Even if our loved ones are on their way to heaven, they probably weren’t perfect. Purgatory is the last purification we go through before entering heaven, so that we can be in heaven with God without any weaknesses or imperfections.
We can pray for the dead by asking God to remember them in His mercy. We can also offer up to Jesus our own little sufferings for our loved ones in purgatory. This is why the catechism reminds us in paragraph 958, “... it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins' she offers her suffrages for them." Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective.
Up Next in Unit 24 | Funerals
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How to Attend a Funeral (and Support ...
Funerals can be really hard to attend. The catechism reminds us in paragraph 2300: “The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy; it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit.” Not only is it a work of mercy for our loved ones who have passed away, it is also an opportu...
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Funerals and Hope at the End of Our S...
We celebrate and honor those who have died with the celebration of a Christian funeral. The Church, in celebrating a funeral, recognizes the fulfillment of the deceased person’s sacramental journey of hope that began at Baptism. This is why we say funerals, even though they are a sad event, are a...
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Is Life a Tragedy?
Why do tragedies capture our attention? The best way to define a tragedy is a story where the main character has something to lose and a fatal flaw that foretells his or her inevitable downfall and loss. When we are watching the tragedy, we are faced with the conflict between the reality of life ...
