Old Testament Readings
A reading from the Book of Wisdom. (3:1-9)
The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God,
no torment shall ever touch them.
In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die,
their going looked like a disaster,
their leaving us, like annihilation;
but they are at peace.
If they experienced punishment as men see it,
their hope was rich with immortality;
slight was their affliction, great will their blessings be.
God has put them to the test
and proved them to be worthy with him;
he has tested them like gold in a furnace,
and accepted them as a holocaust.
When the time comes for his visitation they will shine out;
as sparks run through the stubble, so will they.
they shall judge nations, rule over peoples, and
the Lord will be their king forever.
They who trust in him will understand the truth,
those who are faithful will live with him in love;
for grace and mercy await those he has chosen.
This is the Word of the Lord!
A reading from the Book of Wisdom (4:7-15)
Length of days is not what makes age honourable,
nor number of years the measure of life;
understanding, this is man’s grey hairs, untarnished life, this is ripe old age.
He has sought to please God, so God has loved him;
as he was living among sinners, he has been taken up.
He has been carried off so that evil may not wrap his understanding
or treachery seduce his soul;
Coming to perfection in so short a while, he achieved long life;
his soul being pleasing to the Lord,
he has taken him quickly from the wickedness around him.
Yet people look on, uncomprehending;
it does not enter their heads that grace and mercy await the chosen of the Lord,
and protection, his holy ones.
This is the word of the Lord
A reading from the prophet Isaiah
I have called you by your name, you are mine.
Should you pass through the sea, I will be with you;
Or through the rivers, they will not swallow you up.
Should you walk through fire, you will not be scorched and the flames will not burn you.
For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus
our ancestors in their successive generations.
Here is a list of the generous
whose good works have not been forgotten.
In their descendents there remains
a rich inheritance born of them.
Their descendents stand by their covenants and
thanks to them, so do their children’s children. Their offspring will last forever,
their glory will not fade.
Their bodies have been buried in peace,
and their names live on for all generations.
The peoples will proclaim their wisdom,
the assembly will celebrate their praise.
This is the word of the Lord.
reading from the prophet Isaiah (25:6-9)
The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek; he will take away his people’s shame everywhere on earth, for the Lord has said so. That day, it will be said: See, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation; the Lord is the one in whom we hoped. We exult and we rejoice that he has saved us.
This is the word of the Lord.
A reading from the prophet Isaiah (12,2-6)
This is the word of the Lord.
A Reading from the Book of Lamentations (3,17-26)
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him”.
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the book of Ruth (1,8-17 passim)
Naomi said to her, “Look, your sister-in-law returns to her people and her gods. You too must return. Go after her.”
But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Wherever you die, I will die and there I will be buried. And may the Lord deal severely with me if even death should come between us.
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the Prophet Isaiah (49,8.14-16)
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the Book of Job (19,1.23-27)
inscribed on some monument
with iron and chisel and engraving tool,
cut into the rock for ever.
This I know: that my Avenger lives,
and he, the Last, will take his stand on earth.
After my awakening, he will set me close to him,
and from my flesh I shall look on God.
He whom I shall see will take my part:
these eyes will gaze on him and find him not aloof’.
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the Prophet Daniel (12,1-3)
“At that time Michael will stand up, the great prince who mounts guard over your people. There is going to be a time of great distress, unparalleled since nations first came into existence. When that time comes, your own people will be spared, all those whose names are found written in the Book. Of those who lie sleeping in the dust of the earth many will awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting disgrace. The learned will shine as brightly as the vault of heaven, and those who have instructed many in virtue, as bright as the stars for all eternity”.
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the second book of Maccabees (12,43-45)
This is the Word of the Lord
A reading from the second book of Samuel (19,1-5)
This is the Word of the Lord.
