＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9

  The souls of the just are in  the hands of God

And no torment shall touch them.  In the eyes of the unwise they appear to be dead. Their going is held as a disaster;   it seems that they lose ev­ery­thing by departing from us, but they are in peace.

  Though seemingly they have been punished, immortality was the soul of their hope.   After slight affliction will come great blessings, for God has tried them and found them worthy to be with him;  after testing them as gold in the furnace, he has accepted them as a holocaust.

  At the time of his coming they will shine like sparks that run in the stubble.   They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their king forever.

  Those who trust in him will penetrate the truth, those who are faithful will live with him in love, for his grace and mercy are for his chosen ones.

 

Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

 

 ＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

Romans 5:5-11

 And hope does not disappoint us because the Holy Spirit has been given to us, pouring into our hearts the love of God. Consider, moreover, the time that Christ died for us: when we were still helpless and unable to do anything.

 Few would accept to die for an upright person; although, for a very good person, perhaps someone would dare to die. But see how God manifested his love for us: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us and we have become just through his blood. With much more reason now he will save us from any condemnation. 

Once enemies, we have been reconciled with God through the death of his Son; with much more reason now we may be saved through his life. Not only that; we even boast in God be­cause of Christ Jesus, our Lord, through whom we have been reconciled.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊  

John 6:37-40

Yet all those whom the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I shall not turn away. For I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the One who sent me.

And the will of him who sent me is that I lose nothing of what he has given me, but instead that I raise it up on the last day. This is the will of the Father, that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall live eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

The tradition of commemorating the dead during the month of November goes back to the end of the 11th century. Abbot Odilo of the great French Abbey of Clooney introduced the festival of All Souls in the year 998 for members of his own religious order.

Later, in the 14th century, All Souls was adopted by Rome for the entire church. It is dedicated to the memory of all the faithful departed. Why do we bother to remember the dead who probably are now enjoying themselves in the company of saints?

It is because love keeps our connection with each other alive. Since these connections form part of our life experiences, they can never be forgotten.

And so, All Souls are members of our family, our neighbors and friends, our ancestors, who formed a cloud of witnesses who followed the will of God while alive, shared it with others already on earth, and continue to do so now before the throne of the lamb in heaven.