Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 11-01-05, Solemnity of All Saints

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

Today is a holy day of obligation.

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Litany of the Saints

This litany is the oldest litany continually in use. It was used if not by Pope Liberius certainly by Pope St. Gregory the Great in the "Litania Septiformis" at Rome and in the procession of St. Mamertus at Vienna. This litany forms one of our oldest liturgical offices in the West, and is the model for all others.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Response: pray for us

Holy Mary,
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
St. Michael,
St. Gabriel,
St. Raphael,
All you holy Angels and Archangels,
All you holy orders of blessed Spirits,
St. John the Baptist,
St. Joseph,
All you holy Patriarchs and Prophets,
St. Peter,
St. Paul,
St. Andrew,
St. James,
St. John,
St. Thomas,
St. James,
St. Philip,
St. Bartholomew,
St. Matthew,
St. Simon,
St. Thaddeus,
St. Matthias,
St. Barnabas,
St. Luke,
St. Mark,
All you holy Apostles and Evangelists,
All you holy Disciples of the Lord,
All you holy Innocents,
St. Stephen,
St. Lawrence,
St. Vincent,
Sts. Fabian and Sebastian,
Sts. John and Paul,
Sts. Cosmas and Damian,
Sts. Gervase and Protase,
All you holy Martyrs,
St. Sylvester,
St. Gregory,
St. Ambrose,
St. Augustine,
St. Jerome,
St. Martin,
St. Nicholas,
All you holy Bishops and Confessors,
All you holy Doctors,
St. Anthony,
St. Benedict,
St. Bernard,
St. Dominic,
St. Francis,
All you holy Priests and Levites,
All you holy Monks and Hermits,
St. Mary Magdalen,
St. Agatha,
St. Lucy,
St. Agnes,
St. Cecilia,
St. Catherine,
St. Anastasia,
All you holy Virgins and Widows,
All you Holy Men and Women, Saints of God, make intercession for us.

Be merciful, spare us, O Lord.
Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord.

Response: O Lord, deliver us

From all evil,
From all sin,
From your wrath,
From sudden and unprovided death,
From the snares of the devil,
From anger, and hatred, and all ill-will,
From the spirit of fornication,.
From lightning and tempest,
From the scourge of earthquake,
From plague, famine, and war,
From everlasting death,
Through the mystery of your holy Incarnation,
Through your Coming,
Through your Nativity,
Through your Baptism and holy Fasting,
Through your Cross and Passion,
Through your Death and Burial,
Through your holy Resurrection,
Through your admirable Ascension,
Through the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete,
In the day of judgment,

Response: We beseech you, hear us

We sinners,
That you would spare us,
That you would pardon us,
That you would bring us to true penance,
That you would deign to govern and preserve your holy Church,
That you would deign to preserve our Apostolic Prelate, and all orders of the Church in holy religion,
That you would deign to humble the enemies of Holy Church,
That you would deign to give peace and true concord to Christian kings and princes,
That you would deign to grant peace and unity to all Christian people,
That you would deign to call back to the unity of the Church all who have strayed from the truth and lead all unbelievers to the light of the Gospel,
That you would deign to confirm and preserve us in your holy service,
That you would lift up our minds to heavenly desires,
That you would render eternal blessings to all our benefactors,
That you would deliver our souls and the souls of our brethren, relations and benefactors, from eternal damnation,
That you would deign to give and preserve the fruits of the earth,
That you would deign to grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed,
That you would deign graciously hear us,
Son of God,

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Our Father, etc. (inaudibly).

V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.

Psalm 69:
Deign, O Lord, to rescue me; O Lord, make haste to help me.
Let them be put to shame and confounded who seek my life.
Let them be turned back in disgrace who desire my ruin.
Let them retire in their shame who say to me, "Aha, aha!"
But may all who seek you exult and be glad in you, and may those who love your salvation say ever, "God be glorified!"

But I am afflicted and poor; O God, hasten to me!
You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, hold not back!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

V. Save your servants.
R. Who trust in you, O my God.

V. Be a tower of strength for us, O Lord,
R. Against the attack of the enemy.

V. Let not the enemy prevail against us.
R. And let not the son of evil dare to harm us.

V. Lord, deal not with us according to our sins.
R. Neither requite us according to our iniquities.

V. Let us pray for our Sovereign Pontiff, Pope John Paul II.
R. The Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.

V. Let us pray for our benefactors.
R. Deign, O Lord, for Your name’s sake, to reward with eternal life all those who do us good. Amen.

V. Let us pray for the faithful departed.
R. Eternal rest give to them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.

V. May they rest in peace.
R. Amen.

V. For our absent brethren.
R. Save your servants, who trust in you, my God.

V. Send them help, O Lord, from your sanctuary.
R. And sustain them from Zion.

V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come to you.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray:
O God, whose property is always to have mercy and to spare, receive our petition, that we, and all your servants who are bound by the chains of sin, may, by the compassion of your goodness, be mercifully absolved.

Graciously hear, we beg you, O Lord, the prayers of your suppliants, and pardon the sins of those who confess to you, that in your bounty you may grant us both pardon and peace.

