November 1
Solemnity of All Saints
First Reading
RV 7:2-4, 9-14
I, John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, “Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the children of Israel.
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. They cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.”
All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: “Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen."
Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He 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.”
Responsorial Psalm
PS 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6
R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior. Such is the race that seeks him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Second Reading
1 JN 3:1-3
Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.
Alleluia
MT 11:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
MT 5:1-12A
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
Give a Mass Offering
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
“Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.”
Readings & Reflection
Today we hear the image of a “great multitude,” a group gathered “from every nation, race, people, and tongue.” In fact, the multitude is so great that it is impossible to count. How does that make us feel as individuals? Do we feel like a part of a great team who praises God, or do we feel lost in the crowd?
As individuals, we often forget that because of our Baptism we are part of this great multitude. We should rejoice in this, and yet we often feel alone. I find that this feeling is similar to how we think of the Saints of the Church. It is common for a faithful person to associate themselves with one or two specific saints. They often inspire us in some aspect of life that we take particular interest, yet there are so many saints, all part of that great multitude as well.
Today, we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. We recognize the action of God in the lives of ordinary people, living ordinary lives, who experience Christ in a way that changes their life. Today, let us implore the Saints of the Church to help us move closer to sainthood ourselves, never feeling alone, but instead feeling part of God’s great plan! After all, those who we honor today would have said during their life on Earth that they could never be a saint, but we see and honor their accomplishments. A miracle indeed!
Peace,
Fr. John Kurgan
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