace and the virtues;
and its ultimate end, which is eternal life. And all these are
signified by the sacraments. Consequently, a sacrament is a sign which
is both a reminder of the past, that is, of the Passion of Christ, and
an indication of what is effected in us by Christ's Passion, and a
foretelling and pledge of future glory" ("Summa Theologiae", III, q.
60, a. 3).

In the specific case of Baptism, the various things which the Sacrament
implies carry a special nuance--a new birth which presupposes a
symbolic death. It reproduces in us not only the Passion, Death and
burial of Christ, symbolized by immersion in water (verses 3-4, 6), but
also new life, the life of grace which pours into the soul, enabling
the person to share in the Resurrection of Christ (verses 4-5). This
sharing in Christ's Resurrection to immortal life is a kind of seed
which will ultimately produce the glorious resurrection of our bodies.

The baptized person is, therefore, someone newly created, someone born
into a new life, someone who has moved out of darkness into light. The
white garment used at Baptism symbolizes innocence and grace; the
burning candle, the light of Christ--two symbols the Church uses in the
baptismal liturgy to signify what is happening.

Thus, in Baptism, God "removes every trace of sin, whether original or
personal" ("The Rite of Baptism", Introduction, 5) and also remits the
penalties that these sins incur. On being baptized in the name of the
Three Divine Persons, the Christian is shown God the Father's love for
him (a love he has not merited), is given a share in the Paschal
Mystery of the Son, and to him is communicated new life in the Spirit
(cf. "Instruction on Infant Baptism", 20 October 1980, 9). Baptism,
which is also described as "the door of the spiritual life", unites a
person to Christ and to the Church by means of grace, which makes us
children of God and heirs to Heaven. Finally, in addition to the
infused virtues and supernatural gifts, the person is given "the graces
necessary to live in a Christian way, and on his soul is impressed the
sacramental character which makes him a Christian for evermore"
("St. Pius X Catechism", 250).

Baptism, which confers a "character", that is, a kind of seal
confirming our Christian calling, gives us a share in Christ's
priesthood and makes us capable of receiving the other sacraments.

4. It is easier to grasp the symbolism of burial and resurrection if
one remembers that in earlier times, and particularly in the apostolic
period, Baptism was usually administered by immersion in water--in some
cases by total immersion, up to three times, with one Person of the
Blessed Trinity being invoked each time. "They asked you, 'Do you
believe in God the Father almighty?' You said, 'I believe', and you
were immersed, that is, you were buried. Again they asked you, 'Do you
believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Cross?' You said,
'I believe', and you were again immersed. This time you have been
buried with Christ, and he who is buried with Christ rises with Christ.
For a third time you were asked, 'Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?'
You said, 'I believe', and for a third time you were immersed, so
that by this three-fold confession you might be loosed of your many
attachments to your past life" (St. Ambrose, "De Sacramentis", II, 7).

Today Baptism is normally administered by pouring water over the head--
a method also used in apostolic times and which gradually came into
general use because it was found more convenient.

5. Just as the ingraft and the plant form a single thing and make a
single principle of life, Christians by being grafted onto or
incorporated into Christ through Baptism form one single thing with Him
and begin to draw on His divine life. We are also "united with Him in
a death like His": Christ suffered physical death; we, in Baptism, die
spiritually to the life of sin. St. John Chrysostom explains this as
follows: "Baptism is for us what the Cross and burial were for Christ;
but with this difference: the Savior died physically, He was physically
buried, whereas we ought to die spiritually. That is why the Apostle
does not say we are 'united with Him with His death', but 'in a death
LIKE HIS'" ("Hom. on Rom.", 10).

9-10. Jesus Christ chose to bear all the consequences of sin, even
though He was sinless. His voluntary death on the Cross and His
glorious Resurrection broke the bonds of death, for Himself and for all
His own. Death no longer shall have dominion: "[Christ died] that
through death He might destroy him who has the power of death, that is,
the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject
to lifelong bondage" (Hebrews 2:14-15). And as a consequence He won,
for His own human nature and for us, a new life.

