Divine Office

November 2

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day)

Solemnity

Note: When November 2 occurs on Sunday, even though the Mass for All Souls Day may be celebrated, the office is taken from the current Sunday in Ordinary Time; the Office for the Dead is not said. However, when Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer are celebrated with the people, these hours may be taken from the Office for the Dead. Here is a direct link to these Hours.[6]

“But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep,”(1 Thess 4:13-14).[1]

From ancient times, Christians have had the tradition of praying for the dead. Today, we lift up our hearts and prayers to those who have gone before us. In the Mystical Body of Christ, we are united with them and pray for their eternal souls. As well as our dearly departed, we are encouraged to pray for others, perhaps especially those who died as victims of injustice, war and hunger. In praying for the dead, we are reminded of the joys of eternal life, which through Christ Jesus, is made accessible to all of us.[2][3][4][5]

Written by Sarah Ciotti
Reviewed by Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, STD
[1] Revised Standard Version, s.v., “Thessalonians, The First Letter of Paul to the.”
[2] Revised Standard Version, s.v., “Maccabees, The Second Book of the.”
[3] Benedict XVI, Angelus, November 2, 2008.
[4] Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, The Martyrology of the Monastery of the Ascension, 2008.
[5] John Paul II, Angelus, November 2, 1997.
[6] Instructions from Proper of Saints for November 2, Liturgy of the Hours vol IV, page 1537

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV:
Ordinary: 615
Proper of Saints: 1537
Office of the Dead: 1891

Christian Prayer:
Proper of Saints: 1310
Office of the Dead: 1474

Office of Readings for All Souls

God, come to my assistance.
— Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 From the earth you formed me, with flesh you clothed me; Lord, my Redeemer, raise me up again at the last day.

Psalm 40
Thanksgiving and plea for help
It was not sacrifice and oblation you wanted, but you have prepared a body for me (Hebrews 10:5).

I

I waited, I waited for the Lord
and he stooped down to me;
he heard my cry.

Ant. From the earth you formed me, with flesh you clothed me; Lord, my Redeemer, raise me up again at the last day.

He drew me from the deadly pit,
from the miry clay.
He set my feet upon a rock
and made my footsteps firm.

Ant. From the earth you formed me, with flesh you clothed me; Lord, my Redeemer, raise me up again at the last day.

He put a new song into my mouth,
praise of our God.
Many shall see and fear
and shall trust in the Lord.

Ant. From the earth you formed me, with flesh you clothed me; Lord, my Redeemer, raise me up again at the last day.

Happy the man who has placed
his trust in the Lord
and has not gone over to the rebels
who follow false gods.

Ant. From the earth you formed me, with flesh you clothed me; Lord, my Redeemer, raise me up again at the last day.

How many, O Lord my God,
are the wonders and designs
that you have worked for us;
you have no equal.
Should I proclaim and speak of them,
they are more than I can tell!

Ant. From the earth you formed me, with flesh you clothed me; Lord, my Redeemer, raise me up again at the last day.

You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings,
but an open ear.
You do not ask for holocaust and victim.
Instead, here am I.

Ant. From the earth you formed me, with flesh you clothed me; Lord, my Redeemer, raise me up again at the last day.

In the scroll of the book it stands written
that I should do your will.
My God, I delight in your law
in the depth of my heart.

Ant. From the earth you formed me, with flesh you clothed me; Lord, my Redeemer, raise me up again at the last day.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. From the earth you formed me, with flesh you clothed me; Lord, my Redeemer, raise me up again at the last day.

Ant. 2 Lord, may it please you to rescue me; look upon me and help me.

II

Your justice I have proclaimed
in the great assembly.
My lips I have not sealed;
you know it, O Lord.

Ant. Lord, may it please you to rescue me; look upon me and help me.

I have not hidden your justice in my heart
but declared your faithful help.
I have not hidden your love and your truth
from the great assembly.

Ant. Lord, may it please you to rescue me; look upon me and help me.

O Lord, you will not withhold
your compassion from me.
Your merciful love and your truth
will always guard me.

Ant. Lord, may it please you to rescue me; look upon me and help me.

For I am beset with evils
too many to be counted.
My sins have fallen upon me
and my sight fails me.
They are more than the hairs of my head
and my heart sinks.

Ant. Lord, may it please you to rescue me; look upon me and help me.

O Lord, come to my rescue;
Lord, come to my aid.

Ant. Lord, may it please you to rescue me; look upon me and help me.

O let there be rejoicing and gladness
for all who seek you.
Let them ever say: “The Lord is great”,
who love your saving help.

