Pope’s Intention for November

Dialogue and Reconciliation in the Near East

That a spirit of dialogue, encounter, and reconciliation emerge in the Near East, where diverse religious communities share their lives together.

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: November 1st

Solemnity of All Saints

MASS READINGS

November 01, 2019 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

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.

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Old Calendar: Feast of All Saints ; Other Titles: All Saints Day

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:

Visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead during the Octave of All Saints' Day (November 1 through November 8) will gain a plenary indulgence that can be applied only to the souls in purgatory. On other days, this work gains a partial indulgence.
Spend a little time after Mass thanking God for all the unnamed saints, some of whom could be our own relatives.
Have a special meal and if you have young children have them dress up like saints and play games.
Pray the Litany of the Saints -- you could make it really special by chanting it ("he who sings prays twice") and you could read an explanation of this litany, which is considered the model of all other litanies.
From the Catholic Culture library:
- The Church's Thanksgiving Day by Fr. Joseph Minihan,
- Ideas for Sanctifying All Saints' Day by Jennifer Gregory Miller,
- Halloween and All Saints Day by Fr. William Saunders.

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.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14

All Saints (Solemnity)

Blessing and glory . . . be to our God forever and ever. (Revelation 7:12)

St. Thomas Aquinas once said that grace is “nothing else but a certain beginning of glory within us” (Summa Theologiae, II–II.24.3). It’s this glory that we’re celebrating today on All Saints Day—the glory that all the saints in heaven are enjoying right now.

Did you catch the connection in Aquinas’ quote? God’s grace is the beginning of glory in us. It’s what paves the way for each of us to experience the glory of God in our lives. This is the grace we were given when we were baptized. It’s as we build on this grace day by day that we start to experience the heavenly life that the saints now enjoy fully.

What might this grace look like?

• A moment of grace to move beyond a resentment and take active steps to seek healing of a strained relationship.

• A moment of grace to rejoice in seeing God at work in your life and to share that joy with someone else.

• A moment of grace to recognize an area of weakness or sin and start the hard work of changing ingrained habits.

• A moment of grace to interrupt your own life in order to take care of an ailing relative or a friend in need.

Each moment you say yes to grace adds to God’s glory in your life. Each step of trust, faith, or obedience brings you closer to the full glory God wants you to experience with him in heaven.

It may be hard to believe, but you are destined for the same glory that all the saints are experiencing! Heaven is your true home, and God is fully committed to helping you get there. He has given you all the grace you need; now he asks you to grasp hold of it and take another step forward today.

“Jesus, I want to cooperate with your grace so that I can experience your glory.”

Psalm 24:1-6
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for November 1, 2019:

Today is the solemnity of All Saints! Before Mass, make a litany of all the patron and namesake saints in your family to ask for their intercession.

Regnum Christi

November 1, 2019 – Winning the Only Contest that Matters

01 Nov 2019

Solemnity of All Saints

Father James Swanson, LC

Matthew 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.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you with a faith that never seeks to test you. I trust in you, hoping to learn to accept and follow your will, even when it does not make sense to the way that I see things. I love you, and I want to love you and those around me with a love similar to the love you have shown to me.

Petition: Lord, help me accept sacrifices and overcome difficulties in order to gain heaven.

The Beatitudes Don’t Make Sense: As we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints’ Day, the Church calls us to contemplate the promises Jesus makes to all those who follow him. At first, they don’t seem very attractive. Jesus lists a whole series of things that most people would probably avoid. They would see them as interfering with their wants and desires, Yet, Jesus says that we will be blessed if we have them in our lives. The word in the original Greek is makarios, which means “happy”. This doesn’t make sense. I am supposed to be happy when I am poor, mourning, meek, lacking righteousness, merciful, clean-hearted, a peacemaker, persecuted and insulted? That’s not what I see on TV, in the movies, on the Internet. It’s not what many of the people I know would recommend. So, what is Jesus’ big idea telling me this? Is he out to make me miserable?
Sacrificing for Worldly Glory: We can see that the whole picture isn’t gloomy. Jesus says that if we accept these difficult things, there will be rewards. And the rewards sound pretty good. In fact, they sound great: The Kingdom of Heaven, comfort, inheriting the land, satisfaction in seeing righteousness done, receiving mercy, seeing God, being a child of God, a great reward in heaven. Who wouldn’t want these things? Don’t people work a lot harder for a lot less? Don’t athletes train for years, giving up all kinds of pleasures, submitting themselves to intense suffering at times only for a brief moment of glory in some competition? Don’t businessmen work long hours, giving up pleasures and making immense sacrifices just to make a few more dollars? Isn’t what Jesus offers us much better than any of that? Better than a gold medal or even a million dollars?
But I Am Not Interested in Heavenly Things: Anything worth having is worth making sacrifices for, and the more it is worth, the greater sacrifices we should be willing to make for it. Perhaps a gold medal is worth the sacrifices the athlete makes to win it. Perhaps a million dollars are worth the sacrifices that a businessman makes to gain them. If heaven is really all it is supposed to be, isn’t it worth all the sacrifices Jesus mentions here – and more? If people are willing to make such great sacrifices to gain things they cannot keep, shouldn’t I be willing to make even greater sacrifices to gain the eternal happiness of heaven? Of course, many people with the talent to do great things in this world never do them because they just aren’t that interested or motivated. Is that why I don’t do more to gain heaven? Am I just not that interested? What will it take to motivate me to really desire what Jesus offers?

Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, I don’t do much to make the Beatitudes come to life in me. Help me to give heaven its full value. Help me to desire it more each day. Help me to meditate on what heaven will be like so I will love it more and more and be willing to do anything – whatever it takes – to get there and help many others arrive as well.

Resolution: I will spend at least five minutes today imagining what heaven will be like so as to increase my desire for heaven and enable me to make the sacrifices necessary to get there. Jesus is setting up a mansion there for me. He is going to put everything that he can in it to please me and make me happy.

Homily of the Day

November 1, 2019

Solemnity of All Saints

Today we celebrate the feast of all the saints who are now in heaven. The Church reminds us that sanctity is within everyone’s reach. Through the communion of saints we help one another achieve sanctity.

There are very many saints throughout the history of the Church who have been honored with their own feast day because of some extraordinary act of faith, hope or love. However, there are also many more “saints” whose stories we do not know, but who have also been given a place in heaven in the communion of saints. What makes this reality so beautiful is that none of these saints acted out of a “spirit of competition” to outdo another for his or her personal glory. All of them acted out of the love for God and for his neighbor even in the midst of great adversity and suffering.

The call to sanctity is universal. Sanctity is not impossible to attain. If it were, then no one could ever enter the kingdom of God. In Jesus it is made possible. In today’s Gospel Jesus is preaching his Sermon on the Mount. He’s teaching his disciples and the crowd the “beatitudes.” Cutting the word in two we get “be attitudes.” These are proper attitudes of being. They are totally different from the attitudes we develop, shaped as we are by our worldly environment. Death respects no age; anyone can die anytime, any day. Since we cling to our freedom of choice, why not choose what is certain and true – everlasting life with God and all his saints?

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espanol

All Issues > Volume 35, Issue 6

<< Friday, November 1, 2019 >>

All Saints

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
1 John 3:1-3
View Readings

Psalm 24:1-6
Matthew 5:1-12
Similar Reflections

THE SAINT WHO LOVED ME MOST

"Dearly beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall later be has not yet come to light. We know that when it comes to light we shall be like Him." �1 John 3:2

God is holy. He "is a consuming Fire" (Heb 12:29), and He wants us to be consumed with the desire to be holy as He is holy (1 Pt 1:16). Nevertheless, even baptized people often have a weak desire for holiness. On this holy day celebrating all the saints, the Lord especially tries to increase our desire for holiness.

Today, focus on the saint you know best, the saint who loved you the most. This person is usually not a famous saint but a family member or friend who truly laid down his life for love of you. You care about this saint more than all the other saints. Although this person is probably not canonized, you know from your personal experience of his or her love that, if he or she is not in heaven, hardly anyone is. Because you love and admire this person, you want to be a saint too.

This love can motivate you (see 2 Cor 5:14) to desire to be holy more than you desire anything else in life. Then you will be holy (Mt 5:6), for the Lord will make you holy by His grace. However, God's holiness is not forced on you but accepted only by those who desire it.

The saint who loved you most is a key to desiring holiness the most. On this holy day, use your key.

Prayer: Father, may Your name be recognized as holy because I, Your child, am holy (see Mt 6:9).

Promise: "These are the ones who have survived the great period of trial; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." —Rv 7:14

Praise: (Pope) St. Gregory III dedicated a chapel to all saints and martyrs on this date in the eighth century. All Saints, from St. Aaron to St. Zygmunt Gorazdowski, pray for us.