Friday is generally my day off. This
Friday I had breakfast with my sister. She went off to walk her dogs. I went to
Gate of Heaven Cemetery. I usually go on Fridays. It is a habit. I used to
bring dad every Friday to visit Mom. Now, I visit both of them and pray for
them.
It is not always easy – it sometimes
brings to mind their last weeks – when I gave them the Last Rites - their Wakes
– their Funeral Masses, and their Burials.
But I also remember all the prayerful
support we received, and it is also a comfort to know that we did everything the
right way.
Today we pray for the Dead – this is not
a practice in Protestant Churches. They say Prayer for the Dead is not found in
the Bible. Of course the words “Holy Trinity” are not found in the Bible, but
they believe that. No, we believe that at death, many of us still need to
undergo a cleansing - a purgation – Purgatory – in order to stand in the
presence of pure love.
You know, gold does not look like
much when it comes out of the ground. It
is hard to recognize it. It must be purified. The gold nuggets are put through
intense heat. Because it has a low melting point, it melts before the
impurities. The process is repeated a few times, but eventually the beauty is
revealed. And so is our beauty revealed!
So, why do we pray for the dead?
1)
To praise God for the life of someone
who has had an impact on us. Eg Funeral for Msgr. Flynn.
2)
To ask for God’s mercy. While we
cannot earn at deceased person’s salvation – this if a gift achieved by the
death and resurrection of Jesus – we can ask for God’s mercy, knowing life does
not end at death. This is why we often get Mass cards, light candles or fill
out All Souls envelopes.
3)
To show that we are part of the Communion
of Saints. Our deceased friends are not dead but alive and always part of the
Church. Where they are gone, we hope one day to be, and a big part of our joy
will be our reunion with them.
4)
To pray for those mourning the
departed. In our neighborhood, my mother always made a cake for those who lost
loved ones. This is why we go to wakes and funerals, to unite ourselves with
those who grieve. We want to support them. Often the best way to support them
is to pray with and for them.
5)
To Remind ourselves us that life is
short. Keep things in order – prepare for our final goal – heaven.
So, this is another All Souls Day.
Who do you want to prayer for? – as we get older, the list gets longer doesn’t
it? Eternal rest grant unto
them – O Lord.
