Readings for Sunday, November 1, 2026
Lectionary: 667
Reading 1 Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
I, John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, "Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the children of Israel. After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb." All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: "Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honour, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen." Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, "Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?" I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows." He said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Reading 2 1 John 3:1-3
Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.
Gospel Matthew 5:1-12a
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."
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Ifirħu u thennew, għax ħlaskom kbir fis-smewwiet
QARI 1
... mill-Ktieb tal-Apokalissi ta’ San Ġwann Appostlu 7:2-4, 9-14
Jiena, Ġwanni, rajt Anġlu ieħor tiela’ bis-siġill ta’ Alla l-ħaj min-naħa tal-Lvant, u b’leħen għoli għajjat lill-erba’ Anġli li lilhom kienet ingħatat is-setgħa li jagħmlu l-ħsara lill-art u lill-baħar, u qalilhom: “Tagħmlulhomx ħsara lill-art u lill-baħar, anqas lis-siġar, qabel ma nkunu stampajna s-siġill fuq il-ġbin tal-qaddejja ta’ Alla tagħna”. Imbagħad smajt x’kien il-għadd tal-issiġillati: mija u erbgħa u erbgħin elf issiġillat minn kull tribù ta’ wlied Israel. Wara dan, ħarist, u ara, kien hemm kotra kbira li ħadd ma jista’ jgħoddha, minn kull ġens u tribù, minn kull poplu u lsien, weqfin quddiem it-tron u quddiem il-Ħaruf, lebsin ilbiesi twal bojod, u bil-friegħi tal-palm f’idejhom. U għollew leħinhom u bdew jgħidu: “Is-salvazzjoni nafuha lil Alla tagħna li qiegħed fuq it-tron, u lill-Ħaruf”. L-Anġli kollha kienu qegħdin madwar it-tron u madwar ix-Xjuħ u l-erba’ Ħlejjaq Ħajjin, u waqgħu wiċċhom fl-art quddiem it-tron jagħtu qima lil Alla u jgħidu: “Ammen. It-tifħir u l-glorja, il-għerf, ir-radd ta’ ħajr u l-ġieħ, il-qawwa u s-saħħa lil Alla tagħna, għal dejjem ta’ dejjem! Ammen”. Imbagħad wieħed mix-Xjuħ qabad u staqsieni: “Dawn li għandhom l-ilbiesi twal bojod fuqhom min huma, u minn fejn ġejjin?”. “Inti taf, sinjur,” għidtlu jien. Imbagħad qalli: “Dawn huma dawk li ġejjin mit-taħbit il-kbir, u l-ilbiesi tagħhom ħasluhom u bajduhom fid-demm tal-Ħaruf”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej >>><<< R/. Irroddu ħajr lil Alla <<<<<
SALM RESPONSORJALI Salm 23 (24), 1-6
R/.: Dan hu n-nisel ta’ dawk li jfittxu wiċċek, Mulej.
id-dinja u kulma jgħix fiha.
Għax hu fuq l-ibħra waqqafha,
u fuq ix-xmajjar wettaqha. R/
Min jista’ jitla’ fuq l-għolja tal-Mulej,
min joqgħod fil-post imqaddes tiegħu?
Min għandu jdejh indaf u qalbu safja,
min ma tax ruħu għall-frugħa. R/.
Dan ikollu barka mingħand il-Mulej,
u l-ħlas li ħaqqu minn Alla, is-Salvatur tiegħu.
Dan hu n-nisel ta’ dawk li jfittxuh;
li jfittxu ’l wiċċek, Alla ta’ Ġakobb. R/.
