The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) 2 November
2013
Wisdom 3:1-9.
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 the elect.
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 the elect.
Ps 27(26):1.4.7.8.9.13-14.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
One thing I ask of the LORD
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stout-hearted, and wait for the LORD.
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
One thing I ask of the LORD
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stout-hearted, and wait for the LORD.
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.
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.
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 these least ones, you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
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 these least ones, you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Commentary of the day :
I attended All Souls Mass today especially remembering all the people whose funerals I have celebrated over the years I was a priest. The Mass was in Waray, the dialect of this particular region and although I couldn’t understand the readings I could recall them from heart as I always ponder these words of Jesus and especially the book of Wisdom first reading (which is often chosen for requiems).
The theme of the Gospel reminds us that those who
are chosen for eligibility for the kingdom of heaven are those who saw Jesus in
the poor or those who suffer. To refuse solace to someone in need is equivalent
to ignoring Jesus.
I can proudly say I have done all of those things:
fed the hungry, clothed the men I have found to be naked, visited the sick in
hospitals and in their homes, visited prisoners (and even celebrated Mass in
two Cebu gaols for hundreds of inmates), and never refused anything to anyone
who asked for it (even if I didn’t think they deserved it!)
I don’t tell you that to boast but just to explain that there are very few people outside of priests who have the opportunity and wherewithal to be able to fulfil all those pre-requisites of Heavenly entrance.
I don’t tell you that to boast but just to explain that there are very few people outside of priests who have the opportunity and wherewithal to be able to fulfil all those pre-requisites of Heavenly entrance.
But our Lord didn’t tell you that you have to go
out and look for people in all those categories to serve Him. Only that if you
do meet someone (a Jesus in disguise) and you do not offer kindness and
sacrificial generosity, you can kiss eternal happiness goodbye...
Aphrahat (?-c.345), monk and Bishop near Mosul
Expositions, no.22 ; SC 359
Expositions, no.22 ; SC 359
Our dead live for him
Devout, wise and good people are not afraid of death in view of the great hope they have in what lies before them. Every day they think of death as of a departure and of the last day as when the offspring of Adam will be born. The apostle Paul says: “Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin, as has happened with all the children of Adam” (Rm 5,14.12)... It has happened, too, in all Moses' descendants to the end of the world. However, Moses declared that its rule would be destroyed; death thought to hold everyone captive and rule over them for ever..., but when the Holy One called to Moses from the heart of the bush he said to him: “I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob” (Ex 3,6). When it heard these words, death was terrified, it trembled with fear understanding that... God is Lord over the dead and the living and would come one day when men would escape from its darkness. Now Jesus our Saviour has repeated these words to the Sadducees and said: “He is not God of the dead, for all are alive for Him” (Lk 20,38)...
For Jesus has come, the one who has put death to death. He put on a body of Adam's race, has been nailed to the cross and tasted death. It has understood that he would be descending to its abode. Anxiously death fastened its gates but he has broken down its gates, entered in and started to seize those it was holding there. The dead, seeing light in the darkness, raised their heads from their prison house and saw the glory of the Messiah King... And death, seeing how the darkness began to disperse and the righteous to rise, knew that at the end of time he would release every prisoner from its power.
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