In your clemency, O Lord, show us your ineffable mercy, that you may both free us from all our sins, and deliver us from the punishments which we deserve for them.

God, who by sin are offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of your suppliant people, and turn away the scourges of your anger, which we deserve for our sins.

Almighty, everlasting God, have mercy upon your servant N., our Sovereign Pontiff, and direct him according to your clemency into the way of everlasting salvation, that by your grace he may desire those things that are pleasing to you, and perform them with all his strength.

O God, from whom are holy desires, good counsels, and just works, give to your servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts be set to keep your commandments, and that, being removed from the fear of our enemies, we may pass our time in peace under your protection.

Burn our desires and our hearts with the fire of the Holy Spirit, O Lord, that we may serve you with a chaste body, and with a clean heart be pleasing to you.

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of your servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins, that, through devout prayers, they may obtain the pardon which they always desired.

Direct, we beg you, O Lord, our actions by your holy inspirations, and carry them on by your gracious assistance, that every prayer and work of ours may begin always with you, and through you be happily ended.

Almighty and everlasting God, you have dominion over the living and the dead, and you are merciful to all who you foreknow will be yours by faith and good works; we humbly beg you that those for whom we intend to pour forth our prayers, whether this present world still detain them in the flesh, or the world to come has already received them our of their bodies, may through the intercession of all your Saints, by the clemency of your goodness, obtain the remission of all their sins. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come to you.

V. May the almighty and merciful Lord graciously hear us.
R. Amen.

V. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R. Amen.

From: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14

The Great Multitude of the Saved

[2] Then I (John) saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun,
with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to
the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea,
[3] saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we
have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads." [4] And I
heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand
sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel.

[9] After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man
could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and
tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in
white robes, with palm branches in their hands, [10] and crying out
with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the
throne, and to the Lamb!" [11] And all the angels stood round the
throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they
fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, [12] saying,
"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and
power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen."

[13] Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these,
clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?" [14] I said to him,
"Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out
of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb."

Commentary:

1-17. This chapter consists of two visions designed to illustrate God's
protection of Christians and the happy circumstances of the martyrs.
The victory of the Church is depicted--of the entire Church, made up of
people from the four points of the compass (vv. 9-12). What is not so
clear, however, is who the one hundred and fort four thousand are,
drawn from the twelve tribes of Israel, whom an angel has marked with
the seal of the living God (vv. 1-8). Some commentators interpret them
as all being Christians of Jewish background (Judaeo-Christians).
Others say that they are those who make up the new Israel which St Paul
speaks about in Galatians 6:17; that is, all the baptized viewed first
as still engaged in their battle (vv. 1-8) and then after they have won
victory (vv. 9-17). The most plausible interpretation is that the one
hundred and forty four thousand stand for the Jews converted to
Christianity (as distinct from those not converted)--the 'remnant of
Israel' (cf. Is 4:2-4; Ezek 9; etc.). St Paul says that they prove the
irrevocable nature of God's election (cf. Rom 1l:1-5) and are the
first-fruits of the restoration which will come about at the End (cf.
Rom 11:25-32).

The hundred and forty-four thousand are included in the second vision;
they would be part of the great multitude "from all tribes and people
and tongues". Thus, the vision in vv. 9-17 takes in the entire Church
without any distinctions, whereas the vision in vv. 1-8 can refer only
to a part of the Church--those Jews who, by becoming Christians, made
up the original nucleus of the Church. The Church admits these on the
same basis as all those who become Christians later without having had
to pass through any stage of Jewish observance.

1-8. In Jewish tradition angels were divided into two groups--angels of
the Presence and sanctification, and those charged with controlling the
forces of nature. Both kinds appear in this passage.

According to the custom of the time, when something bore the mark of a
seal or brand that meant that it belonged to the seal's owner. This
passage is saying that the one hundred and forty four thousand belong
to God and therefore will be protected by him as his property. This
fulfills what Ezekiel prophesied about the inhabitants of Jerusalem (cf.
Ezek 9:1-7): some would be sealed on the forehead with a tax (the last
letter of the Hebrew alphabet) and would therefore escape the
punishment to be inflicted on all the rest: this shows the special way
God makes provision for those who are his not only because he created
them but also by a new title.

The Fathers of the Church saw this mark as symbolizing the character
Baptism impresses on the souls of the faithful to show that they are
destined for eternal life. Thus, the persons preserved from harm are
the Jews who were converts to Christianity: their Baptism marked them
out from those Jews who rejected Christ and were not baptized.

The list of tribes is somewhat different from the usual list which
keeps the order of Genesis 29. The name of Judah is put first because
the Messiah came from that tribe, as St John recently mentioned (cf.
5:5); and there is no mention of the tribe of Dan, presumably because
it fell into idolatry (cf. Judg 17-18) and eventually disappeared. To
make up the tally of twelve the tribe of Joseph is mentioned twice--as
that of Joseph and as that of Manasseh, his first-born.

