By Deacon Ken and Marie Finn
THE COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED
(ALL SOULS)
BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
Pray and ask God to speak to you through His Holy Spirit. “THE PARACLETE, THE HOLY SPIRIT WHOM THE FATHER WILL SEND IN MY NAME, WILL INSTRUCT YOU IN EVERYTHING, AND REMIND YOU OF ALL THAT I TOLD YOU.” (JOHN 14:26)
FIRST DAY Reread last week’s readings.
- What was a helpful or new thought from the readings or from the homily you heard on Sunday?
- From what you learned, what personal application did you choose to apply to your life this week?
SECOND DAY READ WISDOM 3:1-9 FIRST READING
(“But they are in peace.”)
- What is in the hands of the just and what will not touch them? Wisdom 3:1
- In the view of the foolish what did they seem to be and what did their passing away seem like? Wisdom 3:2
- In what are the souls of the just? Wisdom 3:3
- What happens to the just man before men and where is their hope? Wisdom 3:4
- What did Jesus destroy and how did he bring life and immortality? 2 Timothy 1:10
- What did God do to find them worthy of Himself? Wisdom 3:5-6
- Who does the Lord discipline? Hebrews 12:5-6
- What will happen at the time of their visitation, who shall they judge and rule over and who will be their judge? Wisdom 3:7-8
- What will those who trust in Him understand and how will the faithful abide with him? Wisdom 3:9
- What two things are with His holy ones and what is with His elect? Wisdom 3:9
Personal – What do you need to do in order to prepare for your passing from this life to the next and how is the Lord preparing you or chastising you?
THIRD DAY READ ROMANS 5:5-11 SECOND READING
(“We are now justified by His Blood”)
- What does not disappoint us and how has the love of God been poured out into our hearts? Romans 5:
- Who did Christ die for and what were we at that time? Romans 5:6
- Who is it difficult to die for and for whom may you find courage to die? Romans 5:7
- How does God prove His love for us? Romans 5:8
- How did death enter the world and who sinned? Romans 5:12
- How have we been justified and from what are we saved? Romans 5:9
- What were we when we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son? Romans 5:10
- Once reconciled, by what will we be saved? Romans 5:10
- What do we have through Jesus Christ? Romans 5:11
- What does everyone who believes in Jesus have? Acts 10:43
Personal – In what way has Jesus’ life influenced your life? How have you poured out the love of God while someone in your family has remained in sin?
FOURTH DAY READ JOHN 6:37-40 GOSPEL
(“I will not reject anyone who comes to me.”)
- Who is Jesus speaking to and who did He say He was? John 6:24-25, 35
- What did Jesus say about their belief even though they have seen Him? John 6:36
- What happens to one who does not believe in the name of Jesus? John 3:18
- Who will Jesus not reject? John 6:37
- What did Jesus come down from heaven to do? John 6:38
- What is the will of the One who sent Jesus? John 6:39
- What will everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him receive? John 6:40
- How do we receive faith? Romans 10:17
- Who comes to Jesus? John 6:45
- What will happen to those who believe in Jesus? John 6:39-40
- Who is love, in what is love brought to perfection and what can we have on the Day of Judgment? 1 John 4:16-17
Personal – How are you preparing for the Day of Judgment and if later today the Lord were to raise you up what would you do in the short hours before He comes?
FIFTH DAY READ PSALM 25:6, 7b, 17-18, 20-21
(“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.”)
Read and meditate on Psalm 25:6, 7b, 17-18, and 20-21.
What is the Lord saying to you personally through the Psalm?
How can you apply this to your life?
SIXTH DAY READ ALL OF THE COMMENTARY
WISDOM 3:1-9
The book of Wisdom was written about one hundred years before the coming of Christ. In this passage we see the author really bring the suffering of people into a clear and practical view. This passage is also used in church liturgy. This is a very popular passage that is read at funerals. We are told that in death the passing away was judged an affliction, and for us their going away was complete destruction. But in reality, they are at peace.
A Christian believes that only Jesus Christ was born to die. We who believe in Him are born to live forever. We are told that we are going to the land of the living in Psalm 27. The hope of a Christian is that one day he will achieve immortality with Christ, blest because God found them worthy of Himself. This is a powerful passage in that it tells us that our hope is in the Lord and that he delivers what he promises. He tells us that if we believe in him then we will live forever with Him. At a funeral we have the Mass of hope and this passage is generally part of that message. We must always remember that God is love and at death the beloved believer crosses over and abides in Him with His love because grace and mercy are with His chosen.
ROMANS 5:5-11
This passage was one of the earliest letters that Paul wrote. It was probably written in the early spring of A.D. 57 on Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul is always evaluating the spiritual condition of all the people he meets. He finds Jews and Gentiles alike to be sinners and in need of salvation. That salvation has been provided by God through Jesus Christ. We can in faith rejoice in our sufferings, because we know, just like those people in this passage did, that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. Hope did not disappoint them because God poured out His heart into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and He is doing exactly that to us today. We must never forget that while we were still powerless Christ died for the ungodly. It is rare that someone will die even for a good person. Yet Christ died for us even while we were still sinning.
You and I have been justified by the shedding of Jesus’ blood, not by anything we might have done. What Christ has done for us has allowed us to be justified and become children of His heavenly Father. We were reconciled with Him through His death and we are saved through His life. That is why a Christian is called to rejoice and to be joyful even when suffering. We are not to rejoice because we are in pain; we can be joyful because we know that God is right there with us in our pain. We must always remember that there is nothing that comes between us and God’s love for us, not even death itself. God is alive and well and He lives within you.
JOHN 6:37-40
We see very clearly in this passage that it is God’s action that is primary in salvation. We also see that Christ’s mercy is unfailing. We just need to reflect on Jesus’ words when He tells us “that all who come to me, I will never send him away.”
The King of kings, the Lord of lords is saying to each one of us, “You are so special to me, that I would never turn you away.” Jesus is very persuasive when He talks about how loyal and loving His Father is to Him. He also tells us that “When you see me, you see the Father.” We sometimes say, “Oh, if only I could know what the Father’s will is.” Jesus tells us over and over to obey His word and you will be obeying the Father’s will.
No matter how hard your life may be, no matter how far down you have fallen, all you have to do is call out to God and He will be there to lift you up. We can be confident of this because Jesus Himself says, “I shall lose none of them that He has given me.” He is talking about you and me. He knows our name, our pain, our stain and He tells us that He has written our names upon the palm of His hand. He then tells you and me that He is going to raise us up on the last day. He is promising us eternal life and it’s important to remember that eternal life is not achieved, it is given.
Application
The first reading reveals our immortality. The second reading shows us we have been justified by His blood. The Gospel tells us that anyone who comes to Jesus will not be rejected.
Spend fifteen minutes before a crucifix and reflect on what Jesus has done for you and how much He loves you.