November starts off with such great feast days – All Saints and All Souls. My grandma was very traditional (I might say Old School) and had a strong desire to help the poor souls in purgatory with the belief that every time she went in and out of church on Nov. 2 a soul was released from purgatory. When I got her prayer book from 1952 when she passed away 27 years ago – the pages were worn thin that had prayers for the souls in purgatory.
I know we should pray for the dead. I have Masses said for relatives that have passed away to ensure they continued to be prayed for. I even put anniversaries of deaths on my perpetual birthday calendar as a reminder to pray. But I was more than a little shocked at 6:30 am Mass on Friday with Fr. Zarse’s homily.
Fr. Zarse said that from Nov. 1-8, the graces of heaven are open wide for those who visit a cemetery and pray for the dead. I will be visiting a couple of cemeteries to ensure that the church militant (those Catholics practicing the faith now) do our share for the church suffering (the souls in purgatory) so that we can all be part of the church triumphant (those enjoying heaven now).
I found this with a quick google search from a parish bulletin on why we pray for the dead, “This process has already begun in our lives on earth. Through doing penance and accepting in faith the inescapable sufferings of this life, we can be purged of sin’s effects and grow in holiness. Nevertheless, few seem to be perfect when they leave this world. They still need some purification, a painful but purging “fire,” as Scripture calls it (see 1 Corinthians 3:14–15).
That’s precisely why we pray and offer Masses for those in purgatory. As Scripture tells us, our intercession helps them: “For it is . . . a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins” (2 Maccabees 12:46, Douay).”
I pray because like my dear friend Rene Garnett said, “Pray for me to be in heaven so that I can intercede for you – I worry that people will think I am there and not pray for me.”
May the souls of the faithfully departed rest in peace.
