Daily Gospel ~ Saturday, 2 November 2013

Daily Gospel ~ Saturday, 2 November 2013

At this, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.(John 6:68, Messianic WEB)

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
The Commemoration of all of the Faithful Departed

It is very significant and appropriate that after the Solemnity of All Saints, the Liturgy has us celebrate the Commemoration of all of the Faithful Departed. The "communion of saints", which we profess in the Creed, is a reality that is constructed here below, but is fully made manifest when we will see God "as he is" (I Jn 3: 2).

It is the reality of a family bound together by deep bonds of spiritual solidarity that unites the faithful departed to those who are pilgrims in the world. It is a mysterious but real bond, nourished by prayer and participation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
In the Mystical Body of Christ the souls of the faithful meet, overcoming the obstacle of death; they pray for one another, carrying out in charity an intimate exchange of gifts.
In this dimension of faith one understands the practice of offering prayers of suffrage for the dead, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, memorial of Christ's Pasch which opened to believers the passage to eternal life.
Dear friends, may the traditional visit of these days to the tombs of our dear departed be an occasion to fearlessly consider the mystery of death and to cultivate that constant vigilance which prepares us to meet it serenely. The Virgin Mary, Queen of Saints… will help us.

Pope Benedict XVI (Angelus, 1st November 2005)

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Book of Wisdom 3:THE HIDDEN COUNSELS OF GOD*

A. ON SUFFERING*

1 The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,a

and no torment shall touch them.

2 They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;

and their passing away was thought an affliction

3 and their going forth from us, utter destruction.

But they are in peace.b

4 For if to others, indeed, they seem punished,

yet is their hope full of immortality;

5 Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,

because God tried them

and found them worthy of himself.c

6 As gold in the furnace, he proved them,

and as sacrificial offerings* he took them to himself.d

7 In the time of their judgment* they shall shine

and dart about as sparks through stubble;e

8 They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,

and the LORD shall be their King forever.f

9 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,g

and his care is with the elect.(New American Bible)

Psalm 23:A Psalm by David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd:

I shall lack nothing.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

Your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil.

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the LORD’s house forever.(Messianic WEB)

Romans 5:5 and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For while we were yet weak, at the right time Messiah died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die. 8 But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him. 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.

11 Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.(Messianic WEB)

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint John 6:37  All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out. 38  For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39  This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day. 40  This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”(Messianic WEB)

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Commentary of the day:

Aphrahat (?-c.345), monk and Bishop near Mosul 

Expositions, no.22 ; SC 359

Our dead live for him

Devout, wise and good people are not afraid of death in view of the great hope they have in what lies before them. Every day they think of death as of a departure and of the last day as when the offspring of Adam will be born. The apostle Paul says: “Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin, as has happened with all the children of Adam” (Rm 5,14.12)... It has happened, too, in all Moses' descendants to the end of the world. However, Moses declared that its rule would be destroyed; death thought to hold everyone captive and rule over them for ever..., but when the Holy One  called to Moses from the heart of the bush he said to him: “I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob” (Ex 3,6). When it heard these words, death was terrified, it trembled with fear understanding that... God is Lord over the dead and the living and would come one day when men would escape from its darkness. Now Jesus our Savior has repeated these words to the Sadducees and said: “He is not God of the dead, for all are alive for Him” (Lk 20,38)...
For Jesus has come, the one who has put death to death. He put on a body of Adam's race, has been nailed to the cross and tasted death. It has understood that he would be descending to its abode. Anxiously death fastened its gates but he has broken down its gates, entered in and started to seize those it was holding there. The dead, seeing light in the darkness, raised their heads from their prison house and saw the glory of the Messiah King... And death, seeing how the darkness began to disperse and the righteous to rise, knew that at the end of time he would release every prisoner from its power.

~~~~~~~