Liturgical Colour : White
1 John 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.
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 23 : 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
The earth and its fullness belong to YHVH, the world and all that dwell in it. He has founded it upon the ocean and set it firmly upon the waters.
Who will ascend the mountain of YHVH? Who will stand in His holy place? Those with clean hands and pure heart, who desire not what is vain.
They will receive blessings from YHVH, a reward from God, their Saviour. Such are the people who seek Him, who seek the face of Jacob’s God.
Liturgical Colour : White
Revelations 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, honour, 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.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Offertory
Wisdom 3 : 1, 2, 3
Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt, et non tanget illos tormentum malitiae : visi sunt oculis insipientum mori : illi autem sunt in pace, Alleluja.
English translation
The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of malice shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die, but they are in peace. Alleluia.
Secret Prayer of the Priest
Munera Tibi, Domine, nostrae devotionis offerimus : quae et pro cunctorum Tibi grata sint honore Justorum, et nobis salutaria, Te miserante, reddantur. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
We offer to You, o Lord, the Gifts of our devotion. May they be pleasing to You in honour of all Your saints, and of Your mercy let them avail for our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Communion
Matthew 5 : 8-10
Beati mundo corde, quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt; beati pacifici, quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur : beati, qui persecutionem patiuntur propter justitiam, quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum.
English translation
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
Post-Communion Prayer
Da, quaesumus, Domine, fidelibus populis omnium Sanctorum semper veneratione laetari : et eorum perpetua supplicatione muniri. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
May the outpouring of the Holy Spirit purify our hearts, o Lord, and by the inward sprinkling of His heavenly dew may they be made fruitful. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew
Matthew 5 : 1-12
In illo tempore : Videns Jesus turbas, ascendit in montem, et cum sedisset, accesserunt ad Eum discipuli Ejus, et aperiens os Suum, docebat Eos, dicens : Beati pauperes spiritu : quoniam ipsorum est Regnum Caelorum. Beati mites : quoniam ipsi possidebunt terram.
Beati, qui lugent : quoniam ipsi consolabuntur. Beati, qui esuriunt et sitiunt justitiam : quoniam ipsi saturabuntur. Beati misericordes : quoniam ipsi misericordiam consequentur. Beati mundo corde : quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt.
Beati pacifici : quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur. Beati, qui persecutionem patiuntur propter justitiam : quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum. Beati estis, cum maledixerint vobis, et persecuti vos fuerint, et dixerint omne malum adversum vos, mentientes, propter me : gaudete et exsultate, quoniam merces vestra copiosa est in caelis.
English translation
At that time, Jesus seeing the multitudes, went up into a mountain, and when He had sat down, His disciples came unto Him. And opening His mouth, He taught them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land.”
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you, when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruthfully, for My sake, be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in Heaven.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 33 : 10, 11 and Matthew 11 : 28
Timete Dominum, omnes Sancti Ejus : quoniam nihil deest timentibus Eum.
Response : Inquirentes autem Dominum, non deficient omni bono.
Alleluja, Alleluja.
Response : Venite ad me, omnes, qui laboratis et onerati estis : et ego reficiam vos. Alleluja.
English translation
Fear the Lord, all you His saints, for there is no want in those who fear Him.
Response : But those who seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Response : Come to Me all of you who labour and are heavily ladened, and I will refresh you. Alleluia.
Liturgical Colour : White
Lectio Libri Apocalypsis Beati Joannis Apostoli – Lesson from the Book of the Apocalypse of Blessed John the Apostle
Apocalypse 7 : 2-12
In diebus illis : Ecce, ego Joannes vidi alterum Angelum ascendentem ab ortu solis, habentem signum Dei vivi : et clamavit voce magna quatuor Angelis, quibus datum est nocere terrae et mari, dicens : Nolite nocere terrae et mari neque arboribus, quoadusque signemus servos Dei nostri in frontibus eorum.
Et audivi numerum signatorum, centum quadraginta quatuor milia signati, ex omni tribu filiorum Israel. Ex tribu Juda duodecim milia signati. Ex tribu Ruben duodecim milia signati. Ex tribu Gad duodecim milia signati. Ex tribu Aser duodecim milia signati.
