All the Faithful Departed
Created for Life
Liturgical Cycle: A, B, C | Lectionary Cycle: I, II
Introduction
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
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
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.
The Righteous Are at Peace
The souls of the righteous are in God’s hands, and no suffering shall harm them.
In the eyes of the foolish, they seem dead. Their departure is regarded as a tragedy;
it looks like they lose everything by leaving us, but they are at peace.
Although it appears they have been punished, immortality was the hope of their soul.
After mild suffering, great blessings will follow, for God has tested them and found them worthy to be with him;
after refining them like gold in the furnace, he has accepted them as a sacrifice.
When he comes, they will shine like sparks flying in the dry grass.
They will lead nations and govern peoples, and the Lord will reign as their king forever.
Those who trust in him will understand the truth, and those faithful will live in his love, for his grace and mercy are for his chosen ones.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1) 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.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
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.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
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.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
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.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Second Reading
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.
Hope does not disappoint us because the Holy Spirit has been given to us, pouring into our hearts the love of God.
Consider, furthermore, the time when Christ died for us: when we were still helpless and unable to do anything.
Few would agree to die for an upright person; although for a very good person, perhaps someone would dare to die.
But see how God demonstrated his love for us: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us;
and we have been made righteous through his blood. Therefore, even more, we are justified now and will be saved from any condemnation.
Once enemies, we have been reconciled with God through the death of his Son; with even more reason, now we can be saved through his life.
Not only that, but we also boast in God because of Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom we have been reconciled.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
You will never die: Jesus assures his listeners that everyone who comes to him will be welcomed, and that he has come to fulfil the Father’s saving will. He promises that those who believe will receive eternal life and be raised up on the last day
Yet all those whom the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will not turn away.
For I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.
And the will of him who sent me is that I lose nothing of what he has given me, but instead that I raise it up on the last day.
This is the will of the Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.
Prayers of the Faithful
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.
(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.
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.
REFELCTIONS
All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
Gospel: John 6:37-40
None Will Be Lost
Today the Church remembers everyone who has died: our parents, grandparents, friends, and all those who have no one left to pray for them. It is a day of tears, but not of despair.
In today's Gospel Jesus tells us clearly what the Father wants: our lives. In Barclay's translation, Jesus says he "should lose none of those he gave to me." Barclay draws attention to how Jesus' whole mission is shaped by the will of the Father: "I came down from heaven, not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me." And that will includes keeping safe those who believe and raising them "at the last day".
Notice the tenderness of Jesus' promise: "Anyone who comes to me I will not reject." Our loved ones who died in faith are not forgotten or lost. They are held by the One who refuses to lose anyone the Father entrusts to him.
That is why we pray for the dead. Our prayer is an act of love that death cannot end. We entrust them to God's mercy, asking that whatever still needs purifying in them may be healed, so that they may see God face to face. In return, we trust that they pray for us too. The communion of saints binds heaven, earth and purgatory together in one family of love.
To reflect on: Whom will I remember by name in prayer today and throughout this month?
Prayer: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.