November 1
All Saints
Tous les Saints
The Solemnity of All Saints, celebrated each year on November 1st, is a great feast of the Church honoring all the saints, known and unknown, who now rejoice in the presence of God. Its origins go back to the early centuries, when Christians would gather to celebrate the martyrs who had suffered for the faith. Over time, the feast came to embrace all holy men and women, canonized or not, recognizing the vast company of the “communion of saints.” The Church invites the faithful to contemplate not only well-known figures like the Apostles and martyrs, but also all those who quietly lived out heroic virtue in daily life.
All Saints’ Day reminds Catholics that holiness is universal: every Christian is called to be a saint through God’s grace and by following Christ faithfully. This day celebrates both the glory of God shown in His saints and the hope offered to every believer. In the liturgy, hymns and prayers focus on the joy and fellowship shared by all who have reached heaven. The Church’s veneration of the saints encourages the faithful to imitate their virtues and to depend upon their intercession. The celebration stands as a powerful witness to the transformative power of the Gospel in every age and culture.
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Questions about All Saints (Novus Ordo Missae)
The liturgical day
Mass readings
First readingAp 7, 2-4.9-14
I, John,
saw an angel
rising from where the sun rises,
with the seal that marks the living God;
with a loud voice he cried out to the four angels
who had been given power to harm the earth and the sea:
“Do not harm the earth,
nor the sea, nor the trees,
until we have put the seal
on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
And I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal:
they were one hundred forty-four thousand,
from all the tribes of the sons of Israel.
After this I saw:
and behold, a great multitude,
that no one could count,
a multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language.
They stood before the Throne and before the Lamb,
clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God
who sits upon the Throne
and to the Lamb!”
All the angels stood around the Throne,
around the Elders and the four Living Creatures;
falling on their faces before the Throne,
they prostrated themselves before God.
And they said:
“Amen!
Praise, glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power and strength
to our God, for ever and ever! Amen!”
Then one of the Elders spoke to me and said:
“These people dressed in white robes,
who are they, and where have they come from?”
I replied to him:
“My lord, you are the one who knows.”
He said to me:
“These are the ones who have come through the great ordeal;
they have washed their robes,
they have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
– The word of the Lord.
PsalmPs 23 (24), 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
The earth is the Lord’s and all its richness,
the world and all its inhabitants!
For he founded it upon the seas
and keeps it unshakable upon the waters.
Who can climb the mountain of the Lord
and stand in his holy place?
The one with a pure heart, with innocent hands,
who does not turn his soul toward idols.
He receives a blessing from the Lord,
and justice from God his Savior.
This is the people of those who seek him!
This is Jacob who seeks your face!
Second reading1 Jn 3, 1-3
Beloved,
see what great love the Father has given us
that we should be called children of God
– and that is what we are.
This is why the world does not know us:
because it did not know God.
Beloved,
right now, we are children of God,
but what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We know this: when it is revealed,
we shall be like him
because we shall see him as he is.
And whoever has such hope in him
purifies himself as he himself is pure.
– The word of the Lord.
GospelMt 5, 1-12a
At that time,
seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the mountain.
He sat down, and his disciples came to him.
Then he began to speak and taught them.
He said:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you,
and speak all kinds of evil against you falsely,
because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward is great in heaven!"
– Let us acclaim the Word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org