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Sunday, 02 November 2014
The Commemoration of all of the Faithful Departed
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The
Commemoration of all of the Faithful Departed
It is very significant and appropriate that after the Solemnity of All Saints, the Liturgy has us celebrate the Commemoration of all of the Faithful Departed. The "communion of saints", which we profess in the Creed, is a reality that is constructed here below, but is fully made manifest when we will see God "as he is" (I Jn 3: 2).
It is the reality of a family bound together by deep bonds of spiritual solidarity that unites the faithful departed to those who are pilgrims in the world. It is a mysterious but real bond, nourished by prayer and participation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
In the Mystical Body of Christ the souls of the faithful meet, overcoming the obstacle of death; they pray for one another, carrying out in charity an intimate exchange of gifts.
In this dimension of faith one understands the practice of offering prayers of suffrage for the dead, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, memorial of Christ's Pasch which opened to believers the passage to eternal life.
Dear friends, may the traditional visit of these days to the tombs of our dear departed be an occasion to fearlessly consider the mystery of death and to cultivate that constant vigilance which prepares us to meet it serenely. The Virgin Mary, Queen of Saints… will help us.
Pope Benedict XVI (Angelus, 1st November 2005) |
http://dailygospel.org/main.php?language=AM&module=saintfeast&id=10054&fd=0
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 25:31-46.
Jesus said to his disciples: "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."
Commentary of the day :
Saint Ambrose (c.340-397), Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church
On the death of his brother, § 6
« When Jesus saw Mary weeping and the Jews who had comne with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled » (Jn 11,33)
Why is it that I would pray for you, O my brother, who loved me so much and have been carried off from me… ? For I have not lost my relationship to you, rather it has been completely changed in my regard. Up to now it was inseparable from the body, but now it is indissoluble from feeling. You remain with me and will remain so always… Paul the apostle calls me back and places a sort of brake on my sadness with these words: “We do not want you to be unaware about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest who have no hope” (1Thes 4,13)…
But not all weeping is a sign of lack of faith or of weakness. Natural sorrow is one thing, the sadness of unbelief is another… Sorrow is not alone in having its tears and prayer, according to the prophet, bathes our bed with tears (Ps 6,7). When the patriarchs were enslaved, their people wept bitterly over themselves as well. Thus tears are signs of affection and not incitements to sorrow. I confess that I have wept, but the Lord also wept (Jn 11,35). He wept for someone not of his own kin; I for a brother. He wept for all men in one man; as for me, I will weep for you, my brother, in every man.
Christ wept with the feeling that is ours, not his own, for divinity has no tears… He wept in that man who was “sorrowful even to death” (Mt 26,38); he wept in him who was crucified, who died, who was buried; he wept in that man… who was born of the Virgin.
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10/9/2013
by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R., Susan Tassone, and Fr. John P. Grigus, O.F.M. Conv
Foreword
The risen Lord is free of all constraints imposed by space and time. He can be anywhere he wants to be, and he wants to be entirely present to us in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Under the appearance of bread, Jesus is truly present: divinity and humanity, body and soul. When the faithful spend time with him in adoration, their love for the Lord grows strong.
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