Ex tribu Nephthali duodecim milia signati. Ex tribu Manasse duodecim milia signati. Ex tribu Simeon duodecim milia signati. Ex tribu Levi duodecim milia signati. Ex tribu Issachar duodecim milia signati. Ex tribu Zabulon duodecim milia signati. Ex tribu Joseph duodecim milia signati. Ex tribu Benjamin duodecim milia signati.
Post haec vidi turbam magnam, quam dinumerare nemo poterat, ex omnibus gentibus et tribubus et populis et linguis : stantes ante Thronum et in conspectu Agni, amicti stolis albis, et palmae in manibus eorum : et clamabant voce magna, dicentes : Salus Deo nostro, qui sedet super thronum, et Agno.
Et omnes Angeli stabant in circuitu Throni et Seniorum et quatuor Animalium : et ceciderunt in conspectu Throni in facies suas et adoraverunt Deum, dicentes : Amen. Benedictio et claritas et sapientia et gratiarum actio, honor et virtus et fortitudo Deo nostro in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
In those days, behold, I, John, saw another Angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the sign of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four Angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, “Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we sign the servants of our God in their foreheads.”
And I heard the number of those who were signed, a hundred and forty-four thousand were signed out of every tribe of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Judah were twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Ruben twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand signed.
Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Zebulon twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand signed. Of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand signed.
After this, I saw a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the Throne and in the sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, and they cried with a loud voice saying, “Salvation to our God who sits upon the Throne, and to the Lamb.”
And all the Angels stood round about the Throne, and the Elders, and the four living creatures, and they fell down before the Throne upon their faces, and adored God, saying, “Amen. Benediction, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honour, and power, and strength to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Introit
Tradition of the Faith and Psalm 32 : 1
Gaudeamus omnes in Domino, diem festum celebrantes sub honore Sanctorum omnium : de quorum sollemnitate gaudent Angeli et collaudant Filium Dei.
Exsultate, justi, in Domino : rectos decet collaudatio.
Response : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
Let us all rejoice in the Lord celebrating a festival day in honour of all the Saints, at whose solemnity the Angels rejoice, and give praise to the Son of God.
Rejoice in the Lord, you who are just; praise is becoming of the upright.
Response : Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Collect
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui nos omnium Sanctorum Tuorum merita sub una tribuisti celebritate venerari : quaesumus; ut desideratam nobis Tuae propitiationis abundantiam, multiplicatis intercessoribus, largiaris. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
Almighty and Everlasting God, Who had given us in one feast to venerate the merits of all Your saints, we beseech You through the multitude of intercessors to grant us the desired abundance of Your mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the Scripture passages, all of us are reminded that while we may suffer in this world, but in the end, all of those sufferings and hardships are not permanent, and in the end, we shall be reunited with the Lord, our most loving God and Father, Who wants us all to be reconciled and reunited with Him. The Lord has given us the assurance of salvation and eternal life through His own beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and called all of us to enter into His eternal kingdom, the kingdom of God, into which all of us have been assembled, gathered and led, so that every one of us may truly be saved, liberated and freed from the tyranny and dominion of sin and evil, which had afflicted us for so long.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, in which we heard about how the whole world and all of creation longed for the birth, in glory, of the children of God. What this means and symbolises is that, the whole creation is expecting the restoration of everything to how it is originally intended to be, when everything was still without any taints of sin and corruption, and when everything was still perfect and good just as the Lord originally created it, and sin has not yet crept up and corrupted us all due to our disobedience. The birth of the children of God refers to us all having been made to be the adopted children of God, through the grace of baptism, by which we have been rescued and delivered from the tyranny and dominion of sin, and through which sanctifying grace have been restored and given to us.
This is also an expectation of what is to come in the future, as we have not yet attained the state of perfection and fullness of grace yet in this world, and all of us are eagerly looking forward to and expecting the coming of the kingdom of God that is to come, when we shall be fully and completely reunited with God, as St. Paul has mentioned it in the same passage, although that moment will not yet come till the time of the Lord’s choosing. This is because even those who have died and passed on from this world, and even the saints in Heaven, have not yet experienced the fullness of heavenly glory in body and soul, except for that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, who have been assumed and taken up to Heaven, body and soul. The saints experienced the joy of Heaven, the beatific vision and the happiness due to their virtues, but their bodies remained in this world.
