SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
All Saints Day, November 1, 2020
Celebrant: BLESSED BE GOD, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
People: And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
Celebrant: COLLECT
Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical Body of your Son: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
THE LESSONS
FIRST LESSON:
A Reading from Revelation 7:9-17: A Great Multitude from Every Nation
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Here ends the reading.
Response: Thanks be to God
PSALM 149
1 Praise the Lord. O sing unto the Lord a new song; *
let the congregation of the faithful praise him.
2 Let Israel rejoice in the one who made him, *
and let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his Name in the dance; *
let them sing praises unto him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the Lord has pleasure in his people *
and gives victory to those who are oppressed.
5 Let the faithful be joyful with glory; *
let them rejoice upon their beds.
6 Let the praises of God be in their mouth *
and a two-edged sword in their hands,
7 To inflict vengeance on the nations, *
and to rebuke the peoples,
8 To bind their kings in chains, *
and their nobles with links of iron,
9 That they may execute judgment upon them, as it is written; *
this is the honor of all his servants. Praise the Lord.
SECOND LESSON:
A Reading from: Ephesians 1:15-23 Thanksgiving and Prayer
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love[a] toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Here ends the reading.
Response: Thanks be to God
The Holy GOSPEL of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew 5:1-12 The Sermon on the Mount
Response: Glory to you, Lord Christ.
5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
The Beatitudes
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons[a] of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Response: Glory to you, Lord Christ
The Gospel of the Lord.
Response: Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Celebrant: Homily
Celebrant: Let us confess our faith in the words of the Apostle’s Creed
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Celebrant: PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
In your own words, pray for your own needs, for those on your heart, for the peace of
the world, and for the Church.
PRAYER FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED
Father of all, we pray to you for those we love, but see no longer. Grant them your peace; let light perpetual shine upon them; and, in your loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of your perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Celebrant: ACT OF CONTRITION
Let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God:
O GOD, We are VERY SORRY that we have sinned against you and for all the wrongs we have done and the good we have not done.
Take a moment in silence to share your confession to God with these words in your heart:
Especially I confess_______________________________.
Everyone: Forgive us for Jesus' sake, and grant us strength and wisdom to amend our lives. Amen.
Everyone:
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen
Everyone:
Dear Jesus, we believe that you are truly present in the Holy Sacrament. We love you above all things, and we desire to possess you within our souls. And since we cannot now receive you sacramentally, we beseech you to come spiritually into our hearts. We unite ourselves to you, together with all your faithful people gathered around every altar of your Church, and we embrace you with all the affections of our souls. Never permit us to be separated from you. Amen.
COME LORD JESUS, and dwell in our hearts in the fullness of your strength; be our wisdom and guide us in right pathways; conform our lives and actions to the image of your holiness; and, in the power of your gracious might, rule over every hostile power that threatens or disturbs the growth of your kingdom, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Priest’s Blessing:
AND MAY THE PEACE OF GOD, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with you now and always, AMEN.
ANIMA CHRISTI
SOUL of Christ, sanctify me Body of Christ, save me Blood of Christ, inebriate me Water from the side of Christ, wash me Passion of Christ, strengthen me O good Jesus, hear me Within Thy wounds, hide me Separated from Thee let me never be From the malignant enemy, defend me At the hour of death, call me To come to Thee, bid me That I may praise Thee in the company Of Thy Saints for all eternity. Amen.
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NOTES:
REVELATION 7:9-17 The visions here of the faithful Church form an interlude wherein the Lord's faithful are “sealed” against His wrath. “Who is able to stand?” (6:17). The faithful, who will be sealed and will then assemble for worship.
7:9-14 The scene shifts to heaven, where an innumerable multitude from all nations worships before the throne of God. Their white robes and palm branches (v. 9) symbolize purity and victory. The vast multitude represents either the entire faithful Church—which lives in the spirit of its baptism (washed . . . in the blood of the Lamb, v. 14)—or the righteous from all nations who were not members of the “12 x 12 x 1000,” old covenant Israel and the Church. These pass victoriously through the great tribulation to inherit the Kingdom.
7:15-17 The heavenly life is pictured as one of unending worship, day and night(v. 15), from which all suffering has been banished. Here we have the ultimate sanctification of time, the consecration of all life to the service and worship of God, carried out along with the heavenly hosts. Is 49:10 inspires the statement of v. 16. John's descriptions of the victorious Church and the blessings of heaven were written to encourage and console Christians of the first century who faced severe persecution for their faith—in which the faithful of all generations may find consolation.
