Friday November 2
Created for Life
Greeting (See Rom 8:38-39)
Neither death nor life,
nothing that exists, nothing still to come,
nor any created thing
can ever come between us and the love of God
made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.
May this risen Lord be always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
Death will always remain a mystery and a pain. Yet as Christians we live in faith and hope. If we had enough faith, we would face death without fear and welcome it as a homecoming in the house of the Father. In our faith, there is no place for the doubt that in death God will abandon his people, the work of his hands, his image and likeness, for whom Christ died and rose from the dead. God will not let us perish for ever. In Christ, we have God’s promise that we will rise from the dead for glory and eternal joy. In this hope, we commend today all the dead into the hands of the living God.
Penitential Act
By his death and resurrection
Christ brought us hope and life and joy.
With the fullest trust we pray to him
for the forgiveness of our sins.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, Son of the living God,
you came into the world
to share our joys and sorrows:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you died on the cross
to overcome sin and death in us:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you rose from the dead
to be our way to life and endless joy:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins.
Let us live your life on earth
and lead us and all the faithful departed
to the happiness of everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us recommend to the Lord
all the faithful departed
(PAUSE)
God of the living,
we believe that you are a God
of a love that is stronger than death
since your Son Jesus Christ, born as one of us,
destroyed death for ever.
Let all the faithful departed live
in the security of your love.
Let them enjoy peace, your peace,
which escaped them so often in life,
and give to us, too, the courage
to face life and to live it
in close union with your Son.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading: We Are Made for Life!
An Old Testament author from the century before Christ expresses his belief in everlasting life: God has made us for life. To the virtuous God gives “shalom,” peace, that is, himself and all that is good.
The Father did not spare his own Son from death, so that he could bring us life. So neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God.
Reading 1 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 PsalmPS 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 2 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.
Or
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.
Alleluia MT 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.
Gospel: A Place for Us in the Father’s House
Jesus assures us that we are forever destined to live in his love, in the love of the Father, and in the home of the Father in heaven.
Gospel MT 25:31-46
Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
"Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of the least of these,
you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life."
Intercessions
Let us pray to our living God, who created us for life and happiness. God will not give us up to death but give us eternal life. Let us pray to him: R/ Lord of life, hear your people.
– For the dead in our families and our community, for all those who were dear to us in life, that God, who called them by their names, may be their unending joy, let us pray: R/ Lord of life, hear your people.
– For all those who had to suffer much in life from sickness, injustice or poverty, that their sorrow may now come to an end and that there may be no end to their happiness, let us pray: R/ Lord of life, hear your people.
– For the dead who had to go a lonely way through life because none, or few, cared for them, or because they were loners themselves, or because their children or partners deserted them; for those for whom nobody mourns, that now they may discover the joy of the friendship of the saints in heaven, let us pray: R/ Lord of life, hear your people.
– And finally for ourselves, that we may help and support one another on the journey through life, that we may go the Lord’s way side by side and share joys and sorrows, life and death, let us pray: R/ Lord of life, hear your people.
God of life, we thank you for the assurance that the dead are in your hands and that we are called and destined to eternal life on account of your risen Son Jesus. Do not let our heart be troubled but reunite us one day with those whom we have known and loved. Lead us all to you through him who is our way, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we entrust into your hands
our life and our death.
Give us your life-giving bread
and the wine of loyalty to your covenant,
that by their power
we may overcome death and live for life,
and may join those who have gone before us in faith,
through Jesus Christ, your Son
and our risen Lord for ever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let us give our wholehearted praise to the Father of life and happiness, for he has created us for life and has not abandoned us to death. Through Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord, he has brought us the fullness of life.
(Do not forget to use the inserts for the dead in the Eucharistic Prayer.)
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray in the words of Jesus
to the God of life and hope
who is our Father in heaven: R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant your peace in our day
to a world that cannot create peace.
Grant peace to the dead who died in the hope
of living in your lasting peace.
Free us from the fear of death,
as we wait in joyful hope
for our resurrection and the full life
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is our risen Lord, who said:
I am the resurrection and the life.
Those who believe in me will live,
even though they die;
and whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Happy are we to be united
as we eat the bread of eternal life. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
you know and love us beyond death.
We thank you for calling all of us
to live forever in your friendship.
We thank you for the unending happiness
of the saints who live in your joy.
We thank you
for your undying, everlasting love
for us and for all our beloved dead.
Accept our thanks through your risen Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.
Blessing
We have prayed today
for those who have died,
known or unknown, close or distant.
It was an occasion for us to deepen our faith
in the resurrection promised
to the deceased and to ourselves.
We believe in a living God
who wants all to live in his love and joy.
May our God of life bless you all,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go in the peace of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.
Commentary
If the Solemnity of All Saints fills us with much excitement, the Commemoration of the Dead sobers us up. This memorial invites us to meditate on three realities: (1) Death is a rite of passage for every human being born into this world. (2) Whereas everyone is called to be a saint, not everyone responds to it adequately, and therefore, there are souls who undergo further purification posthumously and who need our prayers so that their purification process is hastened and they can be admitted to the beatific vision. (3) We, the Church Militant, are integrally linked to the Church Triumphant (the saints whose memory we honored yesterday), and the Church Expectant (souls in Purgatory, whom we remember today), and that the members of these communities can receive and offer help mutually.
Today we are called upon to pray for all the dead—the dead who are known to us and the dead who may not have anyone to pray for them. They, in turn, can return the favor by praying for us. One day, we all shall be together in heaven as one people of God, beholding the face of God and delighting in Him.
