All Souls Day

[cappie]

This is a day specially set apart for remembering and praying for our dear ones who have gone to their eternal reward, and who are in a state of purification.

Since time immemorial, men have believed in the immortality of the soul, and have prayed for the dead. It is a custom found in all ancient religions, including Judaism.The Jews, for example, believed that there is a place of temporary bondage from which the souls of the dead receive their final release.

Since Jesus in no way contradicted this ancient belief, the infant Church incorporated it into its teachings. Evidence suggests that the belief dates back to the first century of the church. “Remember us who have gone before you, in your prayers” is a petition, often found inscribed on the walls of the Roman catacombs (Lumen Gentium-50). The inclusion of “prayers for the dead” is found in many of the ancient liturgies of the Mass, originating in the early centuries of the Church. Praying for the deceased members of the family, as part of their family night prayers, was also an ancient practice of oriental Christians. The early Fathers of the Church encouraged this practice, which they believed to have been inherited from the apostles. Tertullian (A.D.160-240) wrote about anniversary Masses for the dead, advising widows to pray for their husbands. St. Augustine remarked that he used to pray for the sins of his mother, remembering her request: “When I die, bury me anywhere you like, but remember to pray for me at the altar.”

The Church’s official teaching on purgatory is plain and simple. There is a place or state of purification called purgatory, where the souls undergoing purification can be helped by the prayers of the faithful (Council of Trent).

In Lumen Gentium (50-52), purgatory is seen in the broader context of salvation and heaven. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes Purgatory as the “final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (1031). Some Modern theologians suggest that purgatory may be an “instant” purification immediately after death, varying in intensity from soul to soul, depending on the state of each individual. According to this view, the refining fire of purgatory is only a relic of medieval imagery. It may, in fact, be a form of a ‘blazing enlightenment’ which penetrates and perfects our very being. God can anticipate and apply the merits of our present and future prayers for the dead, in favour of the souls we pray for, at the time of their purification. Purgatory is thus the fringe of heaven, a state where heaven’s eternal light has a refining effect on the “holy souls” (not “poor souls”), who are held in the arms of Divine Mercy.

How do we help the “holy souls”? The Catechism of the Catholic Church (No. 1032) recommends prayer for the dead in conjunction with the offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Likewise, it urges “almsgiving, indulgences and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead.” All these prayerful acts are to be conducted as matters of faith, and not as something magical.

The greatest act is to offer Mass for the dead, because in this One Sacrifice, the merits of our Lord Jesus are applied to the dead. Hence this reconciling offering of the Lord is the greatest and most perfect prayer, which we can offer for the dead in their state of purification. Let us not forget to pray for our dear departed, have Masses offered for them, visit their graves, and make daily sacrifices for them.

[little2add]

Prayer for deceased parents

O God, Who has commanded us
to honor our father and mother,
have compassion in Thy mercy,
on the souls of my father and mother;
forgive them their sins,
and grant that I may see them
in the joy of eternal brightness.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen