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Why and How Do We Pray For The Deceased?

The month of November has traditionally been a time for Catholics to pray for their deceased loved ones. Some Christians (particularly non-Catholics) may ask, “What is the use of praying for those who have already passed from this life to the next? Isn’t it already too late for them?” Catholic tradition says, “No.” Although one may be a practicing Christian with a personal relationship with Christ, although one may have received the sacraments and be living a life of love and service, that person may still have some un-confessed sin or some moral imperfection at the moment of death. When that happens, what does God do?

In today’s gospel Jesus says, “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me" (John 6:37). The question is, could we have the opportunity to choose to come to him even after we die? The Catholic Church answers, “Yes.” Why would God not allow us the opportunity to come to him after we die, even if we have some un-confessed sin or moral imperfection? But before we are united with God and with his family, we may have to be purified. This experience which flows from the mercy of God is what the Church has come to call Purgatory.

If your two children had a fight before dinner, would you not ask them to make-up before they sat down together at table? Essentially, this is what God asks us to do: to say we are sorry, to be reconciled with each other or with God before we sit down to the heavenly banquet feast. The children know that the dinner is waiting and that their parents intend to feed them, but first they need to be healed, to be “cleaned-up" spiritually. But sometimes we children of God struggle in this process because of our human
woundedness. This is where the prayer of others can help. When we pray for the deceased, we are asking God to give them
whatever grace they need to move through this process of healing, reconciliation, or purification. And if they are no longer in need of our prayers, (i.e. if they are already in heaven) they will then pray for God's grace upon us.

What is the greatest prayer we can offer for our deceased loved ones? The Mass. Because in the Mass, we offer the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Father for their salvation. How can the Father refuse a prayer that is connected with the perfect offering of his Son? This is the reason that Catholics have for centuries offered Masses for the dead, especially the Funeral Mass. This is the reason why we have set aside All Soul’s Day and the month of November to pray for our dearly departed. We offer the Body and Blood of Christ to the Father while praying that “as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, [they] too might live in newness of life" (c.f. Romans 6:4).

The following text is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church entitled, “The Final Purification, or Purgatory" (1030-1032).

All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.
The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. [Cf. Council of Florence (1439): DS 1304; Council of Trent (1563): DS 1820; (1547): 1580; see also Benedict XII, Benedictus Deus (1336) DS: 1000] The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The
tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire: (Cf. 1 Cor 3:15, 1 Pet 1:7)

As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the final Judgment, there is
a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy
Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence
we understand that certain offenses can be forgive in this age, but certain others in
the age to come. (St. Gregory the Great, Dial. 4, 39: PL 77, 396; cf. Mt 12:31.)

This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: “Therefore [Judas
Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.” (2 Macc 12:46) 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. (Cf. Council of Lyons II (1274): DS 856.) The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:

Let us help and commemorate them. If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s
sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some
consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our
prayers for them. (St. John Chrysostom, Hom. In 1 Cor. 41, 5:PG 61, 361; cf. Job 1:5)

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