Why we mark All Souls’ Day

Some notes from the ORDO In 1915, Pope Benedict XV granted all priests permission to celebrate three Masses on this day. But a priest can accept a stipend only for the first Mass. The first Mass may be for a particular person; the second Mass is for all the faithful; and the third for the intentions of the Holy Father. No other celebration is permitted.

On the first eight days of November, the faithful may gain a plenary indulgence by visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead. Today, one plenary indulgence may be gained by visiting a church or oratory and praying the Our Father, the Creed, and for the intentions of the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV.

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Día de los Muertos), or All Souls’ Day, is celebrated on 2 November. All the Masses are to be Requiem Masses. We believe the souls departing from the body are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins or have not fully atoned for past transgressions. Hence, at the moment, they cannot enter heaven.

For them, Purgatory is necessary. It is a temporary state of purification for those who have died in God’s grace but still carry the effects of sin. The faithful on earth are called to offer prayers, sacrifices, and Masses to help these souls attain the beatific vision — eternal life with God in heaven.

Praying for the dead also expresses the unity of the Church Suffering (in Purgatory), the Church Militant (here on earth), and the Church Triumphant (in heaven), for whose intercession we pray. It is through the celebration of the Mass, which is the memorial of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross, that we principally fulfill our charity toward the dead.

A primary biblical basis for praying for the dead is found in 2 Macc. 12:42, 46: “Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out…. Thus he (Judas Maccabeus) made atonement for the dead, that they might be absolved from their sin.”

Additional references are found in Zechariah, Sirach and the New Testament — Mt. 12:32; 1 Cor. 3:10-15; and 2 Tim. 1:16-18, where Paul prays for the soul of Onesiphorus.

Through the prayers of the faithful on earth, the dead are cleansed of their sins and may enter heaven. In early Christianity, evidence of the custom of praying for the dead is found in the inscriptions of the catacombs, with their constant prayers for the peace of the souls of the departed. The early liturgies commonly contained commemorations of the dead.

In the sixth century, Benedictine monasteries held a commemoration for their deceased members. It then spread to other communities. In the 10th century, St. Odilo of Cluny established 2 November as the date to celebrate the Feast of All Souls. From the monasteries to the dioceses, Liège was the first to adopt it.

The belief in Purgatory has not been without controversy. There were flagrant abuses during the Renaissance. Indulgences were sold to raise money for the Church. Martin Luther condemned the abuses, but he also denied the theological doctrine behind them.

Instead, he introduced the wrong belief that people are simply saved or not. Hence, for him, there is no need to pray for the dead to get them to heaven.

On the contrary, our Catholic belief declares that Christ indeed died for our salvation, but what is required of us is our initial and ongoing free-will response. We also need our sins to be forgiven.

In other words, Jesus died once and for all, but we have to cooperate with him. Charity for our faithful departed through our prayers is one important response.

Prayer: Listen kindly to our prayers, O Lord, and, as our faith in your Son, raised from the dead, is deepened, so may our hope of resurrection for your departed servants also find new strength. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.