Posted on 10/31/2013 7:32:46 PM PDT by Salvation
November 1, 2013
Reading 1 Rv 7:2-4, 9-14
I, John, saw another angel come up from the East,
holding the seal of the living God.
He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels
who were given power to damage the land and the sea,
“Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees
until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,
one hundred and forty-four thousand marked
from every tribe of the children of Israel.
After this I had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb.”
All the angels stood around the throne
and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated themselves before the throne,
worshiped God, and exclaimed:
“Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
“Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”
I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.”
He said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.”
Responsorial Psalm PS 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Reading 2 1 Jn 3:1-3
Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure.
Gospel Mt 5:1-12a
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”
|
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Amen. |
All Saints - Solemnity
Commentary of the day
Catechism of the Catholic Church
§ 946, 955-961
« I believe in the communion of saints »
After confessing "the holy catholic Church," the Apostles' Creed adds "the communion of saints." In a certain sense this article is a further explanation of the preceding: "What is the Church if not the assembly of all the saints?" (Nicetas) The communion of saints is the Church...
The communion of the Church of heaven and of earth: "So it is that the union of the wayfarers with the brethren who sleep in the peace of Christ is in no way interrupted, but on the contrary, according to the constant faith of the Church, this union is reinforced by an exchange of spiritual goods" (Vatican II, LG49). The intercession of the saints: "Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness.... So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped” (LG 49). “Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life” (St. Dominic); “I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth” (St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus).
Communion with the saints...: "Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom... issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself" (LG 50)... In the one family of God: "For if we continue to love one another and to join in praising the Most Holy Trinity - all of us who are sons of God and form one family in Christ - we will be faithful to the deepest vocation of the Church" (LG 51).
In brief: The Church is a "communion of saints": this expression refers first to the "holy things", above all the Eucharist, by which "the unity of believers, who form one body in Christ, is both represented and brought about" (LG 3). The term "communion of saints" refers also to the communion of "holy persons" in Christ who "died for all," so that what each one does or suffers in and for Christ bears fruit for all.
Friday, November 01, 2013 All Saints (Solemnity) |
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Thanks for the Litany to the Holy souls in Purgatory. I am off to Mass shortly, will print this out and pray for all souls.
Matthew | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
Matthew 5 |
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1. | AND seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set down, his disciples came unto him. | Videns autem Jesus turbas, ascendit in montem, et cum sedisset, accesserunt ad eum discipuli ejus, | ιδων δε τους οχλους ανεβη εις το ορος και καθισαντος αυτου προσηλθον αυτω οι μαθηται αυτου |
2. | And opening his mouth, he taught them, saying: | et aperiens os suum docebat eos dicens : | και ανοιξας το στομα αυτου εδιδασκεν αυτους λεγων |
3. | Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. | Beati pauperes spiritu : quoniam ipsorum est regnum cælorum. | μακαριοι οι πτωχοι τω πνευματι οτι αυτων εστιν η βασιλεια των ουρανων |
4. | Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. | Beati mites : quoniam ipsi possidebunt terram. | μακαριοι οι πενθουντες οτι αυτοι παρακληθησονται |
5. | Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. | Beati qui lugent : quoniam ipsi consolabuntur. | μακαριοι οι πραεις οτι αυτοι κληρονομησουσιν την γην |
6. | Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. | Beati qui esuriunt et sitiunt justitiam : quoniam ipsi saturabuntur. | μακαριοι οι πεινωντες και διψωντες την δικαιοσυνην οτι αυτοι χορτασθησονται |
7. | Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. | Beati misericordes : quoniam ipsi misericordiam consequentur. | μακαριοι οι ελεημονες οτι αυτοι ελεηθησονται |
8. | Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. | Beati mundo corde : quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt. | μακαριοι οι καθαροι τη καρδια οτι αυτοι τον θεον οψονται |
9. | Blesses are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God. | Beati pacifici : quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur. | μακαριοι οι ειρηνοποιοι οτι αυτοι υιοι θεου κληθησονται |
10. | Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. | Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur propter justitiam : quoniam ipsorum est regnum cælorum. | μακαριοι οι δεδιωγμενοι ενεκεν δικαιοσυνης οτι αυτων εστιν η βασιλεια των ουρανων |
11. | Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: | Beati estis cum maledixerint vobis, et persecuti vos fuerint, et dixerint omne malum adversum vos mentientes, propter me : | μακαριοι εστε οταν ονειδισωσιν υμας και διωξωσιν και ειπωσιν παν πονηρον ρημα καθ υμων ψευδομενοι ενεκεν εμου |
12. | Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you. | gaudete, et exsultate, quoniam merces vestra copiosa est in cælis. Sic enim persecuti sunt prophetas, qui fuerunt ante vos. | χαιρετε και αγαλλιασθε οτι ο μισθος υμων πολυς εν τοις ουρανοις ουτως γαρ εδιωξαν τους προφητας τους προ υμων |
"The glorious company of the apostles praise Thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise Thee.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise Thee.