The number of those sealed (12 x 12 x 1000) symbolizes completeness,
totality--in this instance, a huge multitude, depicted as the new
Israel. Included in this number are the descendants of Jacob who
receive Baptism, irrespective of when they do. Obviously this number is
not meant to be taken literally, as if only one hundred and forty-four
thousand people will attain salvation. In this scene all those of
Gentile background who become Christians over the course of history are
explicitly not included. They will appear in the vision which follows.

9-17. Pope John Paul II has commented on this passage as follows: "The
people dressed in white robes whom John sees with his prophetic eye are
the redeemed, and they form a 'great multitude', which no one could
count and which is made up of people of the most varied backgrounds.
The blood of the Lamb, who has been offered in sacrifice for all, has
exercised its universal and most effective redemptive power in every
corner of the earth, extending grace and salvation to that 'great
multitude'. After undergoing the trials and being purified in the blood
of Christ, they--the redeemed--are now safe in the Kingdom of God, whom
they praise and bless for ever and ever" ("Homily", 1 November 1981).
This great crowd includes all the saved and not just the martyrs, for
it says that they washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, not in
their own blood.

Everyone has to become associated with Christ's passion through
suffering, as St Augustine explains, not without a certain humor: "Many
are martyrs in their beds. The Christian is lying on his couch,
tormented by pain. He prays and his prayers are not heard, or perhaps
they are heard but he is being put to the test...so that he may be
received as a son. He becomes a martyr through illness and is crowned
by him who hung upon the Cross" ("Sermon" 286, 8).

"It is consoling and encouraging to know that those who attain heaven
constitute a huge multitude. The passages of Matthew 7:14 and Luke 13:
24 which seem to imply that very few will be saved should be
interpreted in the light of this vision, which shows that the infinite
value of Christ's blood makes God's will be done: "(God) desires all
men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim 2:4).

In vv 14-17 we see the blessed in two different situations--first,
before the resurrection of the body (v. 14) and, then, after it, when
body and soul have been reunited (vv. 15-17). In this second situation
the nature of risen bodies is highlighted: they cannot suffer pain or
inconvenience of any kind: they are out of harm's reach; they have the
gift of "impassibility" (cf. "St Pius V Catechism", I, 12, 13).

This consoling scene is included in the vision to encourage believers
to imitate those Christians who were like us and now find themselves
in heaven because they have come through victorious. The Church invites
us to pray along similar lines: "Father, you sanctified the Church of
Rome with the blood of its first martyrs. May we find strength from
their courage and rejoice in their triumph" ("Roman Missal", Feast of
the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome, opening prayer).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: 1 John 3:1-3

We are Children of God

[1] See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called
children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know
us is that it did not know him. [2] Beloved, we are God's children now;
it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he
appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

A Child of God Does Not Sin

[3] And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Commentary:

1-24. This entire chapter shows how moved the Apostle is when he
contemplates the marvelous gift of divine filiation. The Holy Spirit,
who is the author of all Sacred Scripture, has desired John to pass on
to us this unique revelation: we are children of God (v. 1).

It is not easy to divide the chapter into sections, because the style
is very cyclic and colloquial and includes many repetitions and further
thoughts which make for great vividness and freshness. However, we can
distinguish an opening proclamation of the central message (vv. 1-2)
and emphasis on two requirements of divine filiation--rejection of sin
in any shape or form (vv. 3-10), and brotherly love lived to the full
(vv. 11-24).

1. "We should be called children of God": the original Hebrew
_expression, which reads "we are called...", is also used by our Lord in
the Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:9): "to be called" means the same as "to be
called by God"; and in the language of the Bible, when God gives
someone a name he is not simply conferring a title but is causing the
thing that the name indicates (cf., e.g., Gen 17:5), for the word of
God is efficacious, it does what it says it will do. Hence St John's
adding: "and so we are".

Therefore, it is not just a matter of a metaphorical title, or a legal
fiction, or adoption human-style: divine filiation is an essential
feature of a Christian's life, a marvelous fact whereby God
gratuitously gives men a strictly supernatural dignity, an intimacy
with God whereby they are "domestici Dei", "members of the household of
God" (Eph 2:19). This explains the tone of amazement and joy with which
St John passes on this revelation.

This sense of divine filiation is one of the central points in the
spirituality of Opus Dei. Its founder wrote: "We do not exist in order
to pursue just any happiness. We have been called to penetrate the
intimacy of God's own life, to know and love God the Father, God the
Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and to love also--in that same love of
the one God in three divine Persons--the angels and all men.

"This is the great boldness of the Christian faith--to proclaim the
value and dignity of human nature and to affirm that we have been
created to obtain the dignity of children of God, through the grace
that raises us up to a supernatural level. An incredible boldness it
would be, were it not founded on the promise of salvation given us by
God the Father, confirmed by the blood of Christ, and reaffirmed and
made possible by the constant action of the Holy Spirit" ("Christ Is
Passing By", 133).

