Pray for the dead?

Have you noticed that usually we start our Masses praying for our beloved ones who are now resting in the peace of Christ? Have you gone to a funeral Mass for a relative or friend who passed away? Have you paid attention to the fact that in the petitions of the Mass we pray for all dead? Have you heard in the Eucharistic prayer a special prayer for the souls in purgatory?

Why does the Church pray for the dead? The Roman Catholic Church prays for the dead because she believes in the communion of Saints and God’s mercy for souls who have passed away. The Church wants to help our beloved ones on their spiritual journey to heaven by assisting in the process of purification in purgatory. Let us remember that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) says that purgatory is a purification of those who are elected to enter into the eternal life (cf. CCC #1031). People need to be completely clean from their sins before they see God face to face. As I wrote in the bulletin article from November 7, 2023, “Purgatory is more like heaven than hell because all souls there are not in the hands of Satan, but they are waiting for the lovely hands of God. They have their sorrows, but also joys. They know that God is close. Because of this knowledge, they suffer because they cannot see God yet. But they also rejoice, because they also know that this suffering will end, and they can enjoy the presence of the Lord when they get to heaven.”

This is why it is very important to pray for the souls in purgatory. In the Catholic Church, the whole month of November, but especially November 2nd, is traditionally dedicated to the souls in purgatory. That day, the Church dedicates to pray for all the souls because there are many souls who need our prayers. Our parish, Holy Trinity Church, will have a special Mass for all the souls in purgatory called the Mass of Loving Remembrance on November 7th at 7:00 pm. Everyone is most welcome to pray for our beloved ones who are now resting in the peace of Christ. Please, pay attention to a little change that we will have this year in this Eucharist. As every year, we will light candles when we name our deceased family members and friends. However, we will only name those who died during this year. That means those who died between November 2024 through November 2025. The rest of the deceased people will be in the Book of Remembrance and at the end of the prayer, we will have the intention for those who remain in this book, and we will light a candle in honor of all of them. Once again, you can write their names for this special Mass, in the Book of Remembrance or call their names into the parish office, but only those who died this year will be read aloud.

Therefore, let us pray for the souls in purgatory. Let us pray for our brothers and sisters who are waiting to enter the Presence of the Lord. Let us pray for them in the Eucharist, the Holy Rosary, or a Novena. Let us pray not only for our faithful departed, but also for those for whom no one ever prays for. They also deserve to be in the presence of the Lord.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

God Bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always.

Fr. Jorge Ramírez