New Testament Readings
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (5,5-11)
Hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us. We were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful people. It is not easy to die even for a good person – though of course for someone really worthy, one might be prepared to die – but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger? When we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, we were still enemies; now that we have been reconciled, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son? Not merely because we have been reconciled but because we are filled with joyful trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (5,17-21)
This is the Word of the Lord
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (6,3-9)
If in union with Christ we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his resurrection. We must realise that our former selves have been crucified with him to destroy this sinful body and to free us from the slavery of sin. When a man dies, of course, he has finished with sin.
But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him; Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him any more.
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (8,14-23)
I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons. It was not for any fault on the part of creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so by God; but creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God. From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free.
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (14,7-12)
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (8,31-35.37-39)
What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No! In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor anything that exists, nor anything still to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (15,20-28)
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (15,51-57)
When this perishable nature has put on imperishability, and when this mortal nature has put on immortality, then the words of Scripture will come true:
Death is swallowed up in victory. Death where is your victory? Death where is your sting? Now the sting of sin is death, and sin gets its power from the Law. So let us thank God for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (4,14-5,1)
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (5,1.6-10)
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians (3,20-21)
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to Timothy (2,8-13)
Here is a saying you can rely on:
If we have died with him, then we shall live with him.
If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him.
If we disown him, then he will disown us.
We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful,
for he cannot disown his own self.
This is the Word of the Lord
A Reading from the Second Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy. (4,6-8)
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians (4,13-18)
This is the Word of the Lord
A reading from the First Letter of St. John (3,1-2)
by letting us be called God’s children;
and that is what we are.
Because the world refused to acknowledge him,
therefore it does not acknowledge us.
My dear people, we are already the children of God,
but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed;
all we know is, that when it is to be revealed
we shall be like him
because we shall see him as he really is.
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the First Letter of St. Peter (1,3-9)
This is the Word of the Lord.
A reading from the Book of Revelation (14,3)
This is the Word of the Lord
A reading from the Book of Revelation (21,1-4)
This is the Word of the Lord.
A Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews
Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen. It was for faith that our ancestors were commended.
All these died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised, but they saw them in the far distance and welcomed them, recognising that they were only strangers and nomads on earth. People who use such terms about themselves make it quite plain that they are in search of their real homeland. They can hardly have meant the country they came from, since they had the opportunity to go back to it; but in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalms
R: The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. R/
2. He guides me along the right path, he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff, with these you give me comfort. R/
3. You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil, my cup is overflowing. R/
4. Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
R: The Lord fills the earth with his love. Ps 32
The Lord looks on those who revere him, on those who hope in his love. R/
2. Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
The Lord is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in his holy name. R/
3. May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you. R/
R: Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Ps 129
O let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleading. R/
2. If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness: for this we revere you. R/
3. My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
My soul is waiting for the Lord, more than the watchman for daybreak. R/
4. Because with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption, Israel indeed he will redeem from all its iniquity. R/
R: I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living
Our God has compassion.
The Lord protects the simple hearts;
I was helpless so he saved me. R/
2. I trusted, even when I said:
“I am sorely afflicted,”
And when I said in my alarm:
“No man can be trusted”. R/
3. O precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful.
Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;
you have loosened my bonds. R/
Suggested Prayers of the Faithful
Let us thank God for having given N… the gift of life and pray that he will now grant N… the greater gift of eternal life.
Lord hear us
Lord graciously hear us
Reader:
Let us praise God for all that he did through N… during his life on earth. May he have the reward of his goodness.
Lord hear us
Lord graciously hear us
Reader:
We are all God’s creatures, so we must ask God to forgive N… for his sins and failings, confident that he will be welcomed by the whole community of saints.
Lord hear us
Lord graciously hear us Reader: Let us pray especially for the sorrowing relatives and friends, that the pain of their sorrow may be softened, and that the emptiness may be filled with the love of God.
Lord hear us
Lord graciously hear us
Reader:
Let us pray for all those who care for the sick, especially those who cared for N… during the last illness of our friend.
Lord hear us
Lord graciously hear us
Reader:
Let us pray for all who are suffering that the Lord may give them strength in their weakness. Mary was close to Jesus when he died, so we know she can understand our sorrow at this time. Let us turn to her for help. Hail Mary….

