Pray for the dead

The Commemoration of all of the Faithful Departed

Yesterday (1st November 2014), we celebrated the Solemnity of all Saints. It is very significant and appropriate that after the Solemnity of All Saints, the Liturgy has us celebrate the Commemoration of all of the Faithful Departed. The "communion of saints", which we profess in the Creed, is a reality that is constructed here below, but is fully made manifest when we will see God "as he is" (I Jn 3:2).

Today the Church calls us to pray for the dead, since we believe death does not necessarily mean immediate entry into heaven or hell. However, Protestant theology typically rejects the idea of Purgatory entirely. Protestants would consistently reject certain things connected to the doctrine of Purgatory. Numerous justification given by the Protestant are by faith alone, the fate of the dead should not be affected by their suffering nor by the prayers and other works of the living. They also rejected the role for church here- in granting indulgences and so forth. All of this comes from the "usual" Biblical basis for those Protestant doctrines, without specifically addressing Purgatory. 

Purgatory is, according to the Catholic Church teaching, the state or place of purification or temporary punishment by which those who die in a state of grace are believed to be made ready for the Beatific Vision in Heaven. 

There are few biblical reference in regards to this. The Bible indicates this when Paul mentions the Corinthian practice of baptizing the dead by proxy (1 Cor 15:29). Also, Judas' providing sacrifices for the dead is considered "excellent and noble" (2 Mc 12:43). In addition to these Scriptural references, the Holy Spirit has taught believers over the centuries to pray for the dead and has confirmed this practice by repeated prophecies. 

It is the reality of a family bound together by deep bonds of spiritual solidarity that unites the faithful departed to those who are pilgrims in the world. It is a mysterious but real bond, nourished by prayer and participation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In the Mystical Body of Christ, the souls of the faithful meet, overcoming the obstacle of death; they pray for one another, carrying out in charity an intimate exchange of gifts. In this dimension of faith one understands the practice of offering prayers of suffrage for the dead, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, memorial of Christ's Pasch which opened to believers the passage to eternal life. 

In today's commemoration of the Faithful Departed, it is a great time for us to ponder and reflect on this: Is your hope in this present life only? What about the life to come after our physical death? God puts in the heart of every living person the desire for unending life and happiness. While physical death claims each of us at the appointed time, God gives us something which death cannot touch - his own divine life and sustaining power. 

Jesus made an incredible promise to his disciples and a claim which only God can make and deliver: Whoever sees and believes in Jesus, the Son of God, shall have everlasting life and be raised up at the last day (John 6:40)! The Lord makes his presence known to us in the reading of his word, in the breaking of the bread, and in his church, the body of Christ. 

Jesus also reveals himself in many countless ways to those who seek him with eyes of faith. When we read the word of God in the Bible Jesus speaks to us and he reveals to us the mind and heart of our heavenly Father. When we approach the table of the Lord, Jesus offers himself as spiritual food which produces the very life of God within us (I am the bread of life, John 6:35). He promises unbroken fellowship and freedom from the fear of being forsaken or cut off from everlasting life with God. And he offers us the hope of sharing in his resurrection - abundant life without end. So now, do you recognize the Lord's presence in your life and do you long for the day when you will see him face to face?