WHAT LIES BEYOND…
INTRODUCTORY RITES
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: Today’s commemoration of the faithful departed is more a celebration of hope than a day of mourning. Our prayer for them expresses our Christian hope that death is not the end of life, and that we will meet each other again in God’s kingdom. For them and for us, the stone of the tomb will be rolled away, and we will rise as Jesus raised Lazarus and he himself rose from the tomb.
We pray for a fulfilling of our hope, and we remember our dear departed.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times, we have despaired at the death of our loved ones, we ask the Lord’s forgiveness.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you raise the dead to life in the spirit:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you bring light to those in darkness:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you will come in glory with salvation for your people:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Opening Prayer
L: God of loving-kindness,
listen favourably to our prayers:
strengthen our belief
that your Son has risen from the dead
and our hope
that your departed servants will also rise again .
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Wisdom 3:1-9
Psalm Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Response The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Reading 2 Romans 5:5-11
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the Kingdom prepared for you,
from the foundation of the world.
Gospel John 6:37-40
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are among the crowds when Jesus speaks of not losing anything that the Father gave him and raising us on the last day What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear these words?
Sunday Snippets
A dying man was scared about death. He shared his fears with his doctor, a Christian. Just then the doctor heard a scratching at the door. He paused and said: “Do you hear that? It’s my dog. I left him downstairs, but he has grown impatient and has come up. He has no idea what lies beyond the door, but he knows that his master is here. It is the same with me! I don’t know what lies beyond the door of death, but I know my master is there” (cf. Bruce Shelley, Christian Theology in Plain Language).
This is what our faith and the readings for All Souls’ Day affirm: beyond the tomb, lies our master waiting to welcome us to our eternal dwelling.
The first reading from the Book of Wisdom is emphatic: “The souls of the just are in the hand of God… they are in peace.”
St Paul assures the Romans: “Since we are now justified by his blood, we will be saved through him from the wrath” and “We shall… be united with him in the resurrection.”
In the gospel, Jesus promises the crowds: “Everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”
Shortly before he died, Jean-Paul Sartre—the atheist philosopher—declared he had strong feelings of despair and he would say to himself: “I know I shall die in hope.” Then in profound sadness, he would add: “But hope needs a foundation.”
Christian hope has a foundation: the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Does my hope have this strong foundation? Do I believe that my dear departed are at peace in the hand of God and will be raised on the last day?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: “The souls of the just are in God’s hand.” In what ways does this promise provide hope for our loved ones who have passed away?
Reading 2: Paul talks about hope and how God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. How does this divine love help reconcile suffering and death?
Gospel: Jesus tells Martha that whoever believes in him will have eternal life and that he is the resurrection and the life. What message does this give to someone who is mourning a loved one?
Prayer of the Faithful
L: God will not give us up to death but give us eternal life. To our living God, who created us for life and eternal joy, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: For the Church: that our communities may be places where love abounds and life flourishes and thus witness to our hope in the resurrection, we pray to the Lord…
R: For the world: that nations will invest in resources for life, not the merchandise of death, we pray to the Lord…
R: For those who minister to the dying and grieving: that the Lord may strengthen them in love, we pray to the Lord…
R: For all who mourn loved ones today: that they may find comfort in God’s promise of life and in the support of family, friends, and the parish community, we pray to the Lord…
R: For those affected by Cyclone Montha and Hurricane Melissa: that the Lord may give courage to the fearful, strength to the rescuers, and solace to the affected, we pray to the Lord…
R: For ourselves: that we may help and support one another on the journey through life, and share joys and sorrows, life and death, we pray…
L: God of life, we thank you for the assurance that the dead are in your hands and that we are destined to eternal life on account of your risen Son Jesus. Do not let our hearts be troubled but reunite us one day with those whom we have known and loved. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Inspired by Psalm 91, this song reminds us of the strength and hope we find in God’s power and assistance, comforting those who are mourning and bringing hope to the hopeless.
Let us listen to On Eagle’s Wings
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
you know and love us beyond death.
We thank you for calling all of us
to live forever in your friendship,
and for your undying, everlasting love
for us and for all our beloved dead.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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