Solemnity of All Saints
Additional Information about the Solemnity of All Saints
Readings for the Solemnity of All Saints[i][ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Revelation 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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rv 7:2-4, 9-14
St. John’s vision of the heavenly kingdom unfolds in this passage with an image of those who have gone from this life to the next and now stand before the throne of God. Hebrew numerology provides the number- one hundred and forty four thousand (from each of the tribes of Israel) representing a huge number (1,000 times 12 times 12) and follows that with uncounted Saints from the Gentiles beginning with the martyrs (those who have washed their robes in the Blood of the Lamb).
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
Psalm 24 is a processional song. It recalls that God is the great creator and he calls his people to be faithful. It asks the question; who can come into his presence? The psalmist answers; only those who are sinless (completely reconciled to God) may do so. Those who achieve that beatified state will receive the reward of eternal life from the savior.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 1 John 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Jn 3:1-3
“The greatest sign of God's love is the gift of his Son (John 3:16) that has made Christians true children of God. This relationship is a present reality and also part of the life to come; true knowledge of God will ultimately be gained, and Christians prepare themselves now by virtuous lives in imitation of the Son.”[iv]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 5:1-12a
This section of the Sermon on the Mount begins the first of five great discourses in St. Matthew’s Gospel. He begins using a formula common in the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” This designation identifies those without material resources, completely dependent upon God. (This distinction is for the devout poor). The discourse continues blessing they who mourn, who are meek, who “hunger” for righteousness (to adopt the Lord’s law of love in their hearts), the merciful, the clean of heart (those who are reconciled to God), the peacemakers, the persecuted, and finally those who will be reviled because they profess faith in Christ.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
On this the Solemnity of All Saints we celebrate those who have listened to God’s word, heard his call, and faithfully followed him. We differentiate the Saints, known and unknown from those who we remember tomorrow on the Feast of All Souls because we do not know all those whom God has admitted to his heavenly court. Some of those we are certain of are contained in the list of Saints, the exact number is not easy to find but it is thought to be over 6,000 (Saints and Blessed according to the eCatholicHub, Catholic Saints Database). While one might think this is a huge number, consider that this list started two thousand years ago. If there are as supposed over 6:000, that’s really only about three a year; roughly lottery statistics.
The important fact about this celebration is that we remember all of the men and women who have demonstrated heroic virtue for the cause of Christ’s Church. Their examples of faith and fidelity span almost every conceivable circumstance, era, and life-style. There is, within the ranks of those at the foot of the Throne of God, a Saint with whom every person on earth may identify and say – “That one is almost like me.” And that is the idea behind All Saints. To recall the various paths offered by God to the holy men and women who so faithfully served him on earth. We are given this day to reflect on our own lives and what they may yet become in the service of the Lord.
There is a reason that St. Matthew’s recollection of the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount is given to us on this Feast Day. The Lord invites all of us to participate in being called “blessed”. He calls and has called all peoples of all nations of ranks from the loftiest halls of power to the lowliest beggar in the street to follow him and serve his great plan.
Today we think about all those wondrous men and women who have gone before us in faith and provided Holy Mother Church with the great and small Saints who have done the Lord’s will throughout the ages. We give them thanks for their examples, praise for their faithfulness, and ask for their prayers that we too might come into that heavenly presence and join them in their hymns of praise.
