Greeting (Rom 1, 7)

To all of you who are God's beloved
and called to be saints,
grace and peace from God our Father
and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord's peace stay with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

On this celebration of All Saints, we ask ourselves: What is our idea of saints? Are they to us idealistic dreamers out of touch with the world and with people, passive and joyless like their plaster statues? Today's liturgy tells us a different story. They are ordinary people like us, of the same flesh and blood as we. But they had the courage to be different, to do the ordinary things of life in the extraordinary way of Christ from whom they drew their courage. They put us to shame with their quiet but strong gentleness, their integrity, their commitment to God and to people in justice and truth and peace. Let us ask the Lord here with us for the strength to follow him the way they did.

Penitential Act

Do we firmly believe that we sinners
are called to be saints?
Let us examine ourselves.
             (PAUSE)
Lord, you tell us: Happy the poor in spirit.
We have heard you, but it is hard to do.
On our self-sufficiency and selfishness,
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Christ, you tell us: Happy the merciful.
But the miseries of others affect us little.
On our hardness and unconcern,
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord, you tell us: Happy the peacemakers.
We do not easily share the peace
of forgiveness and committed service.
On our pride and violence,
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins.
Give us the courage to live your gospel
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray to God
that the saints may inspire us to follow Christ as they did
         (PAUSE)
God of hope and Lord of the future,
through the saints you inspire us today
with new hopes in the future
of the world and of people.

Make us realize, Lord,
that with your strength
our boldest dreams can come true
and even be surpassed:
that justice, peace and love
are worth living and dying for,
and that one day
you will crown your own work in us
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Scripture Readings

First Reading: Victors With Christ
      St. John gives us a vision of hope in the ultimate future: those who live the gospel of will be victorious with him; their number will be immense.

First Reading: Rev 7:2-4, 9-14

I saw another angel ascending from the sunrise, carrying the seal of the living God, and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels empowered to harm the earth and the sea, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads."

Then I heard the number of those marked with the seal: a hundred and forty-four thousand from all the tribes of the people of Israel:

After this I saw a great crowd, impossible to count, from every nation, race, people and tongue, standing before the throne and the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands, and they cried out with a loud voice, "Who saves but our God who sits on the throne and the Lamb?"

All the angels were around the throne, the elders and the four living creatures; they then bowed before the throne with their faces to the ground to worship God. They said,
Amen. Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power and strength to our God forever and ever. Amen!

At that moment, one of the elders spoke up and said to me, "Who are these people clothed in white, and where did they come from?" I answered, "Sir, it is you who know this."
The elder replied, "They are those who have come out of the great persecution; they have washed and made their clothes white in the blood of the Lamb.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 24:1-6

The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?

Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.

They will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of their salvation.

Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

Second Reading: Children of God
      The key to all holiness is love: the certainty that God loves us - he loved us first - and that we are his sons and daughters. This assurance makes us capable of all hope and love.

Second Reading: 1 Jn 3:1-3

See what singular love the Father has for us: we are called children of God, and we really are. This is why the world does not know us, because it did not know him.

Beloved, we are God's children and what we shall be has not yet been shown. Yet when he appears in his glory, we know that we shall be like him, for then we shall see him as he is. All who have such a hope try to be pure as he is pure.

Gospel: The Beatitudes: God's Values

The values of the gospel differ sharply from those of the world, yet they are to be lived in the world to make it God's world. The beatitudes are the inspiration of a Christian's life.

Gospel Reading: Mt 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. He sat down and his disciples gathered around him. Then he spoke and began to teach them:

Fortunate are those who have the spirit of the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be comforted.
Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess the land.
Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy.
Fortunate are those with a pure heart, for they shall see God.
Fortunate are those who work for peace, they shall be called children of God.
Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are my followers. Be glad and joyful, for a great reward is kept for you in God. This is how this people persecuted the prophets who lived before you.

(Commentary)

General Intercessions
      We are called children of God, and that is what we really are. Let us pray then in all trust and love to God, who is our Father, and let us say: R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

- For all people on earth, that their friendship, love and happiness may be a sign and foretaste of the eternal happiness that you want to give to all, let us pray:
R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

- For all Christian Churches, that they may grow in solidarity and come closer in unity, let us pray:
R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

- For those who suffer from poverty and misfortunes, from persecution and injustice, that they may be convinced that Christ is on their side, let us pray:
R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

- For those who lack the courage to break with temptation and sin and for those who dare not commit themselves to follow the gospel of Christ, that the saints may inspire them and us, let us pray:
R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

- For all of us here, that we may build community, and that the seeds of holiness may grow in our hearts and deeds, let us pray:
R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

- For our beloved dead, that they may rest secure in the love and joy of the Lord, let us pray:
R/ Lord of glory, hear our prayer.

Lord our God, you want us to be happy with your own happiness. Fill our everyday lives with your saving presence. Make us seek the kind of happiness that is real and lasting today, tomorrow and for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
Jesus, your Son, had the courage
to be different and unconventional.
In this bread and this wine
we place our willingness to walk in his way.

As you change them through your Spirit
into Jesus himself,
transform us, weak as we are and timid,
into new people, ready to take the risk
of reshaping the world into your own image.

And though we cannot yet see the outcome now,
reassure us that you will bring to a successful end
what you let us begin in pain and effort,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

It is with joy that we thank the Father for the great things his grace has worked in our brothers and sisters, the saints. Let us offer this eucharist with Jesus that, like the saints, we may try to become more like him.

Introduction to the Lord's Prayer

God has filled our hearts with much love.
He wants us to be called his children,
and this is indeed what we are.
And so with Jesus we can truly say to him: R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant us peace in our day.
Give us the courage to go with the saints
the way your own Son went to you,
in joys and hardships,
in the strength of our weakness,
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming in glory
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

This is the Lamb of God
who shared our sufferings
to make us share in his glory.
Happy are those
who hunger and thirst for God,
for they shall be satisfied. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

Holy God,
gentleness, integrity, reconciliation,
poverty and littleness before you,
suffering that is liberating -
these are not easy to put into practice,
yet they are the stuff of which saints are made.
Give us your strength, Lord,
for we ourselves are incapable
of carrying out a task made for giants.
Give us your Son
to be our companion on the journey,
for we are sure that we can do it with him,
who is our Savior and our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.

Blessing

The saints were people like us,
weak, with faults like the ones we have;
only, they did not take these failings for granted.

They led the same lives as we do,
only in a more courageous way.
We are called to the same holiness
to which God called them.

May you respond to God's call
with the strength and blessing
of the almighty and loving God:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Let us go with the saints and with one another
the way to God. R/ Thanks be to God.

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Gospel Commentary (All Saints Day)

One of the saints we celebrate today is a little old lady who lived in the house at the corner of my street. And my grandfather. And many more whose names we don't even know. They have passed through this world making almost no noise, yet serving their brothers and sisters. They are the most important bricks in the construction of the Heavenly Kingdom. They are saints because they opened their hearts and received God's grace and love, and they knew how to share them with others. Community, friendship, family, God's Kingdom, all formed around them. Thanks to them, faith has reached us and is alive in our history.

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Taken from Liturgy Alive for Weekdays
& Bible Diary 2002
(Scripture Readings from Christian Community Bible, Pastoral Edition)
Copyright © 2002 by Claretian Publications
A division of Claretian Communications, Inc.
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