"The world does not know us, (because) it did not know him": these
words are reminiscent of our Lord's at the Last Supper: "the hour is
coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
And they will do this because they have not known the Father, nor me"
(Jn 16:2-3). Divine filiation brings with it communion and a mysterious
identification between Christ and the Christian.

2. The indescribable gift of divine filiation, which the world does not
know (v. 1), is not fully experienced by Christians, because the seeds
of divine life which it contains will only reach their full growth in
eternal life, when we see him "as he is", "face to face" (1 Cor 13:12);
"this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom thou hast sent" (Jn 17:3). In that direct sight of God as
he is, and of all things in God, the life of grace and divine filiation
achieve their full growth. Man is not naturally able to see God face to
face; he needs to be enlightened by a special light, which is given the
technical theological name of "lumen gloriae", light of glory. This
does not allow him to "take in" all God (no created thing could do
that), but it does allow him to look at God directly.

Commenting on this verse, the "St Pius V Catechism" explains that
"beatitude consists of two things--that we shall behold God such as he
is in his own nature and substance; and that we ourselves shall become,
as it were, gods. For those who enjoy God while they retain their own
nature, assume a certain admirable and almost divine form, so as to
seem gods rather than men" (I, 13, 7).

"When he appears": two interpretations are possible, given that in
Greek the verb has no subject: "when (what we shall be) is revealed we
shall be as he is"; or, as the New Vulgate translates it, "when he
(Christ) is revealed we will be like him (Christ)". The second
interpretation is the more likely.

3. "Purifies himself': Christian hope, which is grounded on Christ, is
something active and it moves the Christian to "purify himself". This
verb is evocative of the ritual purifications required of priests in
the Old Testament prior to engaging in divine service (cf. Ex 19:10;
Num 8:21; Acts 21:24); here, and in other places in the New Testament,
it means interior purification from sins, that is, righteousness,
holiness (1 Pet 1:22; Jas 4:8). Our model is Jesus Christ, "as he is
pure"; he is the One who has never had sin, the Righteous One (1 Jn 2:
29; 3:7); a Christian has no other model of holiness, as Jesus himself
said: "Learn from me" (Mt 11:29; cf. Jn 14:6). "We have to learn from
him, from Jesus, who is our only model. If you want to go forward
without stumbling or wandering off the path, then all you have to do is
walk the road he walked, placing your feet in his footprints and
entering into his humble and patient Heart, there to drink from the
wellsprings of his commandments and of his love. In a word, you must
identify yourself with Jesus Christ and try to become really and truly
another Christ among your fellow men" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God",
128).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Matthew 5:1-12a

The Beatitudes

[1] Seeing the crowds, He (Jesus) went up on the mountain, and when He
sat down His disciples came to Him. [2] And He opened His mouth and
taught them, saying: [3] "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the Kingdom of Heaven. [4] Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall
be comforted. [5] Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the
earth. [6] Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied. [7] Blessed are the merciful, for they
shall obtain mercy. [8] Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall
see God. [9] Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called
children of God. [10] Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. [11] Blessed
are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of
evil against you falsely on My account. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for
your reward is great in Heaven."

Commentary:

1. The Discourse, or Sermon, on the Mount takes up three full chapters
of St. Matthew's Gospel--Chapters 5-7. It is the first of the five
great discourses of Jesus which appear in this Gospel and it contains a
considerable amount of our Lord's teaching.

It is difficult to reduce this discourse to one single theme, but the
various teachings it contains could be said to deal with these five
points: 1) the attitude a person must have for entering the Kingdom of
Heaven (the Beatitudes, the salt of the earth, the light of the world,
Jesus and His teaching, the fullness of the Law); 2) uprightness of
intention in religious practice (here the "Our Father" would be
included); 3) trust in God's fatherly providence; 4) how God's children
should behave towards one another (not judging one's neighbor, respect
for holy things, the effectiveness of prayer, and the golden rule of
charity); 5) the conditions for entering the Kingdom (the narrow gate,
false prophets and building on rock).

"He taught them": this refers both to the disciples and to the
multitude, as can be seen at the end of the Sermon (Matthew 7:28).

2. The Beatitudes (5:3-12) form, as it were, the gateway to the Sermon
on the Mount. In order to understand the Beatitudes properly, we
should bear in mind that they do not promise salvation only to the
particular kinds of people listed here: they cover everyone whose
religious dispositions and moral conduct meet the demands which Jesus
lays down. In other words, the poor in spirit, the meek, those who
mourn, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, the merciful,
the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who suffer persecution in
their search for holiness--these are not different people or kinds of
people but different demands made on everyone who wants to be a
disciple of Christ.

Similarly, salvation is not being promised to different groups in
society but to everyone, no matter what his or her position in life,
who strives to follow the spirit and to meet the demands contained in
the Beatitudes.

All the Beatitudes have an eschatological meaning, that is, they
promise us definitive salvation not in this world, but in the next.
But the spirit of the Beatitudes does give us, in this life, peace in
the midst of tribulation. The Beatitudes imply a completely new
approach, quite at odds with the usual way man evaluates things: they
rule out any kind of pharisaical religiosity, which regards earthly
happiness as a blessing from God and a reward for good behavior, and
unhappiness and misfortune as a form of punishment. In all ages the
Beatitudes put spiritual goods on a much higher plane than material
possessions. The healthy and the sick, the powerful and the weak, the
rich and the poor--all are called, independently of their
circumstances, to the deep happiness that is experienced by those who
live up to the Beatitudes which Jesus teaches.

