Ora Pro Nobis: Praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and may perpetual light shine around them;
may the souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God,
rest in peace.

This month we’ve been visiting cemeteries and reaching out to the souls in purgatory. The kids run crunching through drying leaves – stopping to brush off a covered stone and read the name aloud. “Eternal rest grant unto you, Silas (pronounce Sill-Lass by piping voices) … and may perpetual light shine ‘round you.”

Silas is given a slice of apple and a casual wave of the hand, then they’re off running again – past his now-visible gravestone and into the trees. It’s an old cemetery. Silas has been in the ground since 1879, his wife beside him since 1882, but where his soul is, we can’t know for sure. He may be in heaven, or hell – poor man. But maybe he’s working out his purgation. Maybe friendly prayers from passing children have shortened his time awaiting paradise.

Today in the Church, we often neglect our dead. Everyone is so certain that our parents and grandparents passed directly to glory, with no need to detach from anything after death. We confidently eulogize them as saints, despite their flaws: “He had a nasty temper, but I know now he’s crabbing at Jesus at the pearly gates.”

He might be, some of our greatest saints had hard tempers as well. They fasted and heaped penances on themselves to overcome their faults, but we still know them for those excesses: Jerome, Olga, Vladimir, even Paul. But most of us, no matter how minor we consider our own flaws, should expect a season of purgation after death.

What Is Purgatory?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that purgatory is the means by which those “who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified … achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (CCC 1030). The souls in purgatory are “assured of their eternal salvation” but they’re not quite ready to sit down at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb yet. Purgatory prepares them for heaven by detaching them from venial sins or earthly life.

The Church gives no official teaching on how the souls in purgatory are purified. Early medieval Christians saw it as a wild, nighttime ride: Herlequin’s Hunt, during which lamenting souls rode at an exhaustive pace. More recent tradition encourages us to think of purgatory as a cleansing fire. However we picture it, purgatory is a place of suffering and deep longing. The souls are being prepared for an eternity with God, but they’re not with Him yet.

There is a great joy in purgatory as well though. Once a soul is there, he knows that heaven is a certainty. No souls stop in purgatory on their way to hell. So, we can rejoice in the hope that our beloved dead are undergoing purgation. They’re on a sure path to heaven, it’s just a little longer than they hoped it would be. Best of all, we can help shorten the journey.

Praying for the Souls

While the souls in purgatory have the joy of knowing they’ll be with Christ soon, “soon” is a relative term, especially in eternity. Unlike us, they can’t merit anything for themselves either. They can pray for us, but they can’t pray to shorten their own purgation. But we can!

The Church has always encouraged faithful Catholics to pray for the dead. Our prayers can shorten their suffering and relieve some of their distress. In fact, we offer prayers for the dead during the Consecration, at every Mass. We also have a day set aside to honor and pray for all those souls awaiting in surety the heavenly banquet, the Feast of All Souls on November 2^nd.

In the Eastern Rite, there are several “Soul Saturdays” throughout the year. They are celebrated on Saturdays because on Saturday, Christ Himself was in the tomb. This continuous inclusion of the souls in the Liturgical life of the Church on earth is a fantastic way to keep the needs of our beloved dead close to our hearts all year long. As on the Feast of All Souls, in the Western Rite, Soul Saturdays offer a Liturgy and prayers for the suffering souls and remind us to continually entrust our loved ones to Christ.

Cemetery Prayers

Even outside of these specific days of prayer, it’s important to include our beloved dead in prayer. My family likes to offer an Eternal Rest prayer as we drive past a cemetery. In New England, we often pass as many as 10 cemeteries on our way around town! We also like to visit the graves themselves, tend to them a bit, and pray for our unknown friends by name.

St. Gertrude the Great was encouraged by Christ, in her visions, to pray daily for the souls in purgatory. Her prayer:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most precious blood
of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said
throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in purgatory,
for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church,
for those in my own home, and within my family. Amen.

Pious tradition claims that Christ told St. Gertrude that each time she lovingly recited this prayer, it would release 1,000 souls from purgatory. Our prayers may not avail quiet as much as St. Gertrude’s, but they will certainly help to the reduce the time the souls spend suffering and waiting.

All of November is devoted to prayer for the Holy Souls in purgatory. In our house, we bake tiny soul cakes, sip hot tea, and pray for these most neglected members of our Church.

What If I’m Sure My Loved Ones Are in Heaven?

Prayers are never wasted. We should always continue to pray for the dead, no matter what our personal conviction is regarding their salvation. If the dead are in heaven, they won’t be insulted! Instead, our holy dead will use the prayers they don’t need to help others still suffering. If they’re in hell, then God will apply our prayers to others on the road to glory.

Prayer is always a worthwhile endeavor. Your devout prayers are never unessential – they always touch someone’s life for the good. If you’re certain a dead loved one is in heaven, but he hasn’t yet been declared a saint, pray for him. There is nothing sadder than a neglected soul, longing for the prayers of those he left behind.

The Month of the Souls

In November, we spend a month with our beloved dead, praying for them and hoping to see them again in glory. It’s an ideal season to visit the cemetery. The graves are full of unknown souls: Silas, Deliverance, Ethel, William. Some may already be in heaven, others may still be waiting, but we can visit them, pray for them by name, and enjoy the community of the Church: on earth, in heaven, and in purgatory.