Liturgy Alive

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They Had the Courage to Be Different

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Friday, 1 November 2024

SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS

They Had the Courage to Be Different

 

Greeting (Rom 1, 7)

To all of you who are God’s beloved
and called to be saints,
grace and peace from God our Father
and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord’s peace stay with you. R/ And also with you.

 

Introduction

On this celebration of All Saints, we ask ourselves: What is our idea of saints? Are they to us idealistic dreamers out of touch with the world and with people, passive and joyless like their plaster statues? Today’s liturgy tells us a different story. They are ordinary people like us, of the same flesh and blood as we. But they had the courage to be different, to do the ordinary things of life in the extraordinary way of Christ from whom they drew their courage. They put us to shame with their quiet but strong gentleness, their integrity, their commitment to God and to people in justice and truth and peace. Let us ask the Lord here with us for the strength to follow him the way they did.

 

Penitential Act

Do we firmly believe that we sinners
are called to be saints?
Let us examine ourselves.
                        (pause)


Lord, you tell us: Happy the poor in spirit.
We have heard you, but it is hard to do.
On our self-sufficiency and selfishness,
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Christ, you tell us: Happy the merciful.
But the miseries of others affect us little.
On our hardness and unconcern,
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord, you tell us: Happy the peacemakers.
We do not easily share the peace
of forgiveness and committed service.
On our pride and violence,
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins.
Give us the courage to live your gospel
and lead us to 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, a

nd 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: Victors with Christ 

St. John gives us a vision of hope in the ultimate future: those who live the gospel of will be victorious with him; their number will be immense.

 

First Reading: Revelation 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

 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.

 

Second Reading: Children of God

The key to all holiness is love: the certainty that God loves us – he loved us first – and that we are his sons and daughters. This assurance makes us capable of all hope and love.

 

Second Reading: 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.

 

Alleluia MT 11:28

Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel: The Beatitudes: God’s Values

The values of the gospel differ sharply from those of the world, yet they are to be lived in the world to make it God’s world. The beatitudes are the inspiration of a Christian’s life.

 

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."

 

Intercessions

We are called children of God, and that is what we really are. Let us pray then in all trust and love to God, who is our Father, and let us say:

R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

 

–          For all people on earth, that their friendship, love and happiness may be a sign and foretaste of the eternal happiness that you want to give to all, let us pray:

                        R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

–          For all Christian Churches, that they may grow in solidarity and come closer in unity, let us pray:

                        R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

–          For those who suffer from poverty and misfortunes, from persecution and injustice, that they may be convinced that Christ is on their side, let us pray:

                        R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

–          For those who lack the courage to break with temptation and sin and for those who dare not commit themselves to follow the gospel of Christ, that the saints may inspire them and us, let us pray:

                        R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

–          For all of us here, that we may build community, and that the seeds of holiness may grow in our hearts and deeds, let us pray:

                        R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

–          For our beloved dead, that they may rest secure in the love and joy of the Lord, let us pray:

                        R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

 

Lord our God, you want us to be happy with your own happiness. Fill our everyday lives with your saving presence. Make us seek the kind of happiness that is real and lasting today, tomorrow and for ever.

R/ Amen.

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
Jesus, your Son, had the courage
to be different and unconventional.
In this bread and this wine
we place our willingness to walk in his way.
As you change them through your Spirit
into Jesus himself,
transform us, weak as we are and timid,
into new people, ready to take the risk
of reshaping the world into your own image.
And though we cannot yet see the outcome now,
reassure us that you will bring to a successful end
what you let us begin in pain and effort,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

It is with joy that we thank the Father for the great things his grace has worked in our brothers and sisters, the saints. Let us offer this Eucharist with Jesus that, like the saints, we may try to become more like him.

 

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

God has filled our hearts with much love.
He wants us to be called his children,
and this is indeed what we are.
And so with Jesus we can truly say to him: R/ Our Father...

 

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant us peace in our day.
Give us the courage to go with the saints
the way your own Son went to you,
in joys and hardships,
in the strength of our weakness,
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming in glory
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

 

Invitation to Communion

This is the Lamb of God
who shared our sufferings
to make us share in his glory.
Happy are those
who hunger and thirst for God,
for they shall be satisfied. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

 

Prayer after Communion

Holy God,
gentleness, integrity, reconciliation,
poverty and littleness before you,
suffering that is liberating –
these are not easy to put into practice,
yet they are the stuff of which saints are made.
Give us your strength, Lord,
for we ourselves are incapable
of carrying out a task made for giants.
Give us your Son
to be our companion on the journey,
for we are sure that we can do it with him,
who is our Savior and our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.

 

Blessing

The saints were people like us,
weak, with faults like the ones we have;
only, they did not take these failings for granted.
They led the same lives as we do,
only in a more courageous way.
We are called to the same holiness
to which God called them.
May you respond to God’s call
with the strength and blessing
of the almighty and loving God:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Let us go with the saints and with one another the way to God. R/ Thanks be to God

 

Commentary

Communion of Saints

A question a religious sometimes encounter is: “How many members are there in your Congregation?”  One of my companions has a ready-made answer: “7,000+ members.” If the answer surprised the one who asked, who might, therefore, wear an incredulous look, my friend would explain: “Yes, we are 7,000+. There are around 4,000 in heaven, and 3,000 here on earth.” And, that is the truth! We must necessarily count every one of the souls gone before us, be they members of our biological or religious families or faith communities. They continue to live and relate to us; they go on exercising their ministry of intercession for us. The solemnity of the Communion of Saints reminds us that we belong to a very large family, part of whom are in heaven and continue to be members of the living Body of Christ. If we profess so in our Creed, we must make it a reality we relate to, in our daily life as well.

 

1 November 2024 Solemnity of All Saints

Matthew 5:1-12

To be saints of Christ

Today’s Gospel on the Beatitudes opens Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and serves as the foundation of Christian discipleship. On the Solemnity of All Saints, this passage becomes particularly significant, as it highlights the qualities of those who are blessed by God and points to the essence of sainthood.

Biblical exegesis of the Beatitudes reveals a deep paradox: those who are poor in spirit, mourning, meek, and persecuted are called blessed in the eyes of God. Of course, these are not virtues that we would like to practice in our lives in the world today, but we also know that the “Beatitudes” turn the world’s values upside down, showing that true happiness and fulfilment are found in humility, mercy, and purity of heart. The Beatitudes provide a roadmap to sainthood, inviting us to align our lives with God's vision of justice, compassion, and peace. 

In his apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, Pope Francis teaches that the Beatitudes offer a practical guide to holiness in everyday life. In a world that often glorifies wealth, power, and self-interest, the pope urges us to focus on the marginalised and embody God's merciful love. He reminds us that sainthood is not a distant, unattainable goal but a calling for all believers. Holiness is found in daily acts of love and kindness.

Contemporary developments in our world, such as inequality, conflict, and environmental crises, make the Beatitudes even more relevant. In the face of these challenges, we are called to be peacemakers, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, and to show mercy. By following the path in the Beatitudes, we contribute to building a more just and compassionate world, embodying the spirit of the saints. If he and she can become saints, why can’t I?

 

To be saints of Christ - Youtube 

 

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