Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or Black
Psalm 26 : 1, 4, 7-9, 13-14
The Lord is my Light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.
One thing I ask of the Lord, one thing I seek – that I may dwell in His house all the days of my life, to gaze at His jewel and to visit His sanctuary.
Hear my voice when I call, o Lord, have mercy on me and answer. My heart says to You, “I seek Your face, o Lord.” Do not hide Your face from me nor turn away Your servant in anger. You are my protector, do not reject me. Abandon me not, o God my Saviour!
I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Trust in the Lord, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in the Lord!
Homily and Reflection :
Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)
Psalm 22 : 1-3, 4, 5, 6
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul. He guides me through the right paths for His Name’s sake.
Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are beside me : Your rod and Your staff comfort me.
You spread a table before me in the presence of my foes. You anoint my head with oil; my cup is overflowing.
Goodness and kindness will follow me all the days of my life. I shall dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.
Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)
Psalm 24 : 6 and 7bc, 17-18, 20-21
Remember Your compassion, o Lord, Your unfailing love from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, but in Your love remember me.
Free my heart of bitterness; relieve me of this distress. See my pain and sufferings, and forgive all my sins.
Deliver me from them; let me not be put to shame, for I have trusted You. Let integrity and uprightness be my protection, for all my hope, o Lord, is in You.
Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)
Psalm 41 : 2, 3, 5cdef and Psalm 42 : 3, 4, 5
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for You, o God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I go and see the face of God?
How I used to lead the faithful in procession to the house of God, amid shouts of joy and thanksgiving, among the feasting throng.
Send forth Your light and Your truth; let them be my guide, let them take me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You reside.
Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my gladness and delight. I will praise You with the lyre and harp, o God, my God.
Why are you so downcast, my soul, why so troubled within me? Hope in God, for again I will praise Him – my Saviour and my God.
Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)
Psalm 62 : 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
O God, You are my God, it is You I seek; for You my body longs and my soul thirsts, as a dry and weary land without water.
Thus I have gazed upon You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.
I will bless You as long as I live, lift up my hands and call on Your Name. As with the richest food my soul will feast; my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.
For You have been my help; I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You, Your right hand upholds me.
Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)
Psalm 102 : 8 and 10, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18
The Lord is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow to anger. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us as we deserve.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.
The days of mortals are like grass; they bloom like a flower of the field; but the wind passes over it, and it is gone, his field will not see him again.
But the Lord’s kindness is forever with those who fear Him; so is His justice, for their children’s children, for those who keep His covenant and remember His commands, for those who put them into practice.
Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)
Psalm 115 : 5, 6, 10-11, 15-16ac
Gracious and righteous is the Lord; full of compassion is our God.
The Lord protects the simple : He saved me when I was humbled.
I have kept faith even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” I have said in my dismay, “To hope in humans is vain.”
It is painful to the Lord to see the death of His faithful. O Lord, I am Your servant, You have freed me from my bonds.
Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)
Psalm 121 : 1-2, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” And now we have set foot within your gates, o Jerusalem!
There the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, the assembly of Israel, to give thanks to the Lord’s Name. There stand the courts of justice, the offices of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem : “May those who love you prosper! May peace be within your walls and security within your citadels!”
For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be with you!” For the sake of the house of our Lord, I will pray for your good.
Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)
Psalm 129 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6ab, 6c-7, 8
Out of the depths I cry to You, o Lord. O Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears pay attention to the voice of my supplication.
If You should mark our evil, o Lord, who could stand? But with You is forgiveness, and for that You are revered.
I waited for the Lord, my soul waits, and I put my hope in His word. My soul expects the Lord more than the watchmen the dawn.
O Israel, hope in the Lord, for with Him is unfailing love and with Him full deliverance.
He will deliver Israel from all its sins.
Alternative reading (Mass for the Dead)
Psalm 142 : 1-2, 5-6, 7ab and 8 ab, 10
O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; answer me, You who are righteous and faithful. Do not bring Your servant to judgment, for no mortal is just in Your sight.
I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on what You have done and consider the work of Your hand. I stretch out my hands to You, and thirst for You like a parched land.
O Lord, answer me quickly : my spirit is faint with yearning. Let the dawn bring me word of Your love, for in You alone I put my trust.
Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your Spirit lead me on a safe path.