All Thy saints and elect with one voice do acknowledge Thee,
O Blessed Trinity, one God!"-- Feast of All Saints (November 1), Antiphon at Lauds. from the Te Deum
Origin of All Saint's Day as a feast of the Church What makes this feast so important that the Church celebrates both the night before All Saints and the day after it?The Church has always honored those early witnesses to the Christian faith who have died in the Lord. (The Greek word for "witness" is martyr.) During the first three hundred years Christians were serverly persecuted, often suffering torture and bloody death -- because they were faithful . They refused to deny Christ, even when this denial might have saved their own lives, or the lives of their children and families.
The early history of the Church is filled with stories of the heroic faith of these of witnesses to Christ's truth. The stories of these saints -- these baptized Christians of all ages and all states in life, whose fidelity and courage led to their sanctity or holiness -- have provided models for every other Christian throughout history.
Many of those especially holy people whose names and stories were known, the Church later canonized (that is, the Church formally recognized that the life of that person was without any doubt holy, or sanctified -- a "saint" who is an example for us.) The Church's calendar contains many saint's days, which Catholics observe at Mass -- some with special festivities.
But there were thousands and thousands of early Christian martyrs, the majority of whose names are known only to God -- and throughout the history of the Church there have been countless others who really are saints, who are with God in heaven, even if their names are not on the list of canonized saints.
In order to honor the memory -- and our own debt -- to these unnamed saints, and to recall their example, the Church dedicated a special feast day -- a sort of "memorial day" -- so that all living Christians would celebrate at a special Mass the lives and witness of those "who have died and gone before us into the presence of the Lord".
This feast that we know as All Saint's Day originated as a feast of All Martyrs, sometime in the 4th century. At first it was celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. It came to be observed on May 13 when Pope St. Boniface IV (608-615) restored and rebuilt for use as a Christian church an ancient Roman temple which pagan Rome had dedicated to "all gods", the Pantheon. The pope re-buried the bones of many martyrs there, and dedicated this Church to the Mother of God and all the Holy Martyrs on May 13, 610.
About a hundred years later, Pope Gregory III (731-741) consecrated a new chapel in the basilica of St. Peter to all saints (not just to the martyrs) on November 1, and he fixed the anniversary of this dedication as the date of the feast.
A century after that, Pope Gregory IV (827-844) extended the celebration of All Saints to November 1 for the entire Church.
The vigil of this important feast, All Saint's Eve, Hallowe'en, was apparently observed as early as the feast itself.
Ever since then -- for more than a millennium -- the entire Church has celebrated the feast of All Saints on November 1st, and, of course, Hallowe'en on October 31.
It is a principal feast of the Catholic Church. It is a holy day of obligation, which means that all Catholics are to attend Mass on that day.
