Let us pray for the dead if we love them

The dignity with which we bury the deceased, and our continued remembrance of them, reveals the presence of the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, infused in us by God (Genesis 1:27). It is an opportunity to thank to God for the gift of life, and for the fruits of that life, in each particular case. Most important of all, we pray for God’s merciful judgment upon the deceased and for the subsequent grant of eternal life.

“Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? The man with clean hands and pure heart, who desires not worthless things.” (Psalm 24:3-4). 

In the teaching of Jesus: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Since hardly anyone can measure up to this standard, it necessitates undergoing a process of final purification. “As gold in the furnace, He proved them.” (Wisdom 3:6).

The purification process is called purgatory, from the verb to purge.

“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” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030).

The existence of purgatory is a cause for serious contemplation on sin and its consequences. We need a final cleansing from any attachment to sin, or imperfect contrition, or negative thoughts, or self-destructive tendencies, before souls are ushered into communion with God. Matthew 22:1-14 tells of a gate-crasher, who was bounced back because he did not have a wedding garment on.

1 Corinthians 3:12-15, emphasises that in order to be saved, we personally have to pass through “fire”. It is the fire of divine love.

“I have come to cast fire on the earth; I am not at peace until that fire is blazing.” (Luke 12:49). Our encounter with Jesus, the Judge and Saviour, burns us, transforms and frees us.  So our role is to cooperate with God’s grace.

There is a connection

Our lives are interconnected. No one sins alone. No one is saved alone. Our hope is always essentially also hope for others. Our charity towards others continues even beyond death. Since the dead are incapable of praying for themselves, we pray for their purification. This spiritual practice is also a reminder that death does not have the final say and that we still can enjoy communion with our loved ones through the prayers we offer on their behalf.

In 2Maccabees 12:43, Judas Maccabeus organised prayers and made atonement for the dead “that they might be delivered from their sin.”

In 2Timothy, St Paul prays for a deceased friend named Onesiphorus. Many tombstones bear the prayer “May his/her soul rest in peace” (RIP). Humility demands that we ask others to pray for us when we die, in the same way we ask for their prayers when we are still alive.

The chief pain of purgatory is the delaying of the soul to enjoy the beatific vision. “My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?” (Psalm 42:2). Our prayers, accompanied with acts of mercy and penance, beg for God’s indulgence, for the lessening of this period of purification.

Indulgences as a treasury/bank of graces obtained by Jesus’ atonement for our sins on the cross. With the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, given by Christ, the Church can withdraw indulgences for the benefit of the faithful (Matthew 16:19). Paul applied indulgences in the case of a sinful Christian (2 Corinthians 2:10). We can receive indulgences, while still on earth, by confessing sin and receiving Holy Communion, piety, making pilgrimages, sacrifices, alms-giving, acceptance of suffering as participation in the cross of Jesus.