QARI 2 mill-Ewwel Ittra ta’ San Ġwann Appostlu 3:1-3
Għeżież: Araw b’liema mħabba ħabbna l-Missier: nistgħu nissejħu wlied Alla, u tassew aħna. Għalhekk id-dinja ma tagħrafniex, għax ma għarfitx lilu. Għeżież, issa nafu li aħna wlied Alla, imma x’sa nkunu ’l quddiem mhux muri lilna. Madankollu nafu li, meta hu jidher, aħna nkunu bħalu, għax narawh kif inhu. Kull min għandu din it-tama fih, isir safi bħalma safi huwa Kristu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej >>><<< R/. Irroddu ħajr lil Alla <<<<<
EVANĠELJU Qari skont San Mattew 5:1-12a
F’dak iż-żmien: Ġesù kif ra l-folol, tela’ fuq il-muntanja, u wara li qagħad bilqiegħda, resqu lejh id-dixxipli tiegħu. U hu fetaħ fommu u qabad ikellimhom u jgħid: “Henjin il-fqar fl-ispirtu, għax tagħhom hija s-saltna tas-Smewwiet. Henjin l-imnikkta, għax huma jkunu mfarrġa. Henjin ta’ qalbhom ħelwa, għax huma jkollhom l-art bħala wirt. Henjin dawk li huma bil-ġuħ u l-għatx tal-ġustizzja, għax huma jkunu mxebbgħa. Henjin dawk li jħennu, għax huma jisbu ħniena. Henjin dawk li huma safja f’qalbhom, għax huma jaraw ’l Alla. Henjin dawk li jġibu l-paċi, għax huma jissejħu wlied Alla. Henjin dawk li huma ppersegwitati minħabba fil-ġustizzja, għax tagħhom hija s-Saltna tas-smewwiet. Henjin intom, meta jgħajrukom u jippersegwitawkom u jgħidu kull deni fuqkom bil-gideb minħabba fija. Ifirħu u thennew, għax ħlaskom kbir fis-smewwiet”. >>>>> Il-Kelma tal-Mulej >>><<< R/. Irroddu ħajr lil Alla <<<<<
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ALL SAINTS DAY -
“Be made perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect”
(Mt 5:48).
Next Sunday, November 1, we celebrate "All Saints Day, so let us initially focus on its objectives: All baptized Christians who have died and are now with God in glory are considered saints. All Saints Day is intended to honour the memory of countless unknown and uncanonized saints who have no feast days.
Today, we thank God for giving ordinary men and women a share in His holiness and Heavenly glory as a reward for their Faith. This feast is observed in order to teach us to honour the saints, both by imitating their lives and by seeking their intercession for us before Christ, the only mediator between God and man (I Tm 2:5). The Church reminds us on this day that God's call for holiness is universal, that all of us are called to live in His love and to make His love real in the lives of those around us.
Holiness is related to the word wholesomeness. We grow in holiness when we live wholesome lives of integrity, truth, justice, charity, mercy, and compassion, sharing our blessings with others.
So why do we honour the saints?
1- The saints put their trust in Christ and lived heroic lives of Faith. St. Paul asks us to serve and honour such noble souls. In his Epistles to the Corinthians, to the Philippians, and to Timothy, Paul advises Christians to welcome, serve, and honour those who have put their trust in Jesus. The saints enjoy Heavenly bliss as a reward for their Faith in Jesus. Hence, they deserve our veneration.
2- The saints are our role models. They teach us by their lives that Christ’s holy life of love, mercy, and unconditional forgiveness can, with the grace of God, be lived by ordinary people from all walks of life and at all times
Reasons why we honour the saints:
1- The saints put their trust in Christ and lived heroic lives of Faith. St. Paul asks us to serve and honour such noble souls. In his Epistles to the Corinthians, to the Philippians, and to Timothy, Paul advises Christians to welcome, serve, and honour those who have put their trust in Jesus. The saints enjoy Heavenly bliss as a reward for their Faith in Jesus. Hence, they deserve our veneration.
2- The saints are our role models. They teach us by their lives that Christ’s holy life of love, mercy, and unconditional forgiveness can, with the grace of God, be lived by ordinary people from all walks of life and at all times.
3- The saints are our Heavenly mediators who intercede for us before Jesus, the only mediator between God and us. (Jas 5:16-18, Ex 32:13, Jer 15:1, Rv 8:3-4,).
4- The saints are the instruments that God uses to work miracles at present, just as He used the staff of Moses (Exodus), the bones of the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 13:21), the towel of Paul (Acts 19:12) and the shadow of Peter (Acts 5:15) to work miracles.
Life messages:
We need to accept the challenge to become saints. Jesus exhorts us: “Be made perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect” (Mt 5:48).
St. Augustine asked: "If he and she can become saints, why can't I?" (Si iste et ista, cur non ego?).
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