Prayers, Scripture Readings for All Saints Collect
Almighty ever-living God,
by whose gift we venerate in one celebration
the merits of all the Saints,
bestow on us, we pray,
through the prayers of so many intercessors,
an abundance of the reconciliation with you
for which we earnestly long.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.First Reading: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
I, John, saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads." And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel.After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!" And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen."
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?" I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And every one who thus hopes in Him purifies Himself as He is pure.Gospel Reading:
When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.
All Saints is a Holy Day of Obligation. The principal activity for every Catholic family today is to go to Mass -- together, if possible. (Note Liturgical Calendar) Other family activities:
Copyright © 2000 by Helen Hull Hitchcock. Permission is hereby granted to print these pages for private use. For all other uses, permission must be requested.
SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS, POPE BENEDICT XVI
ANGELUS MESSAGE
St Peter's Square
Monday, November 1, 2010Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Solemnity of All Saints, which we celebrate today, invites us to raise our gaze to Heaven and to meditate on the fullness of the divine life which awaits us. “We are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be” (1 Jn 3:2): with these words the Apostle John assures us of the reality of our profound relation to God, as too, of the certainty of our destiny.
Like beloved children, therefore, we also receive the grace to support the trials of this earthly existence the hunger and the thirst for justice, the misunderstandings, the persecutions (cf. Mt 5:3-11) and, at the same time, we inherit what is promised in the Gospel Beatitudes: “promises resplendent with the new image of the world and of man inaugurated by Jesus” (Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Milan 2007, p. 72). The holiness, imprinted in us by Christ himself, is the goal of Christian life. Blessed Antonio Rosmini wrote: “The Word impressed himself in the souls of his disciples with his physical presence... with his words... he had given to his own this grace... with which the soul immediately perceives the Word” (Supernatural Anthropology, Rome, 1983, pp. 265-266). And we have a foretaste of the gift and the beauty of sanctity every time that we participate in the Eucharistic Liturgy, the communion with the “great multitude” of holy souls, which in Heaven eternally acclaim the salvation of God and of the Lamb (cf. Rev 7:9-10). “The lives of the Saints are not limited to their earthly biographies but also include their being and working in God after death. In the Saints one thing becomes clear: those who draw near to God do not withdraw from men, but rather become truly close to them” (Deus Caritas Est, n. 42).
Consoled by this communion of the great family of Saints, tomorrow we shall commemorate all the faithful departed. The Liturgy of 2 November and the pious exercise of visiting cemeteries reminds us that Christian death is part of the journey toward becoming like God and it will vanish when God will be all in all to everyone. The separation from earthly affection is certainly painful, but we should not fear it, because it, accompanied by the prayer and suffrage of the Church, it cannot break the profound bond that unites us to Christ. As was previously said, St Gregory of Nyssa affirms: “He who has created every thing in wisdom, has given this painful disposition as an instrument of liberation from evil and the possibility to participate in separated goods” (De Mortuis Oratio, IX, Leiden, 1967, p. 68).
Dear Friends, Eternity is not an “unending succession of days in the calendar, but something more like the supreme moment of satisfaction, in which totality embraces us and we embrace totality” (Spe Salvi, n. 12). To the Virgin Mary, the sure guide to sanctity, we entrust our pilgrimage to our heavenly home, while invoking her motherly intercession for the eternal repose of all our brothers and sisters who have been laid to rest in the hope of resurrection.
© Copyright 2010 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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Pope Francis: The Communion of Saints Is a "Solidarity Between Heaven and Earth" [weekly audience
Saints are sealed by God, called to be sons of God, and saved by God [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
All Saints or All Souls? Differences should be black and white
The love of the saints [All Saints Day] (Catholic Caucus)
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Bishops’ Halloween Advice: Dress Children Up as Saints, Not Witches
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Feast Day: November 1
All Saints Day
Feast Day: November 1
This feast day grew out of the love and devotion of God's people. The Church chose this feast to honor God in His saints, in whom He has shown Himself so wonderful. We thank God as the creator of all holiness and for the graces He has showered upon them.