The Beatitudes do not, of course, contain the entire teaching of the
Gospel, but they do contain, in embryo, the whole program of Christian
perfection.

3. This text outlines the connection between poverty and the soul.
This religious concept of poverty was deeply rooted in the Old
Testament (cf., e.g., Zephaniah 2:3ff). It was more to do with a
religious attitude of neediness and of humility towards God than with
material poverty: that person is poor who has recourse to God without
relying on his own merits and who trusts in God's mercy to be saved.
This religious attitude of poverty is closely related to what is called
"spiritual childhood". A Christian sees himself as a little child in
the presence of God, a child who owns nothing: everything he has comes
from God and belongs to God. Certainly, spiritual poverty, that is,
Christian poverty, means one must be detached from material things and
practice austerity in using them. God asks certain
people--religious--to be legally detached from ownership and thereby
bear witness to others of the transitoriness of earthly things.

4. "Those who mourn": here our Lord is saying that those are blessed
who suffer from any kind of affliction--particularly those who are
genuinely sorry for they sins, or are pained by the offenses which
others offer God, and who bear their suffering with love and in a
spirit of atonement.

"You are crying? Don't be ashamed of it. Yes, cry: men also cry like
you, when they are alone and before God. Each night, says King David,
I soak my bed with tears. With those tears, those burning manly tears,
you can purify your past and supernaturalize your present life"
([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 216).

The Spirit of God will console with peace and joy, even in this life,
those who weep for their sins, and later will give them a share in the
fullness of happiness and glory in Heaven: these are the blessed.

5. "The meek": those who patiently suffer unjust persecution; those who
remain serene, humble and steadfast in adversity, and do not give way
to resentment or discouragement. The virtue of meekness is very
necessary in the Christian life. Usually irritableness, which is very
common, stems from a lack of humility and interior peace.

"The earth": this is usually understood as meaning our Heavenly
Fatherland.

6. The notion of righteousness (or justice) in Holy Scripture is an
essentially religious one (cf. notes on Matthew 1:19 and 3:15; Romans
1:17; 1:18-32; 3:21-22 and 24). A righteous person is one who
sincerely strives to do the Will of God, which is discovered in the
commandments, in one's duties of state in life (social, professional
and family responsibilities) and through one's life of prayer. Thus,
righteousness, in the language of the Bible, is the same as what
nowadays is usually called "holiness" (1 John 2:29; 3:7-10; Revelation
22:11; Genesis 15:6; Deuteronomy 9:4).

As St. Jerome comments ("Comm. on Matthew", 5, 6), in the fourth
Beatitude our Lord is asking us not simply to have a vague desire for
righteousness: we should hunger and thirst for it, that is, we should
love and strive earnestly to seek what makes a man righteous in God's
eyes. A person who genuinely wants to attain Christian holiness should
love the means which the Church, the universal vehicle of salvation,
offers all men and teaches them to use--frequent use of the Sacraments,
an intimate relationship with God in prayer, a valiant effort to meet
one's social, professional and family responsibilities.

7. Mercy is not a just a matter of giving alms to the poor but also of
being understanding towards other people's defects, overlooking them,
helping them cope with them and loving them despite whatever defects
they may have. Being merciful also means rejoicing and suffering with
other people.

8. Christ teaches us that the source of the quality of human acts lies
in the heart, that is, in a man's soul, in the depths of his spirit.
"When we speak of a person's heart, we refer not just to his
sentiments, but to the whole person in his loving dealings with
others. In order to help us understand divine things, Scripture uses
the _expression `heart' in its full human meaning, as the summary and
source, _expression and ultimate basis, of one's thoughts, words and
actions. A man is worth what his heart is worth" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ
Is Passing By", 164).

Cleanness of heart is a gift of God, which expresses itself in a
capacity to love, in having an upright and pure attitude to everything
noble. As St. Paul says, "whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of
praise, think about these things" (Philippians 4:8). Helped by God's
grace, a Christian should constantly strive to cleanse his heart and
acquire this purity, whose reward is the vision of God.

9. The translation "peacemakers" well convey the active meaning of the
original text--those who foster peace, in themselves and in others and,
as a basis for that, try to be reconciled and to reconcile others with
God. Being at peace with God is the cause and effect of every kind of
peace. Any peace on earth not based on this divine peace would be vain
and misleading.

"They shall be called sons of God": this is an Hebraicism often found
in Sacred Scripture; it is the same as saying "they will be sons of
God". St. John's first letter (3:1) provides a correct exegesis of
this Beatitude: "See what love the Father has given us, that we should
be called children of God; and so we are".

