Remember the Souls in Purgatory

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 11/4/04)

November is the month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. My reflection this week focuses on the Holy Souls because it is good for us to return regularly to the basics of our Catholic Faith and to review the traditions of our Church, traditions which many among us remember from our childhood and continue to treasure.

November begins each year with the Solemnity of All Saints when we recall all those women and men of every time and place who are now with the Lord in the eternal life of heaven. These include, not only those canonized and beatified by the Church, but countless others, known only to God, among whom are numbered relatives, friends and benefactors.

Then, on the second of November, we observe the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. These are the Holy Souls in Purgatory for whom we should pray daily, especially during November when the Church turns our attention to them in a very focused way.

Recalling All the Saints and All the Faithful Departed leads us to review that article of faith called "The Communion of Saints." Pope Paul VI repeated this teaching in the Credo of the People of God, par. 30: "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" (cf, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 962).

This article of our faith, "The Communion of Saints," is such an encouraging reality. We who are journeying towards our eternal home pray to the saints whose prayerful intercession helps us and also pray for the holy souls in purgatory. In turn, the saints in heaven support us by their prayers before God and the faithful departed, assisted by us, gratefully remember us and pray for us as well. "St. Alphonsus Liguori and St. Robert Bellarmine are of the opinion that the poor souls may be invoked … St. Catherine of Bologna declared expressly that she had obtained more graces through the mediation of the poor souls in purgatory than through the intercession of the saints" (cf. Assist the Souls in Purgatory, pp. 20-21).

Daily, but especially during the month of November, let us assist the holy souls in purgatory with our prayers. As the Catechism reminds us, "By virtue of the ‘communion of saints,’ the Church commends the dead to God’s mercy and offers her prayers, especially the holy sacrifice of the Eucharist, on their behalf" (1055). Moreover, we read: "From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God" (1032). Remembering them during the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, before the Blessed Sacrament, in the recitation of the Holy Rosary, while making the Stations of the Cross: these are some of the ways by which we pray for these faithful departed, who are in need of further purification before their entrance into eternal glory. In addition, we can gain indulgences and apply them to the souls in purgatory.

As a means of making more explicit our desire to pray for the holy souls, I suggest the following "Daily Offering": "Oh my God, in union with the merits of Jesus Christ, I offer Thee every thought, word and deed of the day now beginning, for the poor souls in purgatory: my comings and goings, my work and recreation, my sorrows and delights, my successes and disappointments, my good fortune and mishaps, my gains and losses, my pleasures and crosses, all that I may do, say, think and feel; beseeching Thee that through the infinite merits of the Passion of Thy Divine Son, the souls detained in purgatory may be speedily released from their pains, to see, love, enjoy and praise Thee forever. Amen" (Assist the Souls in Purgatory, 60).

Yes, each day this month — and beyond, let us pray for the holy souls in purgatory. Let me conclude this reflection with this short prayer to which an indulgence of 300 days is attached every time it is recited: "Divine Heart of Jesus, convert sinners, save the dying, deliver the holy souls from purgatory" (Ibid).

Copyright ©2004 Arlington Catholic Herald.  All rights reserved.