As the natural world around us slips into the decay of fall, the Church reminds us to pray for those who have died. November, beginning with the Solemnity of All Saints and All Souls Day, is a month in which we remember and pray for the dead. Prayer for the dead has always been part of the faith with roots in the Old Testament. After discovering that fallen soldiers had committed idolatry, the great Jewish leader Judas Maccabeus “made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin” (2Mac 12:46). He collected money from his troops and had a sacrifice offered at the temple in Jerusalem.
Like Judas Maccabeus, the early Church took this responsibility seriously and included prayers for the dead in the supreme sacrifice of the Mass. Similarly, numerous early Church fathers including St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine urged the Christian community to regularly pray for the deceased. They recognized that just as prayer was a powerful means of grace for those on earth, it could also affect those suffering in purgatory.
Referring to the judgment of souls, St. Paul says when a person’s life is found imperfect, “the person will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Cor 3:15). The prophet Malachi, when speaking of spiritual purification, uses similar imagery of a “refiners fire” purifying impurities from precious metals (Mal 3:2-3). As terrifying as it sounds, these passages give hope for those who die amidst their struggles with sin. The Catechism of the Catholic Church sums it up by saying, “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (CCC 1030).
There are always two consequences of sin. The first is an offence against God and in the case of serious or mortal sin this offense excludes us from eternal life with God. The second consequence is known as temporal punishment; it is an unhealthy attachment to a lesser good. It may not sound serious, but it is corrosive and often leads us back into sin. If you have ever struggled with a habitual sin, you know how difficult it can be to overcome.
In the sacrament of reconciliation, God forgives our offences and restores us to a life of grace when the priest gives us absolution. However, our unhealthy attachment to sin may remain. This is why we receive a penance, which addresses the temporal punishment.
Souls in purgatory are those who, at the time of their death, still had an unhealthy attachment to created things. They are unable to make atonement on their own, and the Church invites the faithful to do spiritual works of mercy on their behalf. For each of the first eight days of November, a plenary indulgence can be gained for a soul in purgatory. This means they receive a total remission of the temporal punishment due to sin.
This extraordinary mercy can be gained when the faithful “devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, for the departed” or on All Souls’ Day “devoutly visit a church or an oratory and recite an Our Father and the Creed.” The usual requirements to gain an indulgence are also necessary, that is to be in a state of grace and free from the attachment to sin, receive communion, pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, and go to confession within 20 days. Unique to this Jubilee Year, a second plenary indulgency can be gained on the same day if you receive communion a second time at another Eucharistic celebration.
Every day and especially during November, I encourage you to set aside some time to avail your deceased loved ones of these great graces. Our prayers and sacrifices matter because our loving God takes even our smallest acts of love and exponentially multiplies them.
