In Eucharistic Prayer number one, after the consecration of the bread and wine into the very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, in the section entitled “Commemoration of the Dead,” it says, “Remember, Lord, those who have died and have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, especially those for whom we now pray.”
How important it is not only to pray for the souls of the faithfully departed in Purgatory, but to have Masses said for their happy repose. Oh, how they are easily forgotten!
It is especially important to have Masses said for the souls in Purgatory because they need and want our help and the Mass is the most powerful and efficacious prayer because it is the re-presentation (not repeat) of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior (CCC 1362-1372; 1 Cor 11:26; 1163, 1166-1167; 1337).
On Memorial Day since childhood, I have prayed for the souls that ‘have gone before us marked with the sign of faith’ in a special way. I would go to the cemetery with my father and mother and visit the graves of many of my relatives on both sides of the family while praying for them. We would either attend Mass in the parish church or in the cemetery adjacent to the church.
This past Memorial Day, after talking to my mother and father on the phone, just before she left for the same cemetery to hear Mass with my sister Barb, I started making preparations for my yearly priestly retreat at the Waverly Retreat Center named after Our Lady of Good Counsel. I noticed my cassock was in need of repairs. There was a tear in the back and a button that needed to be replaced. After finding my sewing kit, I read the note taped to the top of the box, “Sewing Box,” followed by the contents, “Safety pins, thread, buttons, needles, tape measure, two scissors,” and lastly, “Joint effort of grandma and mom.” After reading this, I said even more prayers for my Irish grandmother who would be 108 if she was alive…. I thanked her for helping put together my sewing kit, an essential item for priests. For those of us who cannot sew, I can only say it is easier than sewing up people because there is no need to give an anesthetic and the stitches never need to come out…
For those who know individuals who do not believe in Purgatory, here are a few passages to remember (there are others to support the doctrine of Purgatory). Referring to Heaven it is stated, “Nothing unclean shall enter it” (Rev 21:27), who is completely purified
when their soul separates from their body? And, “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Mt 12:32), referring to temporal punishment in the age to come, or the next life.
I would like to take this opportunity to not only thank our living benefactors who support Catholic Social Services but also our supporters who have, ‘gone before us marked with the sign of faith,’ in Purgatory and Heaven. Please remember to pray every day for the souls in Purgatory and more importantly consider having Masses said for the faithfully departed. Pray also that you have a priest present at your death, for Viaticum, confession, anointing and the Apostolic Pardon! Eternal rest grant unto them Oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them, may their souls rest in peace, Amen!!
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