Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or Black

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.

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/11/01/sunday-2-november-2014-feast-of-all-souls-31st-sunday-of-ordinary-time-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

Romans 5 : 17-21

If death reigned through the disobedience of one and only one person, how much more will there be a reign of life for those who receive the grace and the gift of true righteousness through the One person, Jesus Christ.

Just as one transgression brought sentence of death to all, so, too, One Man’s good act has brought justification and light to all; and as the disobedience of only one made all sinners, so the obedience of One person allowed all to be made just and holy.

The Law itself, introduced later on, caused sin to increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, and as sin caused death to reign, so grace will reign in its own time, and after making us just and friends of God, will bring us to eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

Romans 6 : 3-9

Do you not know that in baptism which unites us to Christ we are all baptised and plunged into His death? By this baptism in His death, we were buried with Christ and, as Christ was raised from among the dead by the Glory of the Father, so we begin walking in a new life. If we have been joined to Him by dying a death like His so we shall be by a resurrection like His.

We know that our old self was crucified with Christ, so as to destroy what of us was sin, so that we may no longer serve sin – if we are dead, we are no longer in debt to sin.

But if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also live with Him. We know that Christ, once risen from the dead, will not die again and death has no more dominion over Him.

Shorter version

Romans 6 : 3-4, 8-9

Do you not know that in baptism which unites us to Christ we are all baptised and plunged into His death? By this baptism in His death, we were buried with Christ and, as Christ was raised from among the dead by the Glory of the Father, so we begin walking in a new life.

But if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also live with Him. We know that Christ, once risen from the dead, will not die again and death has no more dominion over Him.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

Romans 8 : 14-23

All those who walk in the Spirit of God are sons and daughters of God. Then, no more fear : you did not receive a spirit of slavery, but the Spirit that makes you sons and daughters and every time we cry, “Abba! (This is Dad!) Father!”, the Spirit assures our spirit that we are sons and daughters of God.

If we are children, we are heirs, too. Ours will be the inheritance of God and we will share it with Christ; for if we now suffer with Him, we will also share Glory with Him. I consider that the suffering of our present life cannot be compared with the Glory that will be revealed and given to us. All creation is eagerly expecting the birth in glory of the children of God.

For if now the created world was unable to attain its purpose, this did not come from itself, but from the one who subjected it. But it is not without hope; for even the created world will be freed from this fate of death and share the freedom and glory of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pangs of birth. Not creation alone, but even ourselves, although the Spirit was given to us as a foretaste of what we are to receive, we groan in our innermost being, eagerly awaiting the day when God will give us full rights and rescue our bodies as well.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

Romans 8 : 31b-35, 37-39

If God is with us, who shall be against us? If He did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not give us all things with Him? Who shall accuse those chosen by God : He takes away their guilt.

Who will dare to condemn them? Christ who died, and better still, rose and is seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Will it be trials, or anguish, persecution or hunger, lack of clothing, or dangers or sword?

No, in all of this we are more than conquerors, thanks to Him who has loved us. I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor spiritual powers, neither the present nor the future, nor cosmic powers, were they from heaven or from the deep world below, nor any creature whatsoever will separate us from the love of God, which we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

Romans 14 : 7-9, 10c-12

In fact, none of us lives for himself, nor dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Either in life or in death, we belong to the Lord; it was for this purpose that Christ both died and come to life again to be Lord of both the living and of the dead.

For we will all appear at the tribunal of God. It is written : ‘I swear by Myself – word of the Lord – every knee will bend before Me, and every tongue shall give glory to God.’ So each of us will account for himself before God.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

1 Corinthians 15 : 20-24a, 25-28

But no, Christ has been raised from the dead and He comes before all those who have fallen asleep. A human being brought death; a Human Being also brings resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. However, each one in his own time : first Christ, then Christ’s people, when He comes.

Then the end will come, when Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father. For He must reign and put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed will be death. As Scripture says : ‘God has subjected everything under His feet.’