The communion of saints is made up of all true children of God. They may belong to:
· the militant Church on earth
· the suffering Church in purgatory or
· the triumphant Church in heaven
Some saints needed to pass through purgatory to be purified before they were fit for the Lord's presence. They stayed there until they were ready to see God. They are with him now forever.
A few saints have their own feast day but as there are not enough days in the year we cannot celebrate a special day for each of the saints.
Some stayed close to God all their lives. Others found Him along the way. Some led good lives without too much difficulty. Others made big mistakes, but were truly sorry for their sins and drew close to God.
They made it! We celebrate their journey that led to eternal happiness with God. We celebrate our own family members, relatives, neighbors and friends whom we believe are in heaven.
Today we can rejoice in our hearts with all the saints in heaven. We can make up our own prayer to them, thanking them for the witness of their lives.
We can thank them too, for helping us overcome our difficulties and temptations. We ask them to help us on our own journey through life so we can be saints like them and go to heaven.
Ioannes Paulus PP. II
Karol Wojtyla
16.X.1978 - 2.IV.2005
The best, the surest , and the most effective way of establishing everlasting peace on the face of the earth is through the great power of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament." -- Pope John Paul II
"Could you not watch one hour?" -- Mark 14:37
I am happy to testify that many young people are discovering the beauty of adoration, whether personal or in community. I invite priests to encourage youth groups in this, but also to accompany them to ensure that the forms of adoration are appropriate and dignified, with sufficient times for silence and listening to the word of God. In life today, which is often noisy and scattered, it is more important than ever to recover the capacity for interior silence and recollection: Eucharistic adoration permits one to do this not only within one's "I" but rather in the company of that "You" full of love who is Jesus Christ, "the God who is near us."
~Pope Benedict XVI
“The Pope has a great spiritual sense of worship and [importance of] reaching out to every human being,” says Msgr. Fazio. “In Buenos Aires in recent years, he has spontaneously promoted the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in parishes, and it is bearing spiritual fruit.” Furthermore, Msgr. Fazio is sure the Pope will “pay particular attention to Eucharistic adoration and the preaching of the word.”
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PERPETUAL ADORATION
Friday, November 1
Liturgical Color: White
Today is the Solemnity of All Saints. The
Church uses this day to honor all the saints in
heaven, including those that remain
unknown to us. Pope Gregory IV extended
this solemnity to the whole Church in the 9th
century.
Daily Readings for:November 01, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: Almighty ever-living God, by whose gift we venerate in one celebration the merits of all the Saints, bestow on us, we pray, through the prayers of so many intercessors, an abundance of the reconciliation with you for which we earnestly long. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
RECIPES
o Golden Flake Buttermilk Doughnuts
ACTIVITIES
o All Saints' Day in Louisiana
o Feast of All Saints Ideas for the Home
o Feasts of All Saints and All Souls
o Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls
o Praying for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences During November
o Procession for the Feast of All Saints
PRAYERS
o November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory
o Little Litany of the Holy Souls
o Ordinary Time: November 1st
o Solemnity of All Saints
Old Calendar: Feast of All Saints
Today the Church celebrates all the saints: canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God. During the early centuries the Saints venerated by the Church were all martyrs. Later on the Popes set November 1 as the day for commemorating all the Saints. We all have this "universal call to holiness." What must we to do in order to join the company of the saints in heaven? We "must follow in His footsteps and conform [our]selves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. [We] must devote [our]selves with all [our] being to the glory of God and the service of [our] neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history" (Lumen Gentium, 40).
Don't forget to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory from November 1 to the 8th.
All Saints Day
During the year the Church celebrates one by one the feasts of the saints. Today she joins them all in one festival. In addition to those whose names she knows, she recalls in a magnificent vision all the others "of all nations and tribes standing before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, proclaiming Him who redeemed them in His Blood."