10. What this Beatitude means, then, is: blessed are those who are
persecuted because they are holy, or because they are striving to be
holy, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thus, blessed is he who suffers persecution for being true to Jesus
Christ and who does so not only patiently but joyfully. Circumstances
arise in a Christian's life that call for heroism--where no compromise
is admissible: either one stays true to Jesus Christ whatever the cost
in terms of reputation, life or possessions, or one denies Him. St.
Bernard ("Sermon on the Feast of All Saints") says that the eighth
Beatitude is as it were the prerogative of Christian martyrs. Every
Christian who is faithful to Jesus' teaching is in fact a "martyr" (a
witness) who reflects or acts according with this Beatitude, even if he
does not undergo physical death.

11-12. The Beatitudes are the conditions Jesus lays down for entering
the Kingdom of Heaven. This verse, in a way summing up the preceding
ones, is an invitation to everyone to put this teaching into practice.
The Christian life, then, is no easy matter, but it is worthwhile,
given the reward that Jesus promises.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

All Saints Day - November 2005

All Saints and All Souls

All Saints Day – November 1

The Communion of All Saints

VESPERS (Evening Prayer)Nov.1 2003 Feast of ALL SAINTS

American Catholic’s Saint of the Day

November 1, 2005

Feast of All Saints

The earliest certain observance of a feast in honor of all the saints is an early fourth-century commemoration of "all the martyrs." In the early seventh century, after successive waves of invaders plundered the catacombs, Pope Boniface IV gathered up some 28 wagonloads of bones and reinterred them beneath the Pantheon, a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods. The pope rededicated the shrine as a Christian church. According to Venerable Bede, the pope intended "that the memory of all the saints might in the future be honored in the place which had formerly been dedicated to the worship not of gods but of demons" (On the Calculation of Time).

But the rededication of the Pantheon, like the earlier commemoration of all the martyrs, occurred in May. Many Eastern Churches still honor all the saints in the spring, either during the Easter season or immediately after Pentecost.

How the Western Church came to celebrate this feast in November is a puzzle to historians. The Anglo-Saxon theologian Alcuin observed the feast on November 1 in 800, as did his friend Arno, Bishop of Salzburg. Rome finally adopted that date in the ninth century.

Comment:

This feast first honored martyrs. Later, when Christians were free to worship according to their conscience, the Church acknowledged other paths to sanctity. In the early centuries the only criterion was popular acclaim, even when the bishop's approval became the final step in placing a commemoration on the calendar. The first papal canonization occurred in 993; the lengthy process now required to prove extraordinary sanctity took form in the last 500 years. Today's feast honors the obscure as well as the famous—the saints each of us have known.

Quote:

“After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.... [One of the elders] said to me, ‘These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’” (Revelation 7:9,14).

Tuesday, November 1, 2005
All Saints (Solemnity)

First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
Psalm 24:1-6
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12

The saints judge nations, and rule over people: and the Lord their God shall reign for ever. Rejoice in the Lord, ye just: praise becometh the upright.

-- Wisdom 3: 8; Ps 32:1

Thanks for the ping!

Catholic Culture

Collect:
God our Father, source of all holiness, the work of your hands is manifest in your saints, the beauty of your truth is reflected in their faith. May we who aspire to have part in their joy be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that having shared their faith on earth we may also know their peace in your kingdom. Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Recipes:

Activities:

Prayers:

» Daily Acceptance of Death

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November 01, 2005

Solemnity of All Saints

Old Calendar: Feast of All Saints

Today the Church celebrates all the saints: canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God. During the early centuries the Saints venerated by the Church were all martyrs. Later on the Popes set November 1 as the day for commemorating all the Saints. We all have this "universal call to holiness." What must we to do in order to join the company of the saints in heaven? We "must follow in His footsteps and conform [ours]elves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. [We] must devote [our]selves with all [our] being to the glory of God and the service of [our] neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history" (Lumen Gentium, 40).

All Saints Day

During the year the Church celebrates one by one the feasts of the saints. Today she joins them all in one festival. In addition to those whose names she knows, she recalls in a magnificent vision all the others "of all nations and tribes standing before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, proclaiming Him who redeemed them in His Blood."

The feast of All Saints should inspire us with tremendous hope. Among the saints of heaven are some whom we have known. All lived on earth lives like our own. They were baptized, marked with the sign of faith, they were faithful to Christ's teaching and they have gone before us to the heavenly home whence they call on us to follow them. The Gospel of the Beatitudes, read today, while it shows their happiness, shows, too, the road that they followed; there is no other that will lead us whither they have gone.

"The Commemoration of All Saints" was first celebrated in the East. The feast is found in the West on different dates in the eighth century. The Roman Martyrology mentions that this date is a claim of fame for Gregory IV (827-844) and that he extended this observance to the whole of Christendom; it seems certain, however, that Gregory III (731-741) preceded him in this. At Rome, on the other hand, on May 13, there was the annual commemoration of the consecration of the basilica of St. Maria ad Martyres (or St. Mary and All Martyrs). This was the former Pantheon, the temple of Agrippa, dedicated to all the gods of paganism, to which Boniface IV had translated many relics from the catacombs. Gregory VII transferred the anniversary of this dedication to November 1.

