As we continue to celebrate the Year of Mercy proclaimed by the Holy Father, we have been highlighting and reflecting on the Spiritual Works of Mercy. We have examined so far the first six:

â–º To instruct the ignorant;
â–º To counsel the doubtful;
â–º To admonish sinners;
â–º To bear wrongs patiently;
â–º To forgive offenses willingly; and
â–º To comfort the afflicted.

That list is completed by the seventh and final work:

â–º To pray for the living and the dead.

It is a fundamental presupposition of faith that we pray and do so constantly. To pray is first and foremost to acknowledge that there is a reality and a power beyond ourselves. Even before the coming of Jesus, human history and archaeology reveal evidence of the natural inclination of men and women to seek God and to pray. It is in essence an instinct that God has placed within us. That is what makes our modern efforts to turn away from God and exclude him from our public life all the more astonishing.

To pray, then, is to acknowledge that there is a God. Spiritually, there are various elements of that communication with God.

First, we pray to adore God. We do so by simply recalling His goodness and His greatness that is beyond our understanding. We acknowledge that He is all and we are useless servants as Jesus said, until we are raised up by His love and forgiveness as the highest element of His creation.

We pray as well to thank God. We have been given the precious gift of life. And because of this gift of human life, we enter into God’s offer of eternal divine life shared with Him, if we are faithful. We thank God as well for the gifts of each day, of our family, and of what we need in life.

We pray to ask for pardon. We are all sinners. Everyone has faults, big and small. We can forgive each other, but only God’s mercy can forgive the offense against Him that is part of every sin. And so we pray and ask for that forgiveness. And of course we follow up by going to confession as well.

But we also must pray for each other. Here is the great act of mercy. Someone once wrote that as Catholics, we pray very indiscriminately. We pray for everyone. Of course, we pray for the living. It might be to pray and ask God to help our aging grandparents, parents and that good old neighbor down the street. We pray for our spouses and our kids.

We pray also for our enemies, as Jesus told us to do. Even those who have hurt us, or who mean us harm in this world need grace and God’s love. We must intend for all to reach heaven and pass God’s judgment. Sometimes that is a hard pill to swallow. Still, it is at the heart of this spiritual work of mercy.
Pray for your priests. Pray for our political leaders. Pray for sinners. Pray for those who have fallen away from their Catholic faith. Pray for those who have not yet come to know Jesus. Pray for everyone you know that they be open to God’s call and God’s grace.

The spiritual work is also to pray for the dead. It is part of our Catholic duty and faith. Every Nov. 2, we pray for all the souls who have gone before us. After this life, if we have not died in mortal sin and the rejection of God, we will be with Him in heaven. But we may still have imperfections, flaws and sins not fully repented. Our prayers for those who have died are received by God as part of their final purification and the gift of mercy for them.

Pray for the dead whom you have known and loved. Pray for those who were good for you. But pray also “indiscriminately” for all the dead, even those of all time who are unknown to us.

Prayer is a deep and needed good being lost in our secular world. We need to pray for many things and many reasons. But we especially need to pray for the living and the dead.