The feast of All Saints should inspire us with tremendous hope. Among the saints in heaven are some whom we have known. All lived on earth lives like our own. They were baptized, marked with the sign of faith, they were faithful to Christ's teaching and they have gone before us to the heavenly home whence they call on us to follow them. The Gospel of the Beatitudes, read today, while it shows their happiness, shows, too, the road that they followed; there is no other that will lead us whither they have gone.
"The Commemoration of All Saints" was first celebrated in the East. The feast is found in the West on different dates in the eighth century. The Roman Martyrology mentions that this date is a claim of fame for Gregory IV (827-844) and that he extended this observance to the whole of Christendom; it seems certain, however, that Gregory III (731-741) preceded him in this. At Rome, on the other hand, on May 13, there was the annual commemoration of the consecration of the basilica of St. Maria ad Martyres (or St. Mary and All Martyrs). This was the former Pantheon, the temple of Agrippa, dedicated to all the gods of paganism, to which Boniface IV had translated many relics from the catacombs. Gregory VII transferred the anniversary of this dedication to November 1.
Things to Do:
Indulgences for All Souls Week
An indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed. The indulgence is plenary each day from the first to the eighth of November; on other days of the year it is partial.
A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who on the day dedicated to the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed [November 2 {as well as on the Sunday preceding or following, and on All Saints' Day}] piously visit a church. In visiting the church it is required that one Our Father and the Creed be recited.
To acquire a plenary indulgence it is necessary also to fulfill the following three conditions: sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion, and prayer for the intention of the Holy Father. The three conditions may be fulfilled several days before or after the performance of the visit; it is, however, fitting that communion be received and the prayer for the intention of the Holy Father be said on the same day as the visit.
The condition of praying for the intention of the Holy Father is fully satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary. A plenary indulgence can be acquired only once in the course of the day.
All Saints
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8)
Cultures around the world have a wide range of perceptions about cleanliness. From the crumbs on the floor to the number of showers people take in a week, cleanliness standards are shaped by a mixture of politics, religion, and the availability of clean water.
Today’s readings talk about a different kind of cleanliness, the kind that has been sought by the saints whose lives we celebrate today: purity of heart. The first reading tells us that all the saints in heaven are wearing white robes, which have been washed clean in the “blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). The responsorial psalm tells us that only “the clean of hand and pure of heart” will be able to stand in God’s presence (Psalm 24:4). And the second reading says that our hope for heaven motivates us to become “pure, as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).
This kind of purity is not something we can attain on our own. It’s a gift graciously given to us by the Lord. At Baptism, he cleansed us of original sin. In Confession, he washes us clean of the sins we have committed. He even cleanses our consciences every time we turn to him in prayer and ask his pardon! Over and over, his grace reaches down to our souls and offers us a new start.
As you celebrate the saints today, think of the many people who have gone before you, all those who have been purified in the blood of the Lamb. Imagine them in heaven, caught up in worship, filled with the love of the Lord. Then picture yourself there with them. This is the promise of the gospel, the promise to everyone who seeks purity of heart. Let Jesus, the Lamb of God, cleanse you all over again today. Stay close to him, and you will end up worshipping him with the great multitude!
“All blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever!”
Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; Psalm 24:1-6; 1 John 3:1-3
ALL SAINTS DAY [REVELATION 7:2-4,9-14]
From the very beginning, the Church has honored and revered its martyrs and heroes. What began on a popular and local level gradually became woven into the liturgy, beginning around the fourth century in the Eucharistic Prayer. In the fifth century, a feast honoring all the saints was declared in some Eastern churches, and from there the celebration was taken up in Rome. In 835 A.D., Pope Gregory IV declared All Saints Day a feast for the entire Church.
A day commemorating the saints is actually a day of rejoicing in the greatness of the Lord and hoping in His love. The victory that we see in the saints testifies to the Lord Himself. It was not just their own efforts that produced such holiness, but the work of the Lord, who wants to pour the fullness of the life of Jesus into our hearts. This has been the hope and joy of all holy women and men always and everywhere, and it is our hope and joy as well.