In all those who have been baptized these same events in Christ's life
are in some way reproduced. "Our past sins have been wiped out by the
action of grace. Now, so as to stay dead to sin after Baptism,
personal effort is called for, although God's grace continues to be with
us, providing us with great help" (Chrysostom, "Hom. on Rom.", 11).
This personal effort might be encapsulated in a resolution: "May we
never die through sin; may our spiritual resurrection be eternal"
([St] J. Escriva, "Holy Rosary", 1st Glorious Mystery).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: John 6:37-40

The Discourse on the Bread of Life (Continuation)

(Jesus said to crowd,) [37] "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me;
and him who comes to Me I will not cast out. [38] For I have come down from
Heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me; [39] 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 on the last day. [40] 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."

Commentary:

37-40. Jesus clearly reveals that He is the one sent by the Father.
This is something St. John the Baptist proclaimed earlier on (Jn
3:33-36), and Jesus Himself stated it in His dialogue with Nicodemus
(Jn 3:17-21) and announced publicly to the Jews in Jerusalem (Jn
5:20-30). Since Jesus is the one sent by the Father, the bread of life
come down from Heaven to give life to the world, everyone who believes
in Him has eternal life, for it is God's will that everyone should be
saved through Jesus Christ. These words of Jesus contain three
mysteries: 1) that of faith in Jesus Christ, which means "going to
Jesus", accepting His miracles (signs) and His words; 2) the mystery of
the resurrection of believers, something which begins in this life
through faith and becomes fully true in Heaven; 3) the mystery of
predestination, the will of our Father in Heaven that all men be
saved. These solemn words of our Lord fill the believer with hope.

St. Augustine, commenting on vv. 37 and 38, praises the humility of
Jesus, the perfect model for the humility of the Christian: Jesus chose
not to do His own will but that of the Father who sent Him: "Humbly am
I come, to teach humility am I come, as the master of humility am I
come; he who comes to Me is incorporated in Me; he who comes to Me,
becomes humble; he who cleaves to Me will be humble, for he does not
his will but God's" ("In Ioann. Evang.", 25, 15 and 16).

The Word Among Us

Sunday, November 02, 2003

Meditation
John 6:37-40

All Souls

Do you have the confidence that comes from knowing salvation in Christ? The devil would like to see you go through life with your eyes on the ground, uncertain of the Father’s love, feeling cut off from him, and unsure of your place in his heart. But if it is the Father’s will that everyone would see and believe in his Son (John 6:40), then you need never fear the final day when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead.

Thank God our salvation is determined not by how we feel but by how we have responded to what God has done for us through Christ! We may be discouraged to find ourselves struggling against sinful patterns of behavior that we thought we had left behind once and for all. We may be angry at God for the death of a loved one. We may feel spiritually dry, routinely practicing our faith but not experiencing the presence of God as we once did. But the fact remains that through the cross, sin and death have been defeated. Now, everyone who embraces Jesus through repentance, faith, and daily obedience can trust in Jesus’ promise of eternal life. That is the foundation for our joy and hope.

This is why today’s commemoration can be a time of rejoicing for all of us. The same Jesus who crushed the power of sin and death by his cross is with us today to lead us closer to the Father. He gives us the grace of repentance and forgiveness today, so that we can be with him at the end of time, when all the earth will face final judgment.

God fills every moment with his grace. The question is whether we are willing to respond. Will we allow his Spirit to purify us of all that cannot stand in the light of his holiness? Will we allow our baptism into Christ to take deeper root in us today (Romans 6:3-11)? Jesus’ cross is God’s judgment on every impure, selfish, and prideful motive in the human heart. Let us allow his cross to continue to judge our sin, even as it comforts us with the promise of his mercy and salvation.

“Lead me, Jesus. Help me trust you more and more. Remind me of all you have done for me, so I may have a confidence in you that is contagious!”

One Bread, One Body

<< Sunday, November 2, 2003 >>

All Souls

2 Maccabees 12:43-46
Revelation 14:13

Psalm 23
John 6:37-40

View Readings

12 REASONS TO PRAY FOR THE DEAD

“It is the will of Him Who sent Me that I should lose nothing of what He has given Me; rather, that I should raise it up on the last day.” —John 6:39

When we pray for the dead, we:

obey the Lord and His Church,
love our neighbor,
express our unity with the other members of God’s family,
help purify people in purgatory,
help those in purgatory to go to heaven,
face death and thereby become more aware of reality,
express and strengthen our faith in the power of prayer,
receive the benefit of the prayers of those in purgatory (Catechism, 958),
rejoice, for all those in purgatory have given their lives to Jesus and will go to heaven,
purify ourselves so that we will go directly to heaven and skip purgatory, or lessen our time in purgatory,
share in the pouring out of God’s mercy, and
enter more deeply into the mystery of God’s love and His plan of salvation.

