Pray for the Souls in Purgatory

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Bishop of Arlington
(From the issue of 11/6/03)

This homily was given by Bishop Paul S. Loverde at the Mass for All Souls Day at St. Rita Church in Alexandria on Nov. 2, 2003.

Every time we pray the Apostles Creed, we say: "I believe…in the Communion of Saints." What do we mean by "the Communion of Saints"? Yesterday’s Solemnity of All Saints and today’s Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed provide us with a new opportunity to renew and to deepen our understanding.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us: "We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers’ (Paul VI. Credo of the People of God, no. 30)" (no. 962). So, then, we are all united in Christ: those of us on earth walking towards our eternal and permanent home, called heaven; those who have died and are being purified in purgatory before entering heaven, and those already in heaven seeing God face to face. Together we form one Church.

Yesterday, we honored all the saints, that is, all those who are with God in heaven. There they intercede for us, assisting us by their prayers. As the Preface for All Saints puts it: "Around your throne, the saints, our brothers and sisters, sing your praise forever. Their glory fills us with joy, and their communion with us in your Church gives us inspiration and strength as we hasten on our pilgrimage of faith, eager to meet them."

Today, we remember all the faithful departed, that is, those who have died, and are being prepared for their entrance into eternal glory by being purified in purgatory. Again, we read in the Catechism: "‘In full consciousness of the communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ [the communion of saints], the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and "because it is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins," she offers her suffrages [prayers] for them.’ Our prayer now for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective" (no. 958). So, today, we are praying in a special way for all the souls in purgatory, assisting them by our prayers so that they may be more quickly released from purgatory to inherit their eternal reward: life on high in Christ Jesus forever! In fact, the Church chooses the entire month of November for increased prayer on behalf of the souls in purgatory. Everyday, then, as we make our Morning Offering, we should include the souls in purgatory as well as remembering them in the other prayers of each day and in the offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Our prayer now for them hastens their entrance into heaven and their prayer for us will help us now and in the future, for surely they cannot help but be mindful of those who assisted them when they were in need of prayer.

Praying for the souls in purgatory reveals our faith and hope in the Crucified yet Risen Lord and in God’s ever faithful love for all His People. Today’s scripture readings point to the reason for our faith and hope.

In the face of her brother’s death Martha looks to Jesus for true hope. He tells her quite clearly: "Your brother will rise again" Why? "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." Martha then voices her faith, which we echo: "Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."

Our hope is likewise rooted in Saint Paul’s affirmation that if Christ died for us while we were sinners, how much more then, since we are now justified by his Blood, will we be saved from wrath and, once reconciled, saved by his life! Moreover, our faith and hope are achieved in the assurance given by God’s word in the Book of Wisdom: "The souls of the just are in the hand of God and no torment shall touch them…chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself, as gold in a furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself."

Yes, with faith and hope, rooted in Christ’s victory over sin and death and in the ever faithful love of God which He reveals, we pray for all the faithful departed, so that more quickly they may enter into the Church of the Blessed in heaven and from there assist us on our pilgrim way home. Especially this month, let us pray often, indeed, daily, with renewed faith and deepened hope: "May the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen."

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