All Saints' Day
In our reading, John is telling us that we are children of God. We have all been baptized into God’s family and he loves every one of us. We follow in the footsteps of Jesus and try to be good and pure, too.
In our gospel, Jesus and his disciples went up on a mountain and Jesus taught them about the beatitudes: blessed are those who know they need God (because they pray); blessed are those who are sad; blessed are those who are humble; blessed are those who work for justice; blessed are those who give mercy to others; blessed are those who have pure hearts; blessed are those who are peaceful; and blessed are those who suffer when doing the right thing. These are much different from what we might consider being “blessed” or “happy”.
Special Saint/Feast Day: All Souls’ Day – November 2
This is the day that we remember all the faithful departed who have passed from this life into the next.
We especially pray for our own ancestors, relatives, and friends who have died.
We pray for those who taught us good things.
We pray for those who made sacrifices for us.
We pray for those who prayed for us while they were on this earth.
We can pray for the souls in purgatory and hasten their journey to God: Eternal rest, grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.