Lectio Divina for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
November 02, 2025
We begin our prayer:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Listen kindly to our prayers, O Lord,
and, as our faith in your Son,
raised from the dead, is deepened,
so may our hope of resurrection for your departed servants
also find new strength.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
(Collect, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed)
Reading (Lectio)
Read the following Scripture two or thee times.
John 6:37-40
Jesus said to the crowds: “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”
Meditation (Meditatio)
After the reading, take some time to reflect in silence on one or more of the following questions:
- Did this scripture passage remind you of a personal experience, story, or another scripture passage?
- What word or words in this passage caught your attention?
- What in this passage comforted you?
- What in this passage challenged you?
If practicing lectio divina as a family or in a group, after the reflection time, invite the participants to share their responses.
Prayer (Oratio)
Read the Scripture passage one more time. Bring to the Lord the praise, petition, or thanksgiving that the Word inspires in you.
Contemplation (Contemplatio)
Read the Scripture again, followed by this reflection:
What conversion of mind, heart, and life is the Lord asking of me?
I will not reject anyone who comes to me. When have I rejected others? When have I felt rejected?
This is the will of the one who sent me. How can I better discern God’s will for my life? How can I support the Church’s mission as a faithful disciple?
I shall raise him on the last day. For what do I hope after death? How am I preparing my soul to meet the Lord?
After a period of silent reflection and/or discussion, all recite the Lord’s Prayer and the following:
Closing Prayer
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me and answer me.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD!
(From Psalm 27)
Living the Word This Week
If possible, visit a Catholic cemetery and pray for those who have died, especially those who have no one to pray for them.
To learn more about the readings for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls), watch the video below.
Excerpts from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.