When we say that everything is put under His feet, we exclude, of course, the Father who subjects everything to Him. When the Father has subjected everything to Him, the Son will place Himself under the One who subjected everything to Him. From then on, God will be all in all.

Shorter version

1 Corinthians 15 : 20-23

But no, Christ has been raised from the dead and He comes before all those who have fallen asleep. A human being brought death; a Human Being also brings resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. However, each one in his own time : first Christ, then Christ’s people, when He comes.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

1 Corinthians 15 : 51-57

So I want to teach you this mystery : although not all of us will die, all of us have to be transformed, in an instant, at the sound of the trumpet. You have heard of the last trumpet; then in the twinkling on an eye, the dead will be raised imperishable, while we shall be transformed.

For it is necessary that our mortal and perishable being put on the life that knows neither death nor decay. When our perishable being puts on imperishable life, when our mortal being puts on immortality, the word of Scripture will be fulfilled : ‘Death has been swallowed up by victory. Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?’

Sin is the sting of death to kill, and the Law is what gives force to sin. But give thanks to God who gives us victory through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

2 Corinthians 4 : 14 – 2 Corinthians 5 : 1

We know that He who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and bring us, with you, into His presence. Finally, everything is for your good, so that grace will come more abundantly upon you and great will be the thanksgiving for the glory of God.

Therefore we are not discouraged. On the contrary, while our outer being wastes away, the inner self is renewed from day to day. The slight affliction that quickly passes away prepares us for an eternal wealth of glory so great and beyond all comparison.

So we no longer pay attention to the things that are seen, but to those that are unseen, for the things that we see last for a moment, but that which cannot be seen is eternal.

We know that when our earthly dwelling, or rather our tent, is destroyed, we may count on a building from God, a heavenly dwelling not built by human hands, that lasts forever.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

2 Corinthians 5 : 1, 6-10

We know that when our earthly dwelling, or rather our tent, is destroyed, we may count on a building from God, a heavenly dwelling not built by human hands, that lasts forever.

So we feel confident always. We know that while living in the body, we are exiled from the Lord, living by faith, without seeing; but we dare to think that we would rather be away from the body to go and live with the Lord. So, whether we have to keep this house or lose it, we only wish to please the Lord.

Anyway we all have to appear before the tribunal of Christ for each one to receive what he deserves for his good or evil deeds in the present life.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

Philippians 3 : 20-21

For us, our citizenship is in heaven, from where we await the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Lord. He will transfigure our lowly body, making it like His own Body, radiant in Glory, through the power which is His to submit everything to Himself.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

1 Thessalonians 4 : 13-18

Brothers and sisters, we want you not to be mistaken about those who are already asleep, lest you grieve as do those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose; it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus. God will bring them together with Jesus and for His sake.

By the same word of the Lord we assert this : those of us who are to be alive at the Lord’s coming will not go ahead of those who are already asleep. When the command by the Archangel’s voice is given, the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, while the divine trumpet call is sounding.

Then those who have died in the Lord will rise first; as for us who are still alive, we will be brought along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the celestial world. And we will be with the Lord forever. So, then comfort one another with these words.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

2 Timothy 2 : 8-13

Remember Christ Jesus, risen from the dead, Jesus, son of David, as preached in my Gospel. For this Gospel I labour and even wear chains like an evildoer, but the word of God is not chained. And so I bear everything for the sake of the chosen people, that they, too, may obtain the salvation given to us in Christ Jesus and share eternal glory.

This statement is true : ‘If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure with Him, we shall reign with Him. If we deny Him, He will also deny us. If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself.’

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

1 John 3 : 1-2

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.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)

1 John 3 : 14-16

We love our brothers and sisters, and with this we know that we have passed from death to life. The one who does not love remains in death.

The one who hates his brother is a murderer, and, as you know, eternal life does not remain in the murderer.

This is how we have known what love is : He gave His life for us. We, too, ought to give our life for our brothers and sisters.