All Souls Day: The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed

On All Souls Day, commemorated on November 2, Catholics pray for all the faithful departed. Catholics believe that the dead remain members of the church, alive in Christ, and that we should pray for them and ask them to pray for us, certainly on All Souls Day, but also throughout the year.

When one dies in God's grace, Catholics believe that the faithful enter a state of purification, or Purgatory, to be cleansed of venial sin and the temporal effects of sin. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1030-32 helps us to understand Purgatory and that the effect of sin exists even after the sinner repents.

There are two beliefs the Catholic Church teaches about the concept of Purgatory, or purification of the elect. First, believers will enter a state of purification before seeing the Face of God in heaven. Second, our understanding of the communion of saints teaches that prayers of the faithful are beneficial to the souls in Purgatory. For more information of the communion of saints, refer to this article on All Saints Day. Quite simply, praying for the dead is our Christian obligation. The need for prayers for the dead is now more important than ever, with many in doubt and not understanding the concept or teaching of Purgatory.

Purgatory has remained an issue between Catholics and Protestants since the 16^th century when the Council of Trent reaffirmed the existence of Purgatory and the importance of praying for the dead. Although much confusion still exists about the concept of purification and Purgatory, many non-Catholics, including C.S. Lewis, believed in Purgatory. In Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, C.S. Lewis wrote:

"Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me. And I hardly know how the rest of my prayers would survive if those for the dead were forbidden. At our age, the majority of those we love best are dead. What sort of intercourse with God could I have if what I love best were unmentionable to him? I believe in Purgatory."

There exists no official dogma with regard to the Church's belief in more exact details of Purgatory, including the length of time one remains in the state of purification. Pope Benedict XVI believes that Purgatory might be something experienced immediately, as it exists outside the confines of time and space. Although a mystery, we remain as Catholics, obligated and faithful in our prayers for the faithful departed on All Souls Day and throughout the year.

Sources:

Personal Experience

American Catholic.org

Fisheaters.com

Church Year.net

Anglefire.com