Prayer for Souls in Purgatory
In this article, we seek to shed light on the Catholic teachings surrounding purgatory and prayer for the holy souls in purgatory.
The Last Four Things
The last four things in life are death, judgement, heaven, and hell. At the moment of death, everyone is judged by God based on their life, and go immediately to their reward or punishment. Heaven is eternal happiness resulting from the beatific vision of God. Hell is eternal torment and despair for those who have rejected God. There is an intermediate state called purgatory for those who are bound for heaven, but still have some imperfections.
The Concept of Purgatory
Purgatory is not a place of condemnation. Rather, purgatory is a state of purification for souls destined for heaven. Most people are neither so free from sin that they go immediately to heaven, nor are they so unrepentant as to go forever to hell. Purgatory is the purifying mercy of God.
The Need for Purgatory
Jesus said, “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” As we get closer to the light of God, more and more of our imperfections become clear. Saints often describe themselves as great sinners because they are so close to God. The holier we become, the more we become aware of our sins.
Sin in our life can be similar to washing the windshield of our car. We wash and dry it carefully. Then we drive around only to turn a corner into the sun and realize that our windshield is still dirty. So, we clean the windshield again. This time we face the car into the sun. But do we get it perfectly clean? Well, it will certainly look better than the first time.
This is true of our spiritual lives. We probably won’t achieve perfection in this life, but we need to keep striving for it, through prayer, works of charity, and frequent confession. In other words, we must keep heading for the light.
This doesn’t mean that God is mean and unforgiving. God shines light on our faults because these are the things that are keeping us from becoming the best version of ourselves and having complete union (friendship) with God. For our part we must keep striving for holiness and union with God, never settling for just being good people.
Praying for Souls in Purgatory
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the faithful can help the souls in purgatory through prayers and acts of mercy (CCC 1032). Praying for souls is an expression of love, compassion, and the belief in the redemptive power of prayer.
The Church does not claim infallible knowledge of an individual's destiny but rather entrusts the departed to God's mercy. Praying for souls in purgatory is an act of humility, acknowledging our shared journey toward holiness and entrusting the departed to God's loving care.
Scriptural Foundation
The practice of praying for the dead is rooted in Sacred Scripture. In the 2 Maccabees 12:46, we find the Jewish custom of offering prayers and sacrifices for the deceased. St. Paul encourages intercessory prayer in 2 Timothy 1:16-18, demonstrating the early Christian tradition of offering petitions on behalf of the departed.
Conclusion
When we die, we all face judgement by God. Souls in heaven do not need our prayers and those that are in Hell are beyond our prayers. Purgatory is the purifying mercy of God for souls on their way to heaven. Praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory is an act of mercy and compassion.
We can help our relatives and friends get to heaven sooner and it requires of us a minimal effort. If we pray for our deceased brothers and sisters, then they can quickly join the beatific vision of God and be ready to welcome us to heaven with their prayers.