Ant. Lord, may it please you to rescue me; look upon me and help me.

As for me, wretched and poor,
the Lord thinks of me.
You are my rescuer, my help,
O God, do not delay.

Ant. Lord, may it please you to rescue me; look upon me and help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Lord, may it please you to rescue me; look upon me and help me.

Ant. 3 My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

Psalm 42
Longing for the Lord’s presence in his Temple
Let all who thirst come; let all who desire it, drink from the life-giving water (Revelation 22:17).

Like the deer that yearns
for running streams,
so my soul is yearning
for you, my God.

Ant. My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

My soul is thirsting for God,
the God of my life;
when can I enter and see
the face of God?

Ant. My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

My tears have become my bread,
by night, by day,
as I hear it said all the day long:
“Where is your God?”

Ant. My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

These things will I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I would lead the rejoicing crowd
into the house of God,
amid cries of gladness and thanksgiving,
the throng wild with joy.

Ant. My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

Why are you cast down, my soul,
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still,
my savior and my God.

Ant. My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

My soul is cast down within me
as I think of you,
from the country of Jordan and Mount Hermon,
from the Hill of Mizar.

Ant. My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

Deep is calling on deep,
in the roar of waters;
your torrents and all your waves
swept over me.

Ant. My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

By day the Lord will send
his loving kindness;
by night I will sing to him,
praise the God of my life.

Ant. My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

I will say to God, my rock:
“Why have your forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
oppressed by the foe?”

Ant. My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

With cries that pierce me to the heart,
my enemies revile me,
saying to me all day long:
“Where is your God?”

Ant. My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

Why are you cast down, my soul,
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still,
my savior and my God.

Ant. My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. My soul is thirsting for the living God; when shall I see him face to face?

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)
A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

Lord, countless are your mercies.
— Give me life according to your word.

READINGS

First Reading
From the second letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians
4:16-5:10
When the body of our earthly dwelling place lies in death, we gain an everlasting dwelling place in heaven

We do not lose heart because our inner being is renewed each day even though our body is being destroyed at the same time. The present burden of our trial is light enough, and earns for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. We do not fix our gaze on what is seen but on what is unseen. What is seen is transitory; what is unseen lasts forever.

Indeed, we know that when the earthly tent in which we dwell is destroyed we have a dwelling provided for us by God, a dwelling in the heavens, not made by hands but to last forever. We groan while we are here, even as we yearn to have our heavenly habitation envelop us. This it will, provided we are found clothed and not naked. While we live in our present tent we groan; we are weighed down because we do not wish to be stripped naked but rather to have the heavenly dwelling envelop us, so that what is mortal may be absorbed by life. God has fashioned us for this very thing and has given us the Spirit as a pledge of it.

Therefore we continue to be confident. We know that while we dwell in the body we are away from the Lord. We walk by faith, not by sight. I repeat, we are full of confidence and would much rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. This being so, we make it our aim to please him whether we are with him or away from him. The lives of all of us are to be revealed before the tribunal of Christ so that each one may receive his recompense, good or bad, according to his life in the body.

RESPONSORY

Lord, do not judge me according to my deeds:
I have done nothing worthy in your sight:
therefore I implore you, God of majesty,
— blot out all my guilt.

Lord, wash away my iniquities, and cleanse me from my sin.
— Blot out all my guilt.

Second reading
From a book on the death of his brother Satyrus by Saint Ambrose, bishop
Let us die with Christ, to live with Christ

We see that death is gain, life is loss. Paul says: For me life is Christ, and death a gain. What does “Christ” mean but to die in the body, and receive the breath of life? Let us then die with Christ, to live with Christ. We should have a daily familiarity with death, a daily desire for death. By this kind of detachment our soul must learn to free itself from the desires of the body. It must soar above earthly lusts to a place where they cannot come near, to hold it fast. It must take on the likeness of death, to avoid the punishment of death. The law of our fallen nature is at war with the law of our reason and subjects the law of reason to the law of error. What is the remedy? Who will set me free from this body of death? The grace of God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

We have a doctor to heal us; let us use the remedy he prescribes. The remedy is the grace of Christ, the dead body our own. Let us then be exiles from our body, so as not to be exiles from Christ. Though we are still in the body, let us not give ourselves to the things of the body. We must not reject the natural rights of the body, but we must desire before all else the gifts of grace.

