Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Sunday, 2 November 2014

Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Sunday, 2 November 2014 
Meditation: Wisdom 3: THE HIDDEN COUNSELS OF GOD*
A. ON SUFFERING*
1 The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
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.
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.
6 As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings* he took them to himself.
7 In the time of their judgment* they shall shine
and dart about as sparks through stubble;
8 They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
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,
and his care is with the elect.
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
(All Souls’ Day)
In the time of their visitation they shall shine. (Wisdom 3:7)
Have you ever wondered why we bother to pray for those who have already died? After all, they’ve already passed from this life. The simple answer is because Scripture tells us to! Judas Maccabeus, an Old Testament hero, once sent money to Jerusalem to pay for a sin offering for some soldiers he had buried that day. The bodies of these soldiers were found with pagan tokens under them, indicating they had engaged in idol worship. Judas believed that his offering might help atone for their sin and bring them into heaven.(2 Maccabees 12:38-46).
The Catechism teaches us that “all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030).
Today, why not dedicate your prayer time to interceding for those who have gone before you—both your loved ones and those you found it hard to love? We have no way of knowing who goes straight to heaven, who goes to purgatory, or how long each person stays there. But we do know that the souls of the righteous are at peace, even if they aren’t yet perfected in holiness(Wisdom 3:3).
Prayer is never useless! Even if you pray for someone who is already in the full light of the kingdom, God will take your intercession and pour out a different blessing, maybe on the Church, on someone who doesn’t yet believe, or even on you! All he’s concerned about is that we continue to pray and work for the building up of his body, both here on earth and in heaven.
“Thank you, Jesus, for having reconciled us to your Father. Lord, may all who have gone before us be fully purified and enter the full light of your kingdom.” Amen!
Psalms 23: A David Psalm
1-3 God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.
4 Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.
5 You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.
6 Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.
Romans 6: When Death Becomes Life
1-3 So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!
3-5 That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.
6-11 Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.
John 6:35-38 Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.
39-40 “This, in a nutshell, is that will: that everything handed over to me by the Father be completed—not a single detail missed—and at the wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole. This is what my Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns with him will enter real life, eternal life. My part is to put them on their feet alive and whole at the completion of time.”
Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion:
(Wisdom 3: THE HIDDEN COUNSELS OF GOD*
A. ON SUFFERING*
1 The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
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.
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.
6 As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings* he took them to himself.
7 In the time of their judgment* they shall shine
and dart about as sparks through stubble;
8 They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
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,
and his care is with the elect.
Psalms 23: A David Psalm
1-3 God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.
4 Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.
5 You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.
6 Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.
Romans 6: When Death Becomes Life
1-3 So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!
3-5 That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.
6-11 Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.
John 6:35-38 Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.
39-40 “This, in a nutshell, is that will: that everything handed over to me by the Father be completed—not a single detail missed—and at the wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole. This is what my Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns with him will enter real life, eternal life. My part is to put them on their feet alive and whole at the completion of time.”)
1. All the readings for All Souls Day speak of death and resurrection, the end of time, and eternal life. This includes the words from the first reading, for example, “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” (Wisdom 3:1-3). What do these words mean to you? In what ways do they provide hope for you and your loved ones?
2. The Responsorial Psalm is from the 23rd Psalm. Why do you think this psalm is often read at funerals?
3. What do these words from the second reading mean to you? “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). How would you describe this hope? What impact does this hope and this “love of God” poured into your heart have on your life? What can you do to allow this truth to manifest itself even more in your life?
4. The Gospel reading begins with these words: “Everyone that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me” (John 6:37). The reading ends with these words: “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” (6:40). These words, which should fill us with great joy, reiterate the basis of our Christian confidence and faith in the saving work of our Lord. In your everyday life, how do you try to give expression to your faith (and yes your joy) as one of the redeemed of God? How do you share this faith and pass it on to others—especially members of your family?
5. In the meditation, we hear these words: “Today, why not dedicate your prayer time to interceding for those who have gone before you—both your loved ones and those you found it hard to love?” It is probably easy to pray for our beloved dead with great hope, confident that they are resting securely in the hand of God. However, are there some men or women who have passed away that you have found “hard to love”? Are you willing to pray for the repose of their souls as well? If not, why not?
6. Take some time to recall to mind loved ones, and others, who have passed away and pray now for the repose of their souls. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.
“Thank you, Jesus, for having reconciled us to your Father. Lord, may all who have gone before us be fully purified and enter the full light of your kingdom.” Amen!
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