1. A reading from the book of Job (19:1, 23-27)
Then Job answered and said: “Oh, would that my words were
written down! Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead they were cut in the
rock forever! But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust; Whom I
myself shall see: my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold
him, and from my flesh I shall see God; my inmost being is
consumed with longing.”
The Word of the Lord
2. A reading from the book of Wisdom (3:1-9)
But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no
torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the
foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an
affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be
punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; Chastised a
little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he
proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to
himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine and
shall dart about as sparks through stubble; They shall judge
nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their
King forever. Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love: Because grace
and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the
elect.
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3. A reading from the book of Wisdom (4:7-14)
But the just man, though he die early, shall be at rest. For the
age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, nor
can it be measured in terms of years. Rather, understanding is
the hoary crown for men, and an unsullied life, the attainment
of old age. He who pleased God was loved; he who lived
among sinners was transported— Snatched away, lest
wickedness pervert his mind or deceit beguile his soul; For
the witchery of paltry things obscures what is right and the
whirl of desire transforms the innocent mind. Having become
perfect in a short while, he reached the fullness of a long
career; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore he
sped him out of the midst of wickedness. But the people saw
and did not understand, nor did they take this into account.
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4. A reading from the book of Prophet Isaiah (25:6a, 7-9)
On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will provide for all
peoples; on this mountain, he will destroy the veil that veils
all peoples, The web that is woven over all nations; he will
destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears
from all faces; The reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken. On that day, it
will be said: “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save
us! This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and
be glad that he has saved us!”
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5. A reading from the book of Ruth (1:16-17)
But Ruth said, “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! for
wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge,
your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
Wherever you die I will die, and there be buried.
May the Lord do so and so to me, and more besides, if aught
but death separates me from you!”
The Word of the Lord
6. A reading from the book of Lamentations (3:17-26)
My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness
is; I tell myself my future is lost, all that I hoped for from the
Lord. The thought of my homeless poverty is wormwood and
gall; Remembering it over and over leaves my soul downcast
within me. But I will call this to mind, as my reason to have
hope: The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies
are not spent; They are renewed each morning, so great is his
faithfulness. My portion is the Lord, says my soul; therefore,
will I hope in him. Good is the Lord to one who waits for
him, to the soul that seeks him; It is good to hope in silence
for the saving help of the Lord.
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7. A reading from the book of Daniel (12:1-3)
“At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince,
guardian of your people; It shall be a time unsurpassed in
distress since nations began until that time. At that time your
people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the
book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall
awake; Some shall live forever; others shall be an everlasting
horror and disgrace. But the wise shall shine brightly like the
splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to
justice shall be like the stars forever.
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8. A reading from the book of Ecclesiastes (3:1-15)
There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair
under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to
plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to
build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to
dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to
embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast
away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to
speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate, a time of war, and a time of peace.
What advantage has the worker from his toil? I have considered the
task which God has appointed for men to be busied about. He has
made everything appropriate to its time and has put the timeless into
their hearts. For every man, moreover, to eat and drink and enjoy
the fruit of all his labor is a gift of God. I recognized that whatever
God does will endure forever; there is no adding to it, or taking from
it. Thus has God done that he may be revered. What now is has
already been; what is to be, already is; and God restores what would
otherwise be displaced.
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9. A reading from the second book of Maccabees (12:43-46)
Judas [the ruler of Israel] then took up a collection among all
his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas,
which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory
sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble
way, in as much as he had the resurrection of the dead in
view; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it
would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in
death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward
that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a
holy and pious thought. Thus, he made atonement for the
dead that they might be freed from this sin.
The Word of the Lord