Thus, all of us are reminded today of this world that is to come, when we all, in the state of perfection and grace, will be once again with God, which is truly apt and perfect reminder today, being the day before the All Saints Day and the beginning of the Allhallowtide. Today as the All Hallows’ Eve, the Church reminds us all through these Scripture readings and messages, so that each and every one of us remember of the life that we are going to have in this world that is to come, the bliss and the perfection of joy with God, which we will enjoy forevermore, if we are to remain faithful to Him, and obey Him in His Law, commandments and do whatever which He has asked, told and commanded us to do in our lives. Each and every one of us as Christians are expected to do whatever we can to glorify God by our lives, and to follow in the examples and the footsteps of the glorious saints.
In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples and all the people who were listening to Him regarding the matter of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God has already been revealed to us with the coming of Christ, and He has established it just as He has established His Church, with the Church being the tangible and real manifestation of the kingdom of God in this world. However, we must also realise that the kingdom of God, that is the Church of God does not just involve all those who are now living in this world, but also in fact, all those who have departed from this world, just as we are going to celebrate it in the next two days, with the All Saints Day, honouring and glorifying the saints, the holy men and women who have already enjoyed the bliss of Heaven, and the All Souls Day, when we remember all the holy souls who are still awaiting patiently the glory of Heaven in their current state of Purgatory.
The Lord used the parable to highlight the fact that the kingdom of God is something that is truly wonderful, as God gathered all of His beloved ones to be part of one Body, the Body of Christ. However, it is something that is to be nurtured and requires a lot of efforts and works from all of its members and parts, that is all of us. The parable mentioned the measures of flour and yeast, which when placed together, will become dough that rises and eventually become a good bread. He also used the example of mustard seed that is sowed and then germinated, and eventually grew into a large tree, that takes everything under its branches. Both of these, the dough and the mustard plant, require good conditions and investment of time and effort, in order for them to flourish and develop as expected. Thus, this is a reminder that each one of us as Christians have to do our part to follow the Lord, to do what is right and just in our every moments.
We are all reminded that each and every one of us as God’s beloved children and people, all of us must always embody our Christian faith and beliefs in our every actions, in our every words and deeds, and in everything that we interact with, with all those whom we encounter and work with. Each one of us must always be exemplary and inspirational in our lives, and be truly obedient to God, doing His will and walking in His path, being filled with love and virtue, so that all those who witness our works and interact with us, all of us may indeed be great missionaries and evangelisers of our faith, and spread ever more the Good News of God in the midst of our communities and all those whom we encounter in life. As Christians, we must be truly faithful not just in mere words only, but also in real action and commitment to God, at all times.
As we enter today into this solemn time and occasion of the Allhallowtide, beginning with this day’s All Hallows’ Eve, let us all enter into deeper realisation of our lives and reflect on whether we have truly obeyed the Lord and walked in His ways as we should have, and let us all remember that in the end, our goal and focus should be to look forward to the perfection and fullness of grace that will come one day, when the Lord will come to gather all of His faithful and worthy ones back to Him, and bring us all into His eternal kingdom, in the fullness of grace, of perfection of bliss and love. And when the world celebrates the secular celebrations of Halloween, which was inspired and actually originated from this celebration of the All Hallows’ Eve, let us all celebrate the true spirit of Halloween, that is modelling ourselves upon the examples of the virtuous and worthy saints of God, so that we too may one day be worthy of Heaven as they are.
May the Lord help us all in our journey and struggle towards Him, and empower us with the courage and strength, so that we may always be strong in our commitment and dedication to serve the Lord at all times. May God bless us all and be with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 13 : 18-21
At that time, Jesus continued to say to the people, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? Imagine a person who has taken a mustard seed, and planted it in his garden. The seed has grown, and become like a small tree, so that the birds of the air shelter in its branches.”
And Jesus said again, “What is the kingdom of God like? Imagine a woman who has taken yeast, and hidden it in three measures of flour, until it is all leavened.”
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 