Greeting
Neither death nor life, nothing that exists, nothing still
to come, nor any created thing can ever come between us and the love of God made
visible in Christ Jesus our Lord. May this risen Lord be always with
you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
Today's celebration of All Souls is more a feast of hope
than a day of mourning for the dead. By visiting the graves of our beloved ones
and praying for all who have died, we profess and affirm our faith that we are
still linked with the dead, that for us they are not gone for ever but that we
shall see them again in the home of our Father in heaven. For them and for us
the stone of the tomb will be rolled away, and we will rise from death as once
Jesus raised Lazarus and he himself rose from the tomb. Let us celebrate this
resurrection faith today.
Penitential Act
We seek forgiveness for all our sins, for they destroy or
obstruct life in us. (PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you became one of us to share in our joys and
pains, even our death: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy. Jesus Christ, you
died for us on the cross to take the evil of death away from us: Christ,
have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you rose from the dead to open
for us the way to life: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy. Have mercy on
us, Lord, raise us from our sins and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us recommend to the Lord all the faithful departed (PAUSE)
God of the living, we believe that you are a God of love
that is stronger than death since your Son Jesus Christ, born as one of us, destroyed
death forever.
Let all the faithful departed live in the security of your
love. Let them enjoy peace, your peace, which escaped them so often
in life, and give to us, too, the courage to face life and to live it in
close union with your Son. We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/
Amen.
General Intercessions
Let us pray to our living God, who created us for life and
happiness. God will not give us up to death but give us eternal life. Let
us pray to him: R/ Lord of life, hear your people.
- For the dead in our families and our community, for all
those who were dear to us in life, that God, who called them by their names,
may be their unending joy, let us pray: R/ Lord of life, hear your people.
- For all those who had to suffer much in life from
sickness, injustice or poverty, that their sorrow may now come to an end and
that there may be no end to their happiness, let us pray: R/ Lord of life,
hear your people.
- For the dead who had to go a lonely way through life
because none, or few, cared for them, or because they were loners themselves,
or because their children or partners deserted them; for those for whom nobody
mourns, that now they may discover the joy of the friendship of the saints in
heaven, let us pray: R/ Lord of life, hear your people.
- And finally, for ourselves, that we may help and support
one another on the journey through life, that we may go the Lord's way side by
side and share joys and sorrows, life and death, let us pray: R/ Lord of
life, hear your people.
God of life, we thank you for the assurance that the dead
are in your hands and that we are called and destined to eternal life on
account of your risen Son, Jesus. Do not let our hearts be troubled, but
reunite us one day with those whom we have known and loved. Lead us all to you
through him who is our way, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God, we entrust our life and our death into your
hands. Give us your life-giving bread and the wine of loyalty to your
covenant, that by their power we may overcome death and live for
life, and may join those who have gone before us in faith, through
Jesus Christ, your Son and our risen Lord forever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let us give our wholehearted praise to the Father of life
and happiness, for he has created us for life and has not abandoned us to
death. Through Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord, he has brought us the fullness of
life. (Do not forget to use the inserts for the dead in the Eucharistic
Prayer.)
Introduction to the Lord's Prayer
Let us pray in the words of Jesus to the God of life and
hope who is our Father in heaven: R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil and grant your peace in
our day to a world that cannot create peace. Grant peace to the dead who died
in the hope of living in your lasting peace. Free us from the fear of
death, as we wait in joyful hope for our resurrection and the full life of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is our risen Lord, who said: I am the
resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live, even
though they die; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Happy are
we to be united as we eat the bread of eternal life. R/ Lord, I am not
worthy...
Prayer after Communion
God our Father, you know and love us beyond death. We
thank you for calling all of us to live forever in your friendship. We
thank you for the unending happiness of the saints who live in your joy. We
thank you for your undying, everlasting love for us and for all our beloved
dead. Accept our thanks through your risen Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord forever. R/
Amen.
Blessing
We have prayed today for those who have died, known or
unknown, close or distant. It was an occasion for us to deepen our faith in the
resurrection promised to the deceased and to ourselves. We believe in a living
God who wants all to live in his love and joy. May our God of life bless you
all, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go in the peace of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to
God.