Things to Do:

Visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead during the Octave of All Saints' Day (November 1 through November 8) will gain a plenary indulgence (with the usual requirements, see Praying for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences in November for more information) that can be applied only to the souls in purgatory. On other days, this work only gains a partial indulgence.
Spend a little time after Mass thanking God for all the unnamed saints, some of whom could be our own relatives;
Have a special meal and if you have young children have them dress up like saints and play games;
Pray the Litany of the Saints -- you could make it really special by chanting it ("he who sings prays twice") and you could read an explanation of this litany, which is considered the model of all other litanies.
From the Catholic Culture library:
- The Church's Thanksgiving Day by Fr. Joseph Minihan,
- Ideas for Sanctifying All Saints' Day by Jennifer Gregory Miller,
- Halloween and All Saints Day by Fr. William Saunders.

Here is a quiz from the Catholic Culture site:

Know Your Saints Quiz

1. I am the apostle to the Gentiles whose letters you read in the Bible.

2. I am the first American citizen to be canonized whose work among the immigrants gave me the title of 'Patron of All Immigrants.'

3. I am the Carmelite saint whose "Little Way" shows us how offering joys and sorrows daily can make us a great saint.

4. I am the foster father of Christ and the patron of a happy death.

5. I am the cousin of Jesus who prepared the way for the Lord.

6. I am the woman who offered my veil to wipe Jesus' face when He was carrying His cross.

7. I am the apostle chosen by Christ to be head of His Church.

8. I am the missionary who made Ireland famous for its piety and learning.

9. I am the beloved apostle and the writer of the fourth gospel.

10. I am the cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary whose baby was Presanctified.

11. I am the patron saint of music because I sang the praises of God while I was cruelly put to death.

12. I am the modern day saint who chose martyrdom rather than to be impure.

13. I am the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus.

14. I am the valiant young girl who led France to victory over England and then suffered death by being burned at the stake.

15. I am the 'Little Poverino' whose order is now the largest in the world and who so resembled Christ in my life that I was privileged to bear His sacred wounds in my own body.

16. I am the 'Wonder Worker' of Padua and a Doctor of the Church.

17. I am the Patron saint of schools who was once called the Dumb Ox by my classmates but who wrote many treatises on the faith. My teacher was St. Albert the Great.

18. I am the saint who reformed the Carmelite Order and who became the first woman Doctor of the Church.

19. I am the simple parish priest who was tormented by the devil because my great sanctity brought my people closer to God.

20. I am the Visitation nun to whom Jesus appeared showing His Sacred Heart and to whom He delivered His message of love and plea for reparation.

Choices:

St. Peter	St. Therese of Lisieux
St. Anthony	St. Joan of Arc
St. Elizabeth	St. Anne
St. John the Baptist	St. John the Apostle
St. Margaret Mary	St. Patrick
St. Maria Goretti	St. Paul
St. Teresa of Avila	St. Cecilia
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton	St. John Vianney
St. Joseph	St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Francis Assisi	St. Veronica

* 20 point bonus for those who know the century in which their saint lived.

* 5 points for each piece of information you know about your saint.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Feast of All Saints

by Fr. William Saunders

Other Articles by Fr. William Saunders

The Feast of All Saints

11/1/05

What are the origins of All Saints Day and All Souls Day? Are these linked with paganism and Halloween?


