Saturday November 2
FAITHFUL DEPARTED
Greetings (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
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 Introduction: 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.
First Reading: 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 Psalm: Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
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.
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.
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.
You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes;
you annoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
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.
Second Reading Introduction: The Risen Lord Is On Our Side
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.
Second Reading: Rom 8:31-35, 37-39
But no, Christ has been raised from the dead and he comes before all those who have fallen asleep. A human being brought death; a human being also brings resurrection of the dead. All die for being Adam's, and in Christ all will receive life. However, each one in his own time: first Christ, then Christ's people, when he visits them.
Then the end will come, when Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father, after having destroyed every rule, authority and power. For he must reign and put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed will be death. As Scripture says: God has subjected everything under his feet.
When we say that everything is put under his feet, we exclude, of course, the Father who subjects everything to him. When the Father has subjected everything to him, the Son will place himself under the One who subjected everything to him. From then on, God will be all in all.
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus said to his disciples, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on the throne of his Glory. All the nations will be brought before him, and as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, so will he do with them, placing the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"The King will say to those on his right: 'Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me into your house. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to see me.'
"Then the good people will ask him: 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food; thirsty and give you drink, or a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to see you?' The King will answer, 'Truly, I say to you: when-ever you did this to these little ones who are my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.'
"Then he will say to those on his left: 'Go, cursed peo-ple, out of my sight into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you did not welcome me into your house; I was naked and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
"They, too, will ask: 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked or a stranger, sick or in prison, and did not help you?' The King will answer them: 'Truly, I say to you: whatever you did not do for one of these little ones, you did not do for me.'
"And these will go into eternal punishment, but the just 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.
Invitation 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
The death of a loved one, and particularly of a mother, leaves a feeling of uprootedness that is even stronger than that of leaving one’s own country. It is as if the ground beneath your feet were suddenly removed. The death of someone near gives an almost physical feeling of pain. It is certainly unexplainable. The mind refuses to believe that it is true that the person we had near us and with whom we had a close relationship is no longer physically with us, even if sometimes we have the feeling they are in the room, we can hear their voice continuing to speak to us.
It is a pain that knows no words. If it knows no words and goes beyond comprehension, however, it is not beyond a sense of hope and life. Paradoxically, those of us who are believers, feel an intense pain and at the same time a great peace and joy in knowing that the people we so loved are enjoying the light and the presence of God.
This seems to be the mystery and paradox of the Day of the Dead. We feel the pain of seeing our loved ones depart this world and at the same time we have the certainty that they are alive in a new and different way. Words might not be able to express this mystery, but the celebrations, breads, altars, photos, music, and food with which we celebrate their mysterious presence among us can. All these things announce the eternal life brought to us by Christ.
Points to Ponder
Has someone you loved died recently?
How would you describe your feelings at his or her departure?
Do you feel that God in a mysterious way makes that person seem alive and present, filling you with peace and the hope of resurrection.
Faithful departed
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