The Commemoration of all of the Faithful Departed
Commentary of the day
Saint Cyprian : "Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live" (Jn 11,25)
Reading
Wisdom 3,1-9.
But 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 the elect.
Ps 27,1.4.7.8.9.13-14.
Of David The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom am I afraid? One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the LORD'S house all the days of my life, To gaze on the LORD'S beauty, to visit his temple. I Hear my voice, LORD, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me. "Come," says my heart, "seek God's face"; your face, LORD, do I seek! Do not hide your face from me; do not repel your servant in anger. You are my help; do not cast me off; do not forsake me, God my savior! But I believe I shall enjoy the LORD'S goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the LORD!
Rm 6,3-9.
Or 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.
Mt 25,31-46. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Cyprian (c.200-258), Bishop of Carthage and martyr
Treatise on death, PL4, 596f.
"Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live" (Jn 11,25)
We should not weep for those brothers of ours whom the Lord’s call has drawn away from this world since we know that they are not lost but have set out before us: they have left us, like travellers or navigators, so that they might go ahead of us. We should envy them, then, rather than weep for them and should not clothe ourselves in black when they are clothed above in robes of white. Do not let us give the pagans an opportunity for very rightly reproaching us for lamenting over those whom we assert to be alive before God, as though they were wiped out or lost. We betray our hope and our faith if what we say appears to be deception and lies. There is no use in protesting one’s courage in words and destroying its veracity in deeds. When we die, we pass through death to immortality and eternal life cannot be bestowed unless we depart from this world. This is not an ending but a passing. At the completion of our temporal journey comes our passing into eternity. Who would not hurry towards so great a good? Who would not long to be changed and transformed into the image of Christ? Heaven is our homeland… A great number of our dear ones are waiting for us there, a huge crowd of parents, brothers, sons are longing for us… Let us hurry to come to them, let us ardently desire to be with them speedily and to be speedily with Christ.
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