The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
Additional Information about the Feast of All Souls
Readings for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed[i][ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Wisdom 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Wis 3:1-9
This passage, while frequently used on the feasts of martyrs can be understood as an early description of the process of achieving a place in the heavenly kingdom by all those who went before us in faith. The flow of this description provides a good picture of the purification of all the faithful that takes place in the transition from life, through purification in Purgatory (“…chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed”), to new life with the Father.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
The principle thrust of this, most popular of the Psalms, is trust in God even in the face of the inevitable death of the body. The figure of the Good Shepherd is later used extensively by Christ reinforcing his relationship to the Father. The eternal life of the spirit is implicit in the hope expressed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: Romans 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rom 5:5-11
St. Paul speaks of the hope of Christians who have been made holy, sanctified, “justified” by their faith in Christ Jesus. This faith was “poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” [in Baptism]. (This linkage between Christ and the Holy Spirit begins the apostle’s Trinitarian theology)
Justification was not through some merit of theirs (ours) but through God’s infinite mercy. The demonstration of this mercy was Christ’s sacrifice for those who called him “enemy”. While still burdened by sin (the Law of Moses defined sin and all were sinners because of this), Jesus became the sacrifice of atonement. His blood reconciled us to the Father by removing the sin that kept us apart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or
Second Option: Romans 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rom 6:3-9
St. Paul expresses both the hope and the theology behind our belief in the resurrection of the faithful with Christ. In Baptism we are receive the adoption of God. As His children we join His Only Son and pass, as he did through death to new life.
“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).”[iv]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 6:37-40
This Gospel passage is part of the “Bread of Life” section from St. John’s Gospel. Jesus first clearly identifies himself as having come from God, his Father and heir to the kingdom of Heaven with “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me”. The Lord tells those gathered that no one will be rejected that asks to follow the Son of God. He goes further telling the crowds, that anyone who believes in him “may have eternal life.” For the faithful, this is an invitation to participate in eternal life.
We note the humility with which the Lord makes this offer (I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me) “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)”[v].
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Today is the day we celebrate God’s promise of salvation through the forgiveness of sins and recall all those who have gone before us in faith. We believe that our family members and friends who professed faith in God and his Son have (or one day will) achieve a place in the heavenly kingdom. We pray that their passage from this life to the next will not be too difficult.
The promise is made in the St. John’s Gospel “…everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” That promise is amplified by St. Paul in his letter to the Romans as he defines the opening of that heavenly gate as our Baptism into Christ’s family. In that baptism we not only embrace the life of Christ but his death and in dying with him, we will rise with him.
This is our great hope. But those who have gone before us need our prayers because we know a few things, also from scripture. First we know that God’s time is not our time. We also know that, in order to come before him we must be completely purified. It is stated in the reading from Wisdom:
“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.” (Wisdom 3:4)
We see in this verse the process necessary before we come to that heavenly place. This is stated clearly in our understanding of that passage as defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
“All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1030)
So today we pray for those who have gone before us in faith assured of a place of light and peace, but on a continuing journey to holiness. We pray especially today that their passage may be swift, and when our time comes, we also may take that road to life with Christ.
Pax
[i] ALTRE
[ii] The picture is “Virgin and Child with Souls in Purgatory” by Luca Giordano, c. 1650
[iii] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[iv] Letters of St. Paul , The Navarre Bible, Four Courts Press, 2003 pp. 91
[v] Gospel and Acts, The Navarre Bible, Four Courts Press, 2008 pp 592
Additional Information about the Feast of All Souls
Readings for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed[i][ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Wisdom 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Wis 3:1-9
This passage, while frequently used on the feasts of martyrs can be understood as an early description of the process of achieving a place in the heavenly kingdom by all those who went before us in faith. The flow of this description provides a good picture of the purification of all the faithful that takes place in the transition from life, through purification in Purgatory (“…chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed”), to new life with the Father.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
The principle thrust of this, most popular of the Psalms, is trust in God even in the face of the inevitable death of the body. The figure of the Good Shepherd is later used extensively by Christ reinforcing his relationship to the Father. The eternal life of the spirit is implicit in the hope expressed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: Romans 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rom 5:5-11
St. Paul speaks of the hope of Christians who have been made holy, sanctified, “justified” by their faith in Christ Jesus. This faith was “poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” [in Baptism]. (This linkage between Christ and the Holy Spirit begins the apostle’s Trinitarian theology)
Justification was not through some merit of theirs (ours) but through God’s infinite mercy. The demonstration of this mercy was Christ’s sacrifice for those who called him “enemy”. While still burdened by sin (the Law of Moses defined sin and all were sinners because of this), Jesus became the sacrifice of atonement. His blood reconciled us to the Father by removing the sin that kept us apart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or
Second Option: Romans 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rom 6:3-9
St. Paul expresses both the hope and the theology behind our belief in the resurrection of the faithful with Christ. In Baptism we are receive the adoption of God. As His children we join His Only Son and pass, as he did through death to new life.
“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).”[iv]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 6:37-40
This Gospel passage is part of the “Bread of Life” section from St. John’s Gospel. Jesus first clearly identifies himself as having come from God, his Father and heir to the kingdom of Heaven with “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me”. The Lord tells those gathered that no one will be rejected that asks to follow the Son of God. He goes further telling the crowds, that anyone who believes in him “may have eternal life.” For the faithful, this is an invitation to participate in eternal life.
We note the humility with which the Lord makes this offer (I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me) “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)”[v].
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Today is the day we celebrate God’s promise of salvation through the forgiveness of sins and recall all those who have gone before us in faith. We believe that our family members and friends who professed faith in God and his Son have (or one day will) achieve a place in the heavenly kingdom. We pray that their passage from this life to the next will not be too difficult.
The promise is made in the St. John’s Gospel “…everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” That promise is amplified by St. Paul in his letter to the Romans as he defines the opening of that heavenly gate as our Baptism into Christ’s family. In that baptism we not only embrace the life of Christ but his death and in dying with him, we will rise with him.
This is our great hope. But those who have gone before us need our prayers because we know a few things, also from scripture. First we know that God’s time is not our time. We also know that, in order to come before him we must be completely purified. It is stated in the reading from Wisdom:
“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.” (Wisdom 3:4)
We see in this verse the process necessary before we come to that heavenly place. This is stated clearly in our understanding of that passage as defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
“All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1030)
So today we pray for those who have gone before us in faith assured of a place of light and peace, but on a continuing journey to holiness. We pray especially today that their passage may be swift, and when our time comes, we also may take that road to life with Christ.
Pax
[i] ALTRE
[ii] The picture is “Virgin and Child with Souls in Purgatory” by Luca Giordano, c. 1650
[iii] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[iv] Letters of St. Paul , The Navarre Bible, Four Courts Press, 2003 pp. 91
[v] Gospel and Acts, The Navarre Bible, Four Courts Press, 2008 pp 592
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