Pax
Additional Information about the Solemnity of All Saints
Readings for the Solemnity of All Saints[i][ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Revelation 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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rv 7:2-4, 9-14
St. John’s vision of the heavenly kingdom unfolds in this passage with an image of those who have gone from this life to the next and now stand before the throne of God. Hebrew numerology provides the number- one hundred and forty four thousand (from each of the tribes of Israel) representing a huge number (1,000 times 12 times 12) and follows that with uncounted Saints from the Gentiles beginning with the martyrs (those who have washed their robes in the Blood of the Lamb).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
Psalm 24 is a processional song. It recalls that God is the great creator and he calls his people to be faithful. It asks the question; who can come into his presence? The psalmist answers; only those who are sinless (completely reconciled to God) may do so. Those who achieve that beatified state will receive the reward of eternal life from the savior.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 1 John 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Jn 3:1-3
“The greatest sign of God's love is the gift of his Son (John 3:16) that has made Christians true children of God. This relationship is a present reality and also part of the life to come; true knowledge of God will ultimately be gained, and Christians prepare themselves now by virtuous lives in imitation of the Son.”[iv]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 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.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 5:1-12a
This section of the Sermon on the Mount begins the first of five great discourses in St. Matthew’s Gospel. He begins using a formula common in the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” This designation identifies those without material resources, completely dependent upon God. (This distinction is for the devout poor). The discourse continues blessing they who mourn, who are meek, who “hunger” for righteousness (to adopt the Lord’s law of love in their hearts), the merciful, the clean of heart (those who are reconciled to God), the peacemakers, the persecuted, and finally those who will be reviled because they profess faith in Christ.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
On this the Solemnity of All Saints we celebrate those who have listened to God’s word, heard his call, and faithfully followed him. We differentiate the Saints, known and unknown from those who we remember tomorrow on the Feast of All Souls because we do not know all those whom God has admitted to his heavenly court. Some of those we are certain of are contained in the list of Saints, the exact number is not easy to find but it is thought to be over 6,000 (Saints and Blessed according to the eCatholicHub, Catholic Saints Database). While one might think this is a huge number, consider that this list started two thousand years ago. If there are as supposed over 6:000, that’s really only about three a year; roughly lottery statistics.
The important fact about this celebration is that we remember all of the men and women who have demonstrated heroic virtue for the cause of Christ’s Church. Their examples of faith and fidelity span almost every conceivable circumstance, era, and life-style. There is, within the ranks of those at the foot of the Throne of God, a Saint with whom every person on earth may identify and say – “That one is almost like me.” And that is the idea behind All Saints. To recall the various paths offered by God to the holy men and women who so faithfully served him on earth. We are given this day to reflect on our own lives and what they may yet become in the service of the Lord.
There is a reason that St. Matthew’s recollection of the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount is given to us on this Feast Day. The Lord invites all of us to participate in being called “blessed”. He calls and has called all peoples of all nations of ranks from the loftiest halls of power to the lowliest beggar in the street to follow him and serve his great plan.
Today we think about all those wondrous men and women who have gone before us in faith and provided Holy Mother Church with the great and small Saints who have done the Lord’s will throughout the ages. We give them thanks for their examples, praise for their faithfulness, and ask for their prayers that we too might come into that heavenly presence and join them in their hymns of praise.
Pax
[i] ALTRE
[ii] The picture is “Virgin and Child in Glory with Six Saints” by Andrea Del Sarto, 1528
[iii] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
[iv] See NAB footnote on 1 Jn 3:1-3
4 comments:
I see you refer to the final book of the New Testament as "Revelations." We were taught that the Protestants call the book "Revelations" but Catholics call it "Revelation." I was scheduled as lector at today's Mass and I announced, "A reading from the Book of Revelation."
Please explain and justify your term "Revelations."
Tess,
Good Catch. I got sloppy. When I typed in the citation I added an "s" by mistake. You are correct.
Pax,
Dcn. Jim
Dear Deacon,
Kindly clarify the difference between Revelation and Revelations.
Does it matter? Was there only one revelation or a series of them?
Please provide more quotes from the Bible about purgatory.
Thank you
Judith
Judith,
The difference between Revelation and Revelations is in my understanding primarily one of usage. The proper title used in most English bibles is the Book of Revelation (including the Protestant versions (including the much-vaunted King James Version).
It is somewhat ironic that in the United Kingdom the Jerusalem Bible is frequently used as a source for the Lectionary in the Cathol;ic Church and in that book (see the link in the Blog) the title of the book is the Book of the Apocalypse.
The reason the book is titled "The Book of Revelation" comes from the opening verse of the first chapter "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show his servants what must happen soon."
As for more on Purgatory, the main source for our understanding comes from Maccabees. As a first step I would point you to New Advent to look up the topic in the Catholic Encyclopedia. I will do my best in the Blog to point out scriptural references as they occur in the calendar.
Pax
Dcn. Jim
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