V. Eternal rest grant unto to them O Lord. R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
V. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God.
R. Rest in peace. Amen.
O Lord, who art ever merciful and bounteous with Thy gifts, look down upon the suffering souls in purgatory. Remember not their offenses and negligences, but be mindful of Thy loving mercy, which is from all eternity. Cleanse them of their sins and fulfill their ardent desires that they may be made worthy to behold Thee face to face in Thy glory. May they soon be united with Thee and hear those blessed words which will call them to their heavenly home: “Come, blessed of My Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Dear Friends in Christ:
During November the Church asks us to be especially mindful of and to pray for our beloved dead. We begin this month with the feasts of All Saints and All Souls, recalling all those in heavenly glory and all those in purgatory being purified for the beatific vision. We are urged not only to pray but also to go and visit cemeteries, the hallowed resting places of the faithful. It is a spiritual work of mercy to pray for the dead, especially those who may not have anyone to pray for them.
One of the ways we express our love is by our prayers for one another. Yet, our care and love do not end with death. Death is the separation of the body from the soul. When we die our bodies cease to live but our souls are eternal. At the resurrection, our bodies will be glorified. We pray for those who have died for they may need our prayers to be purified of any sins that may keep them from enjoying eternal glory. The scriptures bear witness to this. Just as we turn to God and ask that He guard, protect, and bless our loved ones in this life, when they die, we ask God to welcome them into eternal life.
Praying for the dead not only aids those for whom we pray but can also be of benefit to us. Our prayers increase our faith, hope and love. When we pray for our beloved dead our love grows, our hope is strengthened, and our faith is deepened. When we pray for the dead we also recall the great goodness that God has given us through the earthly life of our beloved. When we pray for our beloved dead we again thank God for the love and blessings that we received and shared.
In praying for our beloved dead we are not only thanking God, but in a small way, thanking them for all that they have given to us and for all that they mean to us. Praying for the dead is a beautiful way that we can continue to love them. How sad it is for us to forget or fail to love simply because death has separated us. Jesus’ death on the cross unites Him to those who die and believe in Him. While Jesus and our beloved dead share death, Jesus’ resurrection unites believers to Himself in eternal life!
In the oddest of contradictions the world both promotes death (war, violence, abortion, euthanasia, murder, terrorism, capital punishment) and at the same time denies the reality of death (abortion is not the murder of an unborn child but a woman’s choice, euthanasia is not the murder of the sick and elderly but a right and even a duty; terrorism is not cowardly murder of innocents but a cause to be celebrated in the streets, on campuses, and online; homicide and illegal drugs are not to be eradicated and punished but tolerated). This mind-numbing contradiction is subtly propagandized by the growing reluctance to mark death with sadness and grief. No longer do people turn to God in faith and sorrow at the time of death, instead we skip the prayers and have parties and receptions or nothing at all. More and more people, Christian in name, fail to have funerals for their loved ones. Instead, the body must be disposed of in the cheapest and most efficient way! Funerals and memorial services, when they occur, must be at convenient times; the reality of death cannot inconvenience our schedules and calendars. It has been said that the way societies treat and care for their dead reflects how they treat and care for the living. May we always care for our dead and our living with the greatest respect, love, and tenderness.
In Pace Christi,
Fr. Troy