Why do we pray for those who have died?

 

At the heart of all our worship as Catholic Christians
    - we pause to remember… 

 

We remember Christ, and all he did for us;
  we remember how he suffered, died and rose for us;
and in word and sacrament, we remember 

  what he did at table with his friends

    on the night before he died,

so every time we celebrate the Eucharist

  we remember someone who has died: our brother, Jesus.

 

And every time we celebrate the Eucharist 

  we also remember others who have died...

 

You know the words as well as I do:
  Remember our brothers and sisters  

  who have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again;  

  bring them and all the departed into the light of your presence…

 

We remember all our brothers and sisters in Christ 

  and not only them but all the departed 

    - everyone who has died -
  praying that through the mercy and love of God 

    all of them will come to enjoy the light and peace of God, forever.

Of course, when we pray for those who have died 

  we remember first those whom we loved the most, 

    those whom we miss the most.
When I pray the remembrance of the dead,
  my heart seldom fails to remember my mother and my father, 

    others as well – but always them.
I’m sure there are names that come to your heart, too.
And we pray for them…

But why do we pray for them?
What do we pray for them?

Our knowledge of human frailty and our faith in God’s mercy 

  teach us that when we die, God might not be quite yet finished 

    with fashioning us, making us ready for eternal life.

Our whole life on earth is a journey to the dwelling place

    Christ has prepared and reserved for us in his Father’s house.

Sometimes we stay right on the path that leads us home
  and sometimes we take short cuts or make detours
    or even turn around and walk in the other direction!

We need the Lord to shepherd us from death into life...

 

So it might be, it might even be likely, that at the end of life 

  our rough edges might need some buffing and polishing.

The Church has long taught that after death, 

  those not quite ready for heaven 

    may need some further purification. 

 

This has sometimes been called purgatory. 

But we might have a false picture of purgatory. 

It’s not some  

  “flaming concentration camp on the outskirts of hell.” * 

 

It’s not God’s last chance to make us suffer!

 

St. Catherine spoke beautifully of the fire of purgatory as
  “God’s love burning the soul until it was wholly aflam

     - with the love of God.”

 

It’s like the fire mentioned in the book of Wisdom:
  “As gold in the furnace, God will prove us, purify us

    and take us to himself…   we shall shine… 

      and we shall abide forever with God in love…”

If there is pain in purgatory,

  it is the longing of the beloved 

    desiring the embrace of the Lover, 

  the longing of the soul to be, at last and forever,

    one with God...    

 

And so we pray for those who have gone before us
  that God bring to completion the good work begun in their lives,
    while they were still with us.

 

We cannot know how 

   or even if time is measured in this purification.
Perhaps one day, one hour of finally and fully realizing
  the greatness of God’s love for us 

perhaps one second will be all it takes

  to purify us of the sin of taking God’s love 

    and the love of others for granted.

 

When we remember those who have died
  we may recall those who, like ourselves,

    lived imperfect lives, even very imperfect lives. 

Remember: nothing is impossible for God!
We pray for these, too, entrusting them to God 

  who knows how to make even the hardest of hearts
    ready for his mercy and pardon

  and how to prepare our own hearts 

    to share in the mercy that heaven is for all... 

Of course, many of those whom we remember on All Souls Day
  were long ago perfected by God’s mercy
    and welcomed to their places in heaven. 

When we consider how deep and eternal

  is God's desire to embrace each of us forever

    - will the Lord wait long to welcome us to his embrace?  

Today, and through this month of November,
  we remember those who have gone to their rest
    in the hope of rising again and all the departed...

And we remember Jesus, our brother, who died for us, rose 

  and opened the door to his Father’s house 

where he has prepared for each of us              

  a dwelling place in his peace.

 

*Leonard Foley, OFM 

 

Tonight's music

 

Song of Farewell by Catherine O'Connell

If a video doesn't appear below, click here!

 

 

May choirs of angels lead you into paradise

    and may the martyrs come to welcome you

to bring you home into the holy city

    so you may dwell in new Jerusalem.

 

May holy angels be there at your welcoming

    with all the saints who go before you there

that you may know the peace and joy of paradise

    that you may enter into everlasting rest.

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