Praying for our dead
The month of November in which we remember our dead is almost upon us. But we don’t just remember them – we pray for them because they may well be in need of our prayers if they are undergoing purification in Purgatory.
The belief in the necessity of praying and offering Masses for the dead goes right back to the Apostles and the beginnings of Christianity. It is frequently referred to in the writings of the early Fathers of the Church. Tertullian (160-240) speaks of anniversary Masses: “The faithful widow prays for the soul of her husband, and begs for him in the interim repose … and offers prayers on the anniversary of his death.” In the catacombs in Rome where the bodies of the early Christians lie, there are a number of touching epitaphs. In one, a husband declares that he has placed an inscription for his departed wife Lucifera, “in order that all who read it may pray for her, that she may reach God.” The early Christians wanted prayers and Masses offered for them after death, and they had learned this from the Old Testament, where in the second book of Maccabees (12:43-46), prayers and sacrifices are offered for the dead “that they may be loosed from their sins.”
If someone dies in a state of mortal sin having refused to repent, their only destination is Hell. “If a tree falls to the south or the north, in what place so ever it shall fall, there it shall be” (Ecclesiasticus 11:3). If someone dies in a state of grace but not yet perfectly purified, Purgatory is the completion of their sanctification where they pay the debt of their sins. Our actions have consequences and affect other people. If my neighbour lends me their lawnmower and I break it, they may well forgive me, but I still have to get it fixed or buy him a new one. So while JESUS paid the price of our sins, we still have to make reparation for them. Our Lord never used the word ‘Purgatory’ but He certainly alluded to its existence. For example, in Luke 12:58-59, He speaks a parable about a judge throwing someone into prison to settle a debt. And He concludes by saying, “You will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.” Since you cannot get out of Hell because it is eternal (Luke 16:26), the prison Our Lord is referring to here is clearly Purgatory. God is so merciful, that He allows us to make this reparation even after death.
We may try hard to live a life growing in virtue and sanctity, but when we die we might only be 75% a saint. The other 25% is our greediness, our selfishness and our attachment to things of this world. Since nothing impure or tainted can enter Heaven, (Apocalypse 21:27) we have to be purified or purged of those sinful tendencies. This purification takes place in Purgatory. When we pray for the souls in Purgatory and have Masses offered for them, we help to speed up this process of purification and sanctification.
God sometimes allows souls in Purgatory to appear and ask for our prayers. Maria Simma (1915-2004), an Austrian mystic, received many visits from the souls in Purgatory. She first experienced a visit from Purgatory in 1940 when she was just twenty five years old. A man appeared to her and said, “Please have three holy Masses said for my intentions and then I will be delivered.” He immediately disappeared and Maria said it was then she realised he was a poor soul.
In this month of November, let us do our very best to help the poor souls, by praying for them, by attending Mass on their behalf and by applying Indulgences to them. You will find details of the November Indulgences below.
Fr Paul Gillham, IC