All Souls Day 

 

The Bishop's Voice
Oct. 20, 2006
Bishop Michael J. Sheridan, S.T.D.
Oct 18, 2006 5:00 PM

November is the month that the church designates as a special time of prayer for the dead. The celebration of All Souls Day on Nov. 2 begins this month-long period of prayer for all the faithful departed, especially those who are most in need of our prayers.

Prayer for the dead is as old as our church — even older. The Old Testament Book of 2 Maccabees (12:42-45) gives us an example of prayer for the dead that expresses hope in a resurrection as well as the need to beseech God that the dead might be purified of their sins.

In his second letter to Timothy, St. Paul testifies to the ancient practice of praying for the dead. There Paul writes of his devoted servant Onesiphorus and prays that when Onesiphorus comes to his judgment the Lord will grant him mercy.

St. Augustine, in his "Confessions," relates the story of his mother Monica as she approached her death near Rome. This account is read in the Liturgy of the Hours for the Feast of St. Monica (Aug. 27). As Monica suffered her last illness, Augustine’s brother expressed his desire that his mother might die near her home in North Africa. Monica overheard the conversation of her two sons and took them to task. She instructed her sons in these words:

"Bury my body wherever you will; let not care of it cause you any concern. One thing only I ask of you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be."

The tombs of the ancient Christians buried in the catacombs outside Rome likewise attest to the practice of prayer for the dead. So many of these Christian tombs are inscribed with a plea for prayers on behalf of the departed.

The Catholic practice of praying for the faithful departed is bound up with our belief in purgatory. The dogma of purgatory is summarized beautifully in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven" (CCC 1030).

No one who dies in unrepentant mortal sin can enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who die in the state of grace can enter heaven. But even those who die in the friendship of Christ have not necessarily been purified of the effects of sin in their lives. Purgatory is the means of the final purification that perfects in holiness the one who has died.

Following the Second Vatican Council, the church’s funeral rites were reformed. For the last several decades we have become accustomed to the funeral liturgy expressing Christ’s glorious victory over death in his resurrection. There is a sense of joy that mingles with our sorrow and serves to help overcome our sorrow. All of this is a most fitting expression of the faith of the church. But this new sense of joy and victory must not be the occasion to distract us from our duty to pray for the dead.

Even when a person seems to have led a most exemplary life on earth, we cannot be sure that he or she has been completely purified before death. For this reason we pray, knowing in faith that our prayers contribute to the deceased’s purification. We do our departed friends and relatives a great disservice if we assume them to be in heaven and, thus, not in need of our prayers.

The practice of making an offering for a Mass to be celebrated for one who has died is a most fitting way to pray for the dead, as well as to express our love for the one who has died. Whenever Mass is offered, a commemoration of all the faithful departed is included in the eucharistic prayer. But to designate a particular person to benefit from the fruits of the Mass is a very revered custom in the church. Since the souls in purgatory cannot pray for themselves, they rely on us and our prayers to assist in their purification.

As we prepare for this special month of prayer for the dead, let us recommit ourselves to pray for our dearly departed not only in November, but each and every day.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

And may perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. Amen.