Yesterday, all one billion Catholics around the world are praying together for the repose of all the souls who died in friendship with Christ yet who hadn't reached spiritual maturity to be in the complete union with God, the absolute good. In order to understand the true meaning of the celebration of All Souls Day, we should remind ourselves of the teaching of the Church regarding “purgatory.”
What is purgatory?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a “purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven,” which is experienced by those “who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified” (CCC 1030). It makes perfect sense if we think of God, who is Absolutely Good. Let’s say one soul, who is not completely purified, approaches the Absolute Good. Since nothing can be hidden in the Absolute Good, this soul then must see what he has done wrong, and in examining his imperfection, he may feel pain and agony in the light of the Absolute Good. This also makes him desire to be purified in order to be in union with the Absolute Good. Another example can be like a traveler who has lost his way in the desert. He was thirsty and hungry, until all of sudden he found an oasis in the distance. Yes, he is in agony walking toward it, yet, he has a great hope that he will get there eventually.
Scripture emphasizes nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven (cf. Rev. 21:27), and, while we may die with our mortal sins (complete disconnection from God) forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, specifically venial sins and the temporal punishment due for our sins already forgiven. I often describe purgatory as the spiritual hospital, just inside heaven’s gate, where God lovingly purifies and heals His children from the damage their sins have inflicted on their souls while they were still on earth. We tend to be fearful since the words “temporal punishment” is attached to purgatory, but if we really think of it, purgatory is the expression of God’s amazing love. He shares His amazing love and healing gifts with all those souls who are preparing for union with the Absolute Good.
Why do we need to pray for the dead?
So today we pray for all the souls in purgatory hoping that our prayer will contribute in hastening our departed brothers’ and sisters’ full entrance into heaven. The question is then: Why should we do that? Can our prayer affect all the souls who have already passed away? Yes, it can. The first Scriptural evidence is found in 2 Maccabees 12: 39-45 where Judas Maccabee, the Jewish leader, and his soldiers prayed that God would forgive the sins all the soldiers who died after the battle since they violated the law of Deuteronomy. Also St. Paul in his second letter to Timothy prayed for a dead man named Onesiphorus: “May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day” (2 Tim 1:18). Another piece of evidence is when the early Roman Christian community prayed for their fellow Christians who were buried in Catacombs.
Most of all, in the Apostles Creed, we profess that “I believe in […] communion of saints”. Thus all the purified souls in the complete union with God (in other words saints) are indeed worshiping with us while celebrating the heavenly liturgy. In the holy liturgy, all the living and dead are unified in God and praying for one another. If so, Christians who are faithfully departed are still the members of the Body of Christ, and thus as the Body of Christ, we can assist in faith by prayers and other forms of spiritual support.
True. We can pray for our beloved family members who passed away from this world. But how about other souls who are forgotten? That’s why the Mother Church prays for all the souls in purgatory on All Souls Day. How wonderful that we, the Body of Christ, pray for our beloved ones as well as ones who are not remembered!
We pray! We live!
Therefore, on this Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed, let us pause to remember all our brothers and sisters who have gone before us and are marked with the sign of faith, especially all the poor souls in purgatory and all those who passed away the last year in our Christ the King faith community. Let us live this day, All Souls Day, with hope. We live tomorrow and each succeeding day with hope, no matter what occurs. We remember what all those who have gone before us in death now know so well. We are loved! We are chosen! We are joined to God in Jesus. We have been shown the way to eternal life!
What is purgatory?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a “purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven,” which is experienced by those “who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified” (CCC 1030). It makes perfect sense if we think of God, who is Absolutely Good. Let’s say one soul, who is not completely purified, approaches the Absolute Good. Since nothing can be hidden in the Absolute Good, this soul then must see what he has done wrong, and in examining his imperfection, he may feel pain and agony in the light of the Absolute Good. This also makes him desire to be purified in order to be in union with the Absolute Good. Another example can be like a traveler who has lost his way in the desert. He was thirsty and hungry, until all of sudden he found an oasis in the distance. Yes, he is in agony walking toward it, yet, he has a great hope that he will get there eventually.
Scripture emphasizes nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven (cf. Rev. 21:27), and, while we may die with our mortal sins (complete disconnection from God) forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, specifically venial sins and the temporal punishment due for our sins already forgiven. I often describe purgatory as the spiritual hospital, just inside heaven’s gate, where God lovingly purifies and heals His children from the damage their sins have inflicted on their souls while they were still on earth. We tend to be fearful since the words “temporal punishment” is attached to purgatory, but if we really think of it, purgatory is the expression of God’s amazing love. He shares His amazing love and healing gifts with all those souls who are preparing for union with the Absolute Good.
Why do we need to pray for the dead?
So today we pray for all the souls in purgatory hoping that our prayer will contribute in hastening our departed brothers’ and sisters’ full entrance into heaven. The question is then: Why should we do that? Can our prayer affect all the souls who have already passed away? Yes, it can. The first Scriptural evidence is found in 2 Maccabees 12: 39-45 where Judas Maccabee, the Jewish leader, and his soldiers prayed that God would forgive the sins all the soldiers who died after the battle since they violated the law of Deuteronomy. Also St. Paul in his second letter to Timothy prayed for a dead man named Onesiphorus: “May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day” (2 Tim 1:18). Another piece of evidence is when the early Roman Christian community prayed for their fellow Christians who were buried in Catacombs.
Most of all, in the Apostles Creed, we profess that “I believe in […] communion of saints”. Thus all the purified souls in the complete union with God (in other words saints) are indeed worshiping with us while celebrating the heavenly liturgy. In the holy liturgy, all the living and dead are unified in God and praying for one another. If so, Christians who are faithfully departed are still the members of the Body of Christ, and thus as the Body of Christ, we can assist in faith by prayers and other forms of spiritual support.
True. We can pray for our beloved family members who passed away from this world. But how about other souls who are forgotten? That’s why the Mother Church prays for all the souls in purgatory on All Souls Day. How wonderful that we, the Body of Christ, pray for our beloved ones as well as ones who are not remembered!
We pray! We live!
Therefore, on this Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed, let us pause to remember all our brothers and sisters who have gone before us and are marked with the sign of faith, especially all the poor souls in purgatory and all those who passed away the last year in our Christ the King faith community. Let us live this day, All Souls Day, with hope. We live tomorrow and each succeeding day with hope, no matter what occurs. We remember what all those who have gone before us in death now know so well. We are loved! We are chosen! We are joined to God in Jesus. We have been shown the way to eternal life!
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