Both the Feast of All Saints and the Feast of All Souls evolved in the life of the Church independently of paganism and Halloween. However, elements of pagan practices were perhaps "baptized" by some cultures or attached themselves to the celebration of All Saints and All Souls. Let us first address the Feast of All Saints. The exact origins of this celebration are uncertain, although after the legalization of Christianity in 313 a common commemoration of the saints, especially the martyrs, appeared in various areas throughout the Church. For instance in the East, the city of Edessa celebrated this feast on May 13; the Syrians, on the Friday after Easter; and the city of Antioch, on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Both St. Ephrem (d. 373) and St. John Chrysostom (d. 407) attest to this feast day in their preaching. In the West, a commemoration for all the saints also was celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. The primary reason for establishing a common feast day was because of the desire to honor the great number of martyrs, especially during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian (284-305), the worst and most extensive of the persecutions. Quite simply, there were not enough days of the year for a feast day for each martyr and many of them died in groups. A common feast day for all saints, therefore, seemed most appropriate. In 609, the Emperor Phocas gave the Pantheon in Rome to Pope Boniface IV, who rededicated it on May 13 under the title St. Maria ad Martyres (or St. Mary and All Martyrs). Whether the Holy Father purposefully chose May 13 because of the date of the popular celebration already established in the East or whether this was just a happy coincidence is open to debate. The designation of November 1 as the Feast of All Saints occurred over time. Pope Gregory III (731-741) dedicated an oratory in the original St. Peter’s Basilica in honor of all the saints on November 1 (at least according to some accounts), and this date then became the official date for the celebration of the Feast of All Saints in Rome. St. Bede (d. 735) recorded the celebration of All Saints Day on November 1 in England, and such a celebration also existed in Salzburg, Austria. Ado of Vienne (d. 875) recounted how Pope Gregory IV asked King Louis the Pious (778-840) to proclaim November 1 as All Saints Day throughout the Holy Roman Empire. Sacramentaries of the 9th and 10th centuries also placed the Feast of All Saints on the liturgical calendar on November 1. According to an early Church historian, John Beleth (d. 1165), Pope Gregory IV (827-844) officially declared November 1 the Feast of All Saints, transferring it from May 13. However, Sicard of Cremona (d. 1215) recorded that Pope Gregory VII (1073-85) finally suppressed May 13 and mandated November 1 as the date to celebrate the Feast of All Saints. In all, we find the Church establishing a liturgical feast day in honor of the saints independent of any pagan influence. Now for the pagan connection: November 1 marked Samhain, the beginning of the Celtic winter. (The Celts lived as early as 2,000 years ago in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and northern France.) Samhain, for whom the feast was named, was the Celtic lord of death, and his name literally meant "summer’s end." Since winter is the season of cold, darkness and death, the Celts soon made the connection with human death. The eve of Samhain, October 31, was a time of Celtic pagan sacrifice, and Samhain allowed the souls of the dead to return to their earthly homes that evening. Ghosts, witches, goblins and elves came to harm the people, particularly those who had inflicted harm on them in this life. Cats too were considered sacred because they had once been human beings who had been changed as a punishment for their evil deeds on this earth. To protect themselves from marauding evil spirits on the eve of Samhain, the people extinguished their hearth fires and the Druids (the priests and spiritual teachers of the Celts) built a huge new year’s bonfire of sacred oak branches. The Druids offered burnt sacrifices — crops, animals, even humans — and told fortunes of the coming year by examining the burned remains. People sometimes wore costumes of animal heads and skins. From this new fire, the home hearths were again ignited. Particular ethnic groups developed their own lore that was merged with the celebration. In Ireland, people held a parade in honor of Muck Olla, a god. They followed a leader dressed in a white robe with a mask made from the head of an animal, and begged for food. (Ireland is also the source of the jack-o’lantern fable: A man named Jack was not able to enter heaven because of his miserliness and he could not enter hell because he played practical jokes on the devil; so he was condemned to walk the earth with his lantern until Judgment Day.) The Scots walked through fields and villages carrying torches and lit bonfires to ward off witches and other evil spirits. In Wales, every person placed a marked stone in the huge bonfire. If a person’s stone could not be found the next morning, he would die within a year. Besides the Celtic traditions in place, the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43 brought two other pagan feasts. Feralia was held in late October to honor the dead. Another autumn festival honored Pomona, the goddess of fruits and trees; probably through this festival, apples became associated with Halloween. Elements of these Roman celebrations were combined with the Celtic Samhain. With the spread of Christianity and the establishment of All Saints Day, some of these pagan customs remained in the English-speaking world for All Hallows Eve (or Halloween, All Saints Eve), perhaps at first more out of superstition, and later, more out of fun. Nevertheless, All Saints Day clearly arose from a genuine Christian devotion. Fr. Saunders is pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Potomac Falls and a professor of catechetics and theology at Notre Dame Graduate School in Alexandria. If you enjoy reading Fr. Saunders' work, his new book entitled Straight Answers (400 pages) is available at the Pauline Book and Media Center of Arlington, Virginia (703/549-3806). (This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	They Didn't Start Out As Saints!
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Tuesday, November 1, 2005

Rev 7:2-4,9-14 / 1 Jn 3:1-3 / Mt 5:1-12

As we mark this Feast of All Saints, it’s fascinating to remember where some of the better known saints started out and how their lives proceeded. St Matthew was a tax collector. St Mary Magdalene practiced the oldest profession in the world. St Peter was impetuous and something of a blowhard, and he had to press hard before he’d let gentiles become Christians unless they first became Jews! The whole lot of the apostles ran for the hills when Jesus was taken captive in the Garden of Gethsemane, and that was just a short while after their robust promise that they’d follow him anywhere and die with him if need be.

The list could go on and on, but the point is a simple one: none of these great saints started out as saints. Quite the contrary was true. They slowly and painstakingly evolved into holy men and women, with many starts and stops and numerous temporary reversals. And very often, as many of them have testified in their diaries, they suffered from deep discouragement at their lack of progress and their frequent mistakes. St Paul spoke for them and for us all when said in anguish, “The good that I would do, I do not.” Isn’t it the truth.

There’s a lesson in all this for us who are still struggling along our own roads: Growing up into God’s image and likeness takes a long time. It’s a lifetime work, and God understands that. After all, he’s the one who put us together.

So take heart. Rejoice in the little triumphs as they happen. Each one brings you a step closer to home. Each one brings you a step closer to the embrace of our Father.

20 out of 20. What do we win?

Thanks for the post.

Good for you. I thought it was a little on the easy side too.

Faith-sharing bump.

Remember 'tis the Mexican holiday "Dia de los Muertos", the Day of the Dead.