Psalm 149 exhorts all creation to praise the Blessed and Holy Trinity. The climax of the Psalter is reached in Ps 150, where humanity and creation, everywhere and in all circumstances, are called upon to make this doxology to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, our one God.
EPHESIANS 1:15-23 This is an intercessory prayer that Paul prayed often and repetitiously (v. 16). He asks that his hearers might understand the redemption he outlined in vv. 3–14. Like vv. 3–14, this section is also one long sentence in Greek.
1:15 This is a way of restating the two great commandments: love God and love man.
1:21-23 Principality, power, might, and dominion (v. 21) are orders of angelic beings. Because Christ transcends all (v. 21), everything submits to Him (v. 22). Because He is intimately united with the church (v. 22) as a head to its body (v. 23), the Church has the greatest glory of all creation. The Church is God's masterpiece (v. 23). Since Christ as God is infinite, the Church never ceases becoming “full.”
MATTHEW 5:1, 2 In the OT, only a select few were chosen to hear God directly (see Ex 19:3–13). Here, God Incarnate speaks to the multitudes face to face. The mountain is a place where divine action enters human history, the place where God reveals Himself to man (17:1; Gn 22:2; Ex 3:1; 19:2; 3Kg 18:20). Seated is the traditional Jewish position for teaching with authority. Some early Christian preachers (for example, St. John Chrysostom) sat while the people stood. Matthew mentioning that Jesus opened his mouth emphasizes this teaching is “one-way,” that Jesus has come to speak with authority (7:29), and the disciples are there not to discuss or debate, but to listen.
5:3 Blessed in this context indicates heavenly, spiritual exaltation rather than earthly happiness or prosperity. In Hebrew, “poor” means both (1) the materially poor and (2) the faithful among God's people. The poor in spirit are those who have the heart of the poor, the same attitude as the poor, and are totally dependent on God.
5:4 Those who mourn sorrow over the sufferings of this life (9:23), the sufferings of others (Jn 11:35), the state of the world (Lk 19:41), and their own sins (Lk 7:36–38). All of these are comfortedby the power of God both in this world and in the age to come. Holy sorrow is part of repentance, conversion, and virtuous action, and is the firstfruit of infinite joy. It is to be distinguished from ungodly sorrow, a sadness that leads to despair (see 2Co 7:10).
5:5 Meekness is an attitude of being content with both honor and dishonor. It is an imitation of Christ, who said, “Learn from Me, for I am gentle [meek] and lowly in heart” (11:29). The meek are God-controlled and have mastery over their passions, especially anger. Meekness is not passive weakness, but strength directed and under control. The earththat the meek will inherit is not power or possession in this world, but the new earth, which is everlasting (Rev 21:1).
5:6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness see the presence of God and His Kingdom as the most important thing in life. They have a desperate craving for what is right before God, comparable to a starving person's craving for food (see 6:33).
5:7 Mercy is love set in motion, expressed in action. God's mercy in taking our sufferings on Himself in order to grant us His Kingdom sets us free from captivity to the evil one. In view of God's mercy to all, we in turn are to be merciful to all.
5:8 “Pure” means unmixed with anything else. The pure in heart are completely devoted to the worship and service of God and accept no compromises. With the aid of the Holy Spirit, those who achieve purity practice all virtue, have no conscious evil in themselves, and live in temperance. This level of spirituality is attained by few, but all may strive for it. When the soul's only desire is God, and a person's will holds to this desire, then that person will indeed see God everywhere.
5:9 Being the source of peace, Christ found no price sufficient for peace other than shedding His own blood. In doing so, Christ reveals Himself to us as the Reconciler, the Prince of peace (Is 9:6; Eph 2:14–16). The Holy Spirit gives peace to those who imitate Christ. Thus, peacemakers share God's peace with those around them, imitating Christ's sacrificial love and participating in His work. By God's grace, peacemakers become sons of God themselves.
5:10 Children of God uphold truth, refuse to compromise with the ways of the world, and give themselves to no other (6:24, 33; see 1Co 6:19, 20). Like Jesus, these will be persecuted for righteousness' sake (see Jn 15:18–20). Christ's kingdom is the crown awaiting the righteous.
5:11-12 Those who suffer persecution for Christ walk the road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.
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