There are other reasons to pray for the dead, but these twelve reasons show that, in praying for the dead, we act “in a very excellent and noble way” (2 Mc 12:43), for it is “a holy and pious thought” to pray for the dead (2 Mc 12:45).

Prayer: Father, free me from all attachment to sin so that I will go to heaven without going to purgatory (see Catechism, 1472).

Promise: “I heard a voice from heaven say to me: ‘Write this down: Happy now are the dead who die in the Lord!’ The Spirit added, ‘Yes, they shall find rest from their labors, for their good works accompany them.’ ” —Rv 14:13

Praise: Praise the risen Jesus, Who lived, died, and rose in the perfect will of the Father.

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	God Will Help Us Finish, If We Let Him
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Sunday, November 2, 2003

Feast of All Souls

Sooner or later most of us have the experience of watching a loved one move through his or her final days and then pass from this earth. It can be a tremendously sad process for those who are about to be left behind and who know in advance the loneliness that will be theirs. But in most cases there’s a marvelous and touching aspect of the process as well, and that is watching our dying friend progressively letting go of all sorts of things that don’t count, old baggage in the form of grievances, fears, doubts, and so much more. It’s a grace for the bystanders to watch that happen, and it presses us to let go of our own baggage sooner rather than later.

Yet, even the best of us, even the saints, leave this life with at least a little bit of unfinished business and a bit of left over baggage. And that’s why we Catholics pray for the dead. Our prayers are not aimed at changing God’s mind about our departed friends. God’s mind doesn’t need any changing. His love for us is unchanging, and he’s always ready and waiting to welcome home even the worst of us.

No, our prayers are for the deceased themselves, that they will relax in the Lord and let the Lord help them let go of what remains of their old baggage, and help them finish what is unfinished in them. For those whose hearts are loving and trusting of the Lord, it will come naturally to open their hearts and let the Lord in. For those of us whose hearts are more ambivalent and in the habit of withholding trust, the work will be more difficult.

So hold in prayer all the deceased whom you love, and look to your own heart, that it may be open and welcoming to each of God’s people now. This day and every day are dress rehearsals for that final day when you will give back your heart to the One who gave it to you.

May your heart be true and open and ready this day and always.

FEAST OF THE DAY

Today is the feast of All Souls, this is the day set aside out of the
year for us to pray for the souls of all who have died, especially the
souls in purgatory waiting for the joys of heaven. This feast has
biblical origins, for example, in the Second Book of Maccabees,
"Judas made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered
from their sin, and it has historical origins because from the
beginning of the Church, the Faithful were encouraged to pray for all
who had died.

A day set aside for prayer for all who had died began to be observed
in the Middle ages. In the eleventh century, St. Odilo, Abbot of Cluny,
decreed that the monks should set aside November 2 as a special
day to pray for the dead in the Divine Office, and through special
prayers.

The theological ideas for this feast day are based on the fact that
very few of us achieve perfection in our lives on earth, so we must
remove the scars of our sinfulness and imperfection before we come
face-to-face with God. This day is set aside for the Church on earth
to pray for those who have died and are still preparing to meet God
face-to-face.

A more recent addition to this celebration happened in 1915 when
Pope Benedict XV stated in an apostolic constitution that priests
could celebrate three Masses on this day. The intention for the first
Mass is for a particular intention of the priest, the intention of the
second is for all the Faithful Departed, and the intention of the third is
for the intentions of the Pope.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Let us help commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their
father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead
bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who
have died and to offer our prayers for them -St. John Chrysostom

TODAY IN HISTORY

676 Donus begins his reign as Pope
1917 1st US soldiers killed in combat in WW I
1983 Martin L King day established

TODAY'S TIDBIT

The month of November and especially All Souls Day is a traditional
time for visiting graves of loved ones and remembering all the
Faithful who have died. One common practice of remembering the
dead is setting out a book in a prominent place where the names of
the dead can be written and prayed for.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for all the faithful departed.

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