November 2nd is the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed. This day gives us an opportunity to think about two realities we can never avoid: life and death. We know that life is the greatest gift of God. Yet life is too short. And nobody knows when it will end.
Hence, the celebration today helps us realize about the brevity of life, and the urgent need to live it to the fullest. And the way to do this is by living in love. Life is meaningless unless we learn to love. St. Teresa of the Child Jesus said: “It is not important how many years we have in our life; but how much love we put into our lives that truly matters.” For those who live in love, death is not the end of life but just the transition to the eternal life promised to us by Christ. Hence, there is no need to be afraid of death.
Let us remember to pray for the souls of our departed brothers and sisters. Most of them are still suffering the pains of the purifying flames of Purgatory. Hence, according to St. Francis de Sales, “To assist the souls in Purgatory is to perform the most excellent of the works of mercy.”
We need to help the souls in Purgatory for they are considered “poor souls”. They are ‘poor’ because they are suffering two kinds of pain. The first is the pain of purification from the fires of Purgatory, which is necessary in order to come worthily into the presence of the Almighty God. The second is the pain of being prevented in the meantime from seeing God. Both of these pains are part of what is called “temporal punishment” due to sins incurred during one’s earthly life. They are temporary, and they can be totally remitted in Purgatory. (On the other hand, the souls in Hell endure “eternal punishment”, that is, no more possibility of forgiveness and redemption.)
The second reason why they are called “poor souls in Purgatory” is because they are totally helpless. They cannot anymore do anything to help themselves: they cannot go to Mass to receive the Body of Christ, they cannot go to confession, or do meritorious acts of mercy, or gain indulgences. Hence, they just rely totally on the prayers and spiritual help from the living.
Nowadays, there are many Catholics who have no clear understanding of this doctrine. When a loved one dies, they are so quick to declare and claim that the deceased is “already in Heaven” or “in a better place.” But that is not what Scripture says. The Letter to the Hebrews says, “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Heb 9:27). St. Paul writes, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor 5:10).
In fact, according to St. John Vianney, “It is definite that only a few chosen ones do not go to Purgatory and the sufferings there that one must endure exceed our imagination.” They still have to appear before “the judgment seat of Christ.” Herein lies, therefore, the eternal value and necessity of praying for the souls in Purgatory.
Furthermore, we should not forget that they are also called “Holy Souls in Purgatory”. This is because they cannot commit sin anymore. They are just waiting for the completion of their purification. So, in the meantime, they have all the opportunity to pray for us. And eventually, when they are admitted into heaven with the help of our prayers and indulgences, they will surely intercede for us before the throne of God.
Let us, therefore, pray for our departed brothers and sisters. Rest assured they are also praying for us. And in God’s boundless mercy and love, He will gather us once again in our true home, the House of the Heavenly Father. Amen
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