All Souls
Weekday liturgy (Year 1) — White
1st Reading
Wisdom 3:1-9
Lectio (Reading)
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
Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Lectio (Reading)
R.(1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
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 anoint 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.
2nd Reading
Romans 5:5-11
Lectio (Reading)
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.
Gospel Reading
John 6:37-40
Lectio (Reading)
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.”
Meditatio (Reflecting)
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.
Oratio (Responding)
This is one of Jesus’ most encouraging statements. To see and to believe, and you will have eternal life. Sounds like a good deal. But does this mean that it is a one time transaction? Like I see the sky, recognize it is blue, and I believe it will always be blue? No! But why? Because even satan did that, he saw God in all of His glory, and he still rejected Him.
So what does is mean to see and believe? Seeing God is to recognize His power, to know that He is the creator of the universe, that He created all things, and holds them in existence with His will and His undying love. Believing means that while recognizing who God is, all good, and all loving, that you then make an act of the will to lovingly and trustingly submit every aspect of your life to Him, in devotion, and as a perpetual gift of gratitude, and adoration.
Lastly, you must then look all around you, and you do the same for all of Gods creation, because this world, and ALL of the people on it, are as much a part of Him as He is Himself. This humility and love is what Satan could not do, and that is why he fell. But you can do it, and you must maintain it until your last days. Then, at the end of time, He will raise you up to be with Him for all eternity. What more could you ask for, and what more could you want?
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.
Resolutio (Resolving)
Oh, lord, help me to see you and believe, and where I fall short help my unbelief, amen.