I shall raise him on the last day

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

Collect

Listen kindly to our prayers, O Lord, and, as our faith in your Son, raised from the dead, is deepened, so may our hope of resurrection for your departed servants also find new strength. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Job 19:1, 23-27a

A Reading from the Book of Job

Job answered Bildad the Shuhite and said:
Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead

      they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;

Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another's, shall behold him
And from my flesh I shall see God
my inmost being is consumed with longing.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 26)

R: I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living

The Lord is my light and my salvation; 
whom shall I fear? 
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; 
of whom shall I be afraid? R.

One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: 
to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, 
to behold the beauty of the Lord, 
and to inquire in his temple. R.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, 
be gracious to me and answer me!
“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, do I seek. R.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; 
wait for the Lord! R

(Romans 5:5-11)

Brothers and sisters: Hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.

But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The word of the Lord

R. Thanks be to God

Acclamation before the Gospel

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the will of him who sent me:
that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, 
but raise it up on the last day.
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.


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.”


The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection

The month of November is the month of all saints and all souls. Throughout it, we remember more than usual the reality of death. In this world, all things pass away, and every life has its beginning and its end. Yet, in one of the Gospels that the Church presents to us today, for the solemn commemoration of All Souls, the Lord Jesus promises abundant life to all who believe in him. Indeed, this is the will of the Father, Jesus tells us, “that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (v. 40).

This is a message of hope, especially today, as we remember those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. This is our shared hope: that we shall see God face to face and rejoice in him forever. The words of the Lord Jesus urge us to continue praying for all the departed, trusting that they shall behold the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and dwell with him for ever. For us who are still here, the words of Jesus enlighten us, so that during our earthly life we may always keep before our eyes our final destiny: the resurrection from the dead. But first, we must see the Son and believe in him. What are we doing to see Jesus and to unite our will with his? The Lord Jesus is always present in our lives when we seek him with the eyes of faith. We meet him in the Word of God, in the Sacraments, in prayer, as well as in the people around us and in the experiences we pass through each day. Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds and open our hearts so that we may see the Son and believe in him, that with him we too may rise to eternal life.

Prayer

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure. For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit.

 

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