All Souls’ Novena

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Saint Teresa of Ávila Interceding for Souls in Purgatory

Peter Paul Rubens ca. 1630

As Christians, when we are mourning the death of a loved one we feel the need to pray for the person who passed away and for all those suffering from that loss. In these difficult moments we may pray the rosary or other traditional prayers. Yet other times we may pray with passages from Holy Scripture that help us to ask for the eternal repose of our loved one who died. The word of God helps us to find some consolation when we pray for the person we lost. There are many Bible passages that can help us to pray and find consolation and hope in the merciful love of God.

One of those many verses of Holy Scripture that we read often in the funeral Mass is from the book of 2 Maccabees. These verses can help us to understand why we need to pray for our departed loved ones. At the same time, they help us to hope in the resurrection of our deceased brothers and sisters. We read from the book of 2 Maccabees 12, 43-46:

“He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view;

for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death.

But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.

Thus, he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin."

This Bible passage expresses the biblical tradition of prayer for those who have died in the Lord, but due to lack of complete purification, cannot yet fully enjoy God’s presence. Moreover, here we can see that these verses praise the behavior of Judas, who offers sacrifice and prayers for his deceased companions. Judas is encouraged to pray for them because he had strong faith in the resurrection: “for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death” (2 Mc 12,44).

The Church today, as it has since the first centuries of its existence, prays for the dead. In this way, she expresses her faith that they live beyond death. The prayers, alms, and sacrifices of those of us who pilgrim in this world have a helpful effect for those who are being purified in the afterlife. In this way, the communion of the entire mystical body of Christ becomes concrete and effective.

The Church, relying on Scripture and prayerful tradition, believes that the Christian who does not die separated from God still has the possibility of purifying himself beyond death. It is in this context where the intercession of the living is situated; prayers, alms, penances, good works, and especially, the celebration of the Eucharist.

This act of the Church Militant, offering suffrages and the Holy Mass on behalf of the deceased, testifies to our faith in purgatory as the state in which those who are not yet in a position to meet God find themselves. But with this comes the full certainty that, once purified, God will be their source of eternal happiness.

When we remember the anniversary of a deceased loved one, we are moved by the desire to pray for him or her. We believe, with the Church, that the encounter with the Holy and Merciful God takes place in the fire of love. A love that transforms, cleanses, orders, heals, and completes what is necessary for the person who passed away. The prayers and offerings of their brothers and sisters contribute to this purifying action. By confessing our faith in the resurrection, we ask for the eternal rest of our departed brothers and sisters and their deliverance from possible sufferings.

We pray to the Father for the rest Jesus offers in Mathew 11, 29, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.” This rest is born of personal poverty and openness to the God of mercy. With this faith, nourished by the word of God, we prepare ourselves to participate in the Novena of the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist for All Souls that we annually celebrate for the living and the dead.

Let us pray that the Lord, our God, place among the joyful citizens of his kingdom our brothers and sisters whom He has called from this world, and give them to enjoy the blessings of heaven,

Very. Rev. Luis Joaquin Castañeda, OCD

Provincial