Better Late Than Never

Through the years, I have heard of praying for the dead and have noticed that every mass is in honor of one deceased person or another. I never paid much attention and thought it was a nice custom. Growing up this was not something my family did. Today I became aware of the importance of praying for those who might be waiting to get into heaven. When we die, we may be in need of purification to obtain the perfection of love and holiness needed to enter into heaven and until we are clean of all sin, we go to purgatory. (Purgatory: any condition or place of temporary punishment, suffering, expiation or the like.)

Yesterday at  Bible study class I learned that praying for the dead is something that all Catholics should be doing. Praying for someone who is gone is one of the spiritual works of mercy. It seems that we need purification after we die to become holy enough to enter heaven.

We pray for all who have died because we do not know who is in purgatory and those souls rely on us to help them get into heaven. Once a person dies, a soul can longer pray for itself. I have a mental image of my mother, father, brother, grandparents, friends, fellow workers and acquaintances that I have known as being huddled in some corner in purgatory waiting for a prayer from me. My hope is that when prayers for the souls in purgatory are offered that my loved ones are included and they have already entered heaven.

When I visit my Mother's grave and pray, my prayers are more about how much I miss her, what the family is doing, and to say hello to those who remember me. I do not pray for her soul to be freed from any imperfections she might have had causing her to be in purgatory. It is hard to believe that after forty-two years of her being gone I now know the importance of praying for the dead.

Beginning today, I will try to remember to say a daily prayer for those people I loved on earth and are gone. My hope is that by now they are in heaven but just in case they are still in purgatory I will pray for them.

In the Old Testament Maccabees prayed for soldiers who died in battle."Turned to prayer, beseeching that the sin which had been committed by their dead brothers might be wholly blotted out." 2Mc12:42.
Makes me realize that praying for the dead has been around for a long time!

"May the souls of all

the faithful departed 

through the mercy 

of God, rest in Peace."

Amen