The Book of Revelation contains a vision of the redeemed of the Lord, gathered around the throne of God. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14 RSV). The victory of the redeemed came through the blood of Jesus, which washed them, purified them, and sealed them with the promise of eternal life.
The power of this precious blood of Christ is available to us every day by faith. We can turn to Jesus at any moment and ask for His blood to cover our sins and cleanse us. We can call on Jesus at any moment for Him to pour out the power of His death and resurrection to strengthen us and enable us to live as Gods children. What love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God (1John 3:1). We are His children; He has adopted us as His very own! Every day, our Fathers hand is extended to us and we have the great privilege to take hold of Him.
Let us fix our eyes on the Lamb at the center of the throne who has promised to be our Shepherd and to lead us to springs of living water (Revelation 7:17). The Lord, who has worked in the lives of the saints, is ready to work in us if we will turn to Him. Our God who has chosen us to be His very own is faithful!
Daily Marriage Tip for November 1, 2013:
(All Saints Day) The Catholic Church honors all saints known and unknown today. Although your spouse may not always act like a saint, look for a saintly quality today. Is he or she generous, humble, self-sacrificing, courageous? Celebrate the saint you are living with today.
Souls, Saints, and the "Permanent Things"
All Saints picture ("Allerheiligenbild") by Albrecht Durer (1511)
Souls, Saints, and the "Permanent Things" | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | CWR
We are in danger of losing contact with the dead in our families and in our culture
I.
A seminary in Ireland, now closed, was dedicated to the training of priests for foreign missions, for strange places such as California. It was called "All Hallows", that is, All Saints, November 1. Oxford University in England has a college called "All Souls," November 2. Taken together, all saints and all souls are designed to cover all of the final combinations of the human race except all the still living, who are waiting to join one or the other of the previous categories. Come to think of it, all "all saints" all have souls. What are left are all lost souls who, presumably, have already also made their final choices about how they are permanently to be.
Most of my relatives are buried in the Catholic Cemetery just at the edge of Pocahontas, a small county seat in rural northwest Iowa. My mother's grandparents, my grandparents on both sides of my family, my mother herself, and, I believe, all but one of her thirteen brothers and sisters are buried in this neat cemetery. Two of my father's brothers are also there; his other brother is a few miles east in the cemetery in Clare. Two of my father's four sisters are buried there, as well as numerous cousins and their families, though many are scattered in later years. My own father is buried in the cemetery in Santa Clara, and my brother in the cemetery in Spokane.
On the Second of November, many families, especially in small towns, decorate the graves with flowers, have Masses or prayers said for their deceased relatives, and in general remember them. In modern cities, I think, we are in danger of losing contact with the dead in our families and in our culture. Families move. Cremation changes things. There are so many of us. We do not have to be superstitious, of course. We believe in the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body. Our contact with cemeteries is designed to recall our very mortality, but also to remind us of what we hold about death and its place in our lives.
As we get older, we find that many more of our immediate family are dead than alive. We find friends gone. Such is our lot. To wish it otherwise, while not a totally unhealthy exercise, needs to be understood clearly. It is given unto every man once to die, thence the judgment, as it says in the Book of Maccabees. Death has become a hospital, not a home, thing. The dead body is a source of parts, to be somehow passed on to others. We think almost exclusively of the living, not of the dead.
We celebrate lives at funerals. We do not worry about souls and their fates. The elderly are a problem, even a social and political problem, not sources of wisdom. Cemeteries are often desired for the land they take up. Laws exist about how long cemeteries are to be kept intact. We still notice that many Latino and Asian families somehow take care of their own elderly at home, whereas with others this care is often passed on to various institutions and specialists. This may not be all bad, but we should reflect on it.
II.
Belloc's wonderful book, The Four Men, describes a walk he took in the English county of Sussex, from October 29 till All Souls' Day, 1902. As the four walkers reach the end of their walk, the old man, who, like the other three walkers, is Belloc himself, makes the following memorable farewell reflection:
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