The Christophers: Praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
Fr. Ed Dougherty, M.M.,
he Christophers’ Board of Directors
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Prayer for the souls of others is one of the seven spiritual works of mercy, which is why we dedicate the entire month of November to the souls in purgatory: because our prayers help them to reach heaven. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “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 Church also teaches that souls in purgatory are dependent on our prayers for reparation for their sins. Having completed their own earthly journeys, souls in purgatory now need our prayers for help in entering heaven. Placed in this context, we can understand why the Church dedicates an entire month to this holy endeavor. Saints, during their own journey on earth, have given testimony to this truth.
Saint Padre Pio said, “We must empty purgatory with our prayers.” Saint Paul of the Cross said, “If, during life, we have been kind to the suffering souls in purgatory, God will see that help be not denied after death.” And Saint John Paul II said, “Praying for the souls in purgatory is the highest act of supernatural charity.”
Along with those of us here on earth and the saints in heaven, the souls in purgatory are part of the Communion of Saints. We are the Church Militant or Pilgrim Church, the saints and angels are the Church Triumphant, and those in purgatory are the Church Suffering. They are part of the Communion of Saints because they died in friendship with God and their salvation is guaranteed.
In working out our own salvation here on earth, we can benefit our souls by praying for those in purgatory to shorten their ordeal of purgation. They remain part of our family of faith, and our prayers for them are an act of love in support of their final journey toward God.
In her “Divine Mercy” diary, Saint Faustina Kowalska wrote of a deceased nun who visited her from purgatory to request prayers. The story is related on Catholic Exchange of how this sister was at first in a “terrible condition,” but then Faustina prayed for her, and when this sister returned, Faustina writes, “her face was radiant, her eyes beaming with joy.” She was released from purgatory and shared with Faustina that many souls “profited from my prayers.”
In the Divine Mercy Novena that Christ gave to Faustina as a prayer for the mercy of God that was won for us by His sacrifice on the cross, He asks for the eighth day to be dedicated to the souls in purgatory.
“It is in your power to bring them relief,” Christ told Faustina. “Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.”
Saint Catherine of Genoa placed the suffering of purgatory in context for us when she said, “The purifying fires draw them ever upward and closer to God.”
These words inspire us to realize the truth of God’s love for us all. While there are trials in life, and even after death for those who enter purgatory, the trials God sends us are all for the higher purpose of drawing us home to Him in heaven.
For free copies of the Christopher News Note BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org
