Helping the Holy Souls

By Fr. Matthew Eickhoff

Director, Office for Evangelization

Chairman, Diocesan Evangelization Committee

November is known as the month of All Souls. We remember and pray with special devotion for the faithful departed: our loved ones as well as all others who occupy Purgatory. This time of commemoration and prayer can be a springboard for us Christians to grow in closeness to these special members of the Mystical Body of Christ.

Catholics traditionally divide the Mystical Body into three parts: The Church Militant, the Church Suffering and the Church Triumphant. We Christians on earth are "fighting the good fight" as we work out our salvation by loving and serving God in our respective vocations while militantly protecting our souls from the evils of sin and spiritual death. Those in heaven celebrate their personal triumph over sin and death, having been tested and found worthy of intimate union with God and eternal life with Him and all the angels and saints.

The Church Suffering is a bit harder to describe, since we cannot be sure who exactly belongs to this group at any given time. The fact that we pray for the dead signifies that we believe there are people temporarily residing in Purgatory who need our intercessory assistance to bring them to their heavenly reward. Catholic tradition holds that, while the souls in Purgatory can help others with their prayers, they cannot help themselves. They rely solely upon God’s mercy and our prayers. Unless and until the Church canonizes someone a saint, we cannot discern when any given soul from Purgatory completes the purification needed to enter heaven.

A laudable routine is to pray continually for the dead. Our prayers are never wasted. It reasonably can be assumed that if we pray for someone who is already enjoying heavenly glory that God will use our good deed not only to sanctify us, but also to assist other souls that may be in need of help—souls who perhaps have nobody to pray for them. Our very act of praying for the departed heightens our awareness of the spiritual world that is just beyond our senses to perceive, but is very much a force in our mortal lives. As members of Christ’s Mystical Body, we remain united in the Holy Spirit to the souls in Purgatory, as well as to those in heaven.

In the First Eucharistic Prayer at Mass we pray: "Remember, Lord, those who have died and have gone before us marked with the sign of faith…May these, and all who sleep in Christ, find in your presence light, happiness and peace." The Second Eucharistic Prayer includes this petition: "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." Prayer for the souls in Purgatory is not only a traditional Catholic practice; it is a tool necessary for growing in sanctity by staying connected with the departed who can help us with their prayers even as we help them.

Praying for the dead is one of the traditional Spiritual Works of Mercy that members of Christ’s Body can perform with great benefit to themselves and others. As we remember the Holy Souls in Purgatory this month, let us make it our aim to make our own souls more holy by staying in close spiritual contact with those nearing the end of their blessed journey to heaven.