Note: The readings suggested here are only a few taken from among many options, as the liturgical team and the celebrant may choose from among those given for Masses for the Dead the ones best fitted for the needs of the  local community. The last section of the revised edition of the Lectionary offers some 46 readings to choose from.

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

Today’s celebration of All Souls is more a feast of hope than a day of mourning for the dead.  By visiting the graves of our beloved ones and praying for all who have died,  we profess and affirm our faith that we are still linked with the dead,
that for us they are not gone for ever but that we shall see them again in the home of our Father in heaven. For them and for us the stone of the tomb will be rolled away, and we will rise from death as once Jesus raised Lazarus and he himself rose from the tomb. Let us celebrate this resurrection faith today.

Penitential Act

We seek forgiveness for all our sins,
for they destroy or obstruct life in us.
            (pause)
Lord Jesus, you became one of us
to share in our joys and pains, even our death:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you died for us on the cross
to take the evil of death away from us:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you rose from the dead
to open for us the way to life:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
raise us up from our sins
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 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 the 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.

Scripture Readings

First Reading Introduction: The Lord Will Destroy Death Forever
      The prophet describes as a banquet the joy of the chosen ones who respond   to the call of the Lord and are saved.

First Reading: Is 25:6-9

On this mountain Yahweh Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, meat full of marrow, fine wine strained.

On this mountain he will destroy the pall cast over all peoples, this very shroud spread over all nations, and death will be no more. The Lord Yahweh will wipe away the tears from all cheeks and eyes; he will take away the humiliation of his people all over the world:
for Yahweh has spoken.

On that day you will say: This is our God. We have waited for him to save us, let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Second Reading Introduction: Nothing Can Separate Us from the Love Of Christ
      Paul asserts his unshakable conviction of faith that God’s love shown in Jesus is so strong that neither death nor anything else can come between that love and us.

Second Reading Introduction: Rom 6:3-9

Don't you know that in baptism which unites us to Christ we are all baptized and plunged into his death? By this baptism in his death, we were buried with Christ and, as Christ was raised from among the dead by the Glory of the Father, so we begin walking in a new life. If we have been joined to him by dying a death like his so we shall be by a resurrection like his.

We know that our old self was crucified with Christ, so as to destroy what of us was sin, so that we may no longer serve sin- if we are dead, we are no longer in debt to sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. We know that Christ, once risen from the dead, will not die again and death has no more dominion over him.

Gospel Reading: Mt 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: whenever 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 people, 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."

(Commentary)

General Intercessions (PPU)

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: R/ Lord of life, hear your people.

–   For the dead in our family 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 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 our prayer.

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 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.  He has brought us the fullness of life through Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord.

 (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,
and 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 of the Lord,
of the deceased, and of 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.

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Gospel Commentary (All Souls Day)

You already know the parable of the Last Judgment. But there is a detail that may have escaped our attention. In this parable there is only one judge: the Son of Man. He is the only one responsible for judging, saving and condemning. He is the only one who knows enough the heart of each person and discerns one's own authentic motives. We should bear this in mind because we love to sit daily at the judge's chair! We feel capable to determine who is guilty or not. Thus, we kick God out of his place. Ours is not to judge our brothers and sisters but to love them.

Taken from Liturgy Alive for Sundays, Cycle A
& Bible Diary 2002
(Scripture Readings from Christian Community Bible, Pastoral Edition)
Copyright © 2002 by Claretian Publications
A division of Claretian Communications, Inc.
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