All Saints Day a Holy Day of Obligation And All Souls Day

Solemnity of All Saints observed annually on 1 November and it commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. In the Roman Catholic Church, the following day 2 November is observed as All Souls' Day and it commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven.

Almighty ever-living God, by whose gift we venerate in one celebration the merits of all the Saints, bestow on us, we pray, through the prayers of so many intercessors, an abundance of the reconciliation with you for which we earnestly long. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Friday, 01 November, 2013
All Saints (Solemnity)

Reading 1

Revelation 7: 2 - 4, 9 - 14
2	Then I 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 worshiped 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.

Psalm

Psalms 24: 1 - 6
1	The earth is the LORD's and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein;
2	for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.
3	Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4	He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully.
5	He will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation.
6	Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. [Selah]

Reading 2

1 John 3: 1 - 3
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.
3	And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Gospel

Matthew 5: 1 - 12
1	Seeing the crowds, he 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 in heart, for they shall see God.
9	"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons 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, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.

All Souls Day Prayer

We suppliants, O Lord,

pour forth our prayers

for the souls of Your servants and handmaids,

that You would mercifully pardon their sins,

committed through human frailty,

and graciously bring their sufferings to an end.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Saturday, 02 November, 2013 

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed 

(All Souls)

Reading 1

Wisdom 3: 1 - 9
1	But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them.
2	In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction,
3	and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace.
4	For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality.
5	Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
6	like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.
7	In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble.
8	They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever.
9	Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones.

Psalm

Psalms 27: 1, 4, 7 - 9, 13 - 14
1	The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
4	One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
7	Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8	Thou hast said, "Seek ye my face." My heart says to thee, "Thy face, LORD, do I seek."
9	Hide not thy face from me. Turn not thy servant away in anger, thou who hast been my help. Cast me not off, forsake me not, O God of my salvation!
13	I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
14	Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the LORD!

Reading 2

Romans 5: 5 - 11
5	and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.
6	While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7	Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man -- though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die.
8	But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
9	Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
10	For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
11	Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.

Gospel

John 11: 17 - 27
17	Now when Jesus came, he found that Laz'arus had already been in the tomb four days.
18	Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off,
19	and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.
20	When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house.
21	Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22	And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."
23	Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24	Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25	Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
26	and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
27	She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."