Readings and a Meditation for All Souls Day

"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." -Wisdom 3,1-9.

A Psalm 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!

-Ps 27,1.4.7.8.9.13-14.

From the Apostle Paul:

"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 mightlive 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. - Rom 6:3-9.

Commentary of the day by 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 travelers 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.

Go to: www.dailygospel.org

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Readings and a Meditation for All Souls Day

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