What more need be said? It was by the death of one man that the world was redeemed. Christ did not need to die if he did not want to, but he did not look on death as something to be despised, something to be avoided, and he could have found no better means to save us than by dying. Thus his death is life for all. We are sealed with the sign of his death; when we pray we preach his death; when we offer sacrifice we proclaim his death. His death is victory; his death is a sacred sign; each year his death is celebrated with solemnity by the whole world.

What more should we say about his death since we use this divine example to prove that it was death alone that won freedom from death, and death itself was its own redeemer? Death is then no cause for mourning, for it is the cause of mankind’s salvation. Death is not something to be avoided, for the Son of God did not think it beneath his dignity, nor did he seek to escape it.

Death was not part of nature; it became part of nature. God did not decree death from the beginning; he prescribed it as a remedy. Human life was condemned because of sin to unremitting labor and unbearable sorrow and so began to experience the burden of wretchedness. There had to be a limit to its evils; death had to restore what life had forfeited. Without the assistance of grace, immortality is more of a burden than a blessing.

The soul has to turn away from the aimless paths of this life, from the defilement of an earthly body; it must reach out to those assemblies in heaven (though it is given only to the saints to be admitted to them) to sing the praises of God. We learn from Scripture how God’s praise is sung to the music of the harp: Great and wonderful are your deeds, Lord God Almighty; just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not revere and glorify your nature? You alone are holy; all nations will come and worship before you. The soul must also desire to witness your nuptials, Jesus, and to see your bride escorted from earthly to heavenly realities, as all rejoice and sing: All flesh will come before you. No longer will the bride be held in subjection to this passing world but will be made one with the spirit.

Above all else, holy David prayed that he might see and gaze on this: One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I shall pray for: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, and to see how gracious is the Lord.

RESPONSORY See 2 Maccabees 12:45; Matthew 13:43

There are some who have died a godly death;
— they shall receive the splendid reward which awaits them.

Then the just will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
— They shall receive the splendid reward which awaits them.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Listen kindly to our prayers,
O Lord, and, as our faith in your Son,
raised from the dead, is deepened,
so may our hope of resurrection
for your departed servants also find new strength.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.

Acclamation (at least in the communal celebration)

Let us praise the Lord.
— And give him thanks.

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours:
Vol I, Page 1172
Vol II, Page 1628
Vol III, Page 1272
Vol IV, Page 1236

Christian Prayer:
Page 1037

Night Prayer after Evening Prayer II on Sundays and Solemnities

God, come to my assistance.
— Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

Examination of conscience:

We are called to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men, in our hearts and in our minds, in our actions and inactions. To do so, it is vital that we examine our conscience daily and to ask for God’s mercy as we fall short and to ask for His strength to do better.

Kýrie, eléison
— Kýrie, eléison

Christé, eléison
— Christé, eléison

Kýrie, eléison
— Kýrie, eléison

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Night holds no terrors for me sleeping under God’s wings.

Psalm 91
Safe in God’s sheltering care
I have given you the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19).

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: “My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!”

It is he who will free you from the snare
of the fowler who seeks to destroy you;
he will conceal you with his pinions
and under his wings you will find refuge.

You will not fear the terror of the night
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the plague that prowls in the darkness
nor the scourge that lays waste at noon.

A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand fall at your right,
you, it will never approach;
his faithfulness is buckler and shield.

Your eyes have only to look
to see how the wicked are repaid,
you who have said: “Lord, my refuge!”
and have made the Most High your dwelling.

Upon you no evil shall fall,
no plague approach where you dwell.
For you has he commanded his angels,
to keep you in all your ways.

They shall bear you upon their hands
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
On the lion and the viper you will tread
and trample the young lion and the dragon.

Since he clings to me in love, I will free him;
protect him for he knows my name.
When he calls I shall answer: “I am with you,”
I will save him in distress and give him glory.

With length of life I will content him;
I shall let him see my saving power.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Night holds no terrors for me sleeping under God’s wings.

READING Revelation 22:4-5

They shall see the Lord face to face and bear his name on their foreheads. The night shall be no more. They will need no light from lamps or the sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever.

RESPONSORY

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
— Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.
— I commend my spirit.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
— Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

GOSPEL CANTICLE

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

Luke 2:29-32
Christ is the light of the nations and the glory of Israel

Lord, now you let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:

my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

Concluding Prayer

Lord,
we have celebrated today
the mystery of the rising of Christ to new life.
May we now rest in your peace,
safe from all that could harm us,
and rise again refreshed and joyful,
to praise you throughout another day.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
— Amen.

Blessing

May the all-powerful Lord grant us a restful night and a peaceful death.
— Amen.

Antiphon or song in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary