By Fr. Dan Cambra, MIC
“Why do you pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory?”
People ask us Catholics this all the time. Sometimes, they’re Protestants, attempting to convict us of what they believe to be unbiblical practices. Sometimes, they’re secular folks, children of the so-called “Enlightenment,” with no belief in the soul or spiritual realities. Sometimes, they’re desperate souls who’ve lost loved ones, turning to us for hope.
It’s a good question, one we should ask and answer every so often, the better to renew our zeal for the holy work of praying for the dead.
Why do we pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, especially on Nov. 2 and, indeed, throughout the month of November?
It’s a more complicated question than it sounds like. After all, sometimes, our works of mercy help us even more than they help the people whom we think we are serving.
Sanctifying the Church
Here’s the heart of the answer: The Church prays for the Holy Souls in Purgatory essentially for her own sanctification. We apply the merits of Christ and His saints to the Holy Souls through our prayers and suffrages, our sufferings and mortifications offered in union with Christ’s self-sacrifice on the Cross. The Church on earth, by praying to aid the purification of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, aids the purification of the faithful on earth, as well.
It’s an incredibly Catholic reality. Saint Paul explained, “In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35). Fidelity to God’s call, even if that call challenges us to give up everything, blesses us in the end.
We pray for the Holy Souls so that we may save our own souls. Devotions lead to our holiness, and it also leads to the Holy Souls escaping Purgatory.
After all, Jesus made abundantly clear, both in Scripture and to St. Faustina Kowalska, the consequences of failing to perform works of mercy.
In Scripture, He said, “Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me” (Mt 25:45). And to St. Faustina, He said:
"I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it" (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 742).
Charity compels us
We do the work of praying for the Holy Souls because charity compels us. After all, what soul, knowing that there are people suffering who we could easily help, would turn away?
Saint Catherine of Genoa talked about the fire of Purgatory, sharing how it burns away what’s not Christlike in us. In Purgatory, essentially, we get purified like metal — smelted. The fires of Purgatory burn out the impurities from us, the same fire, we are told by St. Catherine of Genoa, as in Hell. How is this merciful? Well, we are prepared for Heaven, for communion with perfect love and truth. When we have rejected truth (any portion of truth) and are confronted by truth, it is an unpleasant and uncomfortable situation. In Purgatory, you are brought to realize how you made a complete error in judgment. In hell, of course, the souls rage against the realization they have made an error in judgment. There is no saving repentance, no room left by the damned for reform or renewal in the soul. In C. S. Lewis’ classic phrase, they have said to God, “My will be done,” not, “Thy will be done.”
In Purgatory, though, the souls remain open to God’s will, even as they must be healed and trained in perfect conformity to it. The fires in Purgatory are the fires of mercy. After all, as Jesus said to St. Faustina:
“I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners. Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy are burning Me — clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls” (Diary, 50).
Do the fires of Purgatory sound awful? Maybe there’s another way to think of it.
Purgatory makes us well
A friend of mine was once in the car with some family members, and, somehow, Purgatory came up. My friend said, “It’s like physical therapy for the soul.” Why? Well, it helps us, even as it can be painful. Purgatory takes wounded souls and makes us well. Just as the exercises we need to do after breaking a limb can be quite painful, so can the purification that happens in Purgatory. But it’s both necessary and it’s not required by some desire to cause pain. Rather, Purgatory causes pain in order to achieve our eternal joy in Heaven.
Who would refuse to assist our brethren undergoing this process of purification — again, when it’s easy?
Consider also that by praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, we prepare for ourselves friends in Heaven. We ensure that we will be welcomed by a shining host, willing to testify on our behalf in the court of Heaven when we go before the Just Judge for our particular judgment. After all, Heaven for each of us will be as individual as we are; what better way to increase our future bliss than to increase the number of souls for whom we’ve worked on earth?
That’s the heart of our answer. For detailed answers to Protestants, evidence from the heritage of the Church to answer atheists or secularists, and hope to offer those who’ve lost loved ones, let me recommend a few books.
Reading list
First, I offer more information on the Biblical and traditional roots of praying for the Holy Souls in my book Prayers and Practices for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Secondly, my Marian brothers Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, and Deacon Jason Lewis, MIC, offer hope for those who’ve lost loved ones under the most tragic circumstances in After Suicide: There’s Hope for Them and for You. Now, though the book was written for those mourning folks lost to suicide, still the teachings and principles offered in the book are broadly applicable to all forms of grief and loss.
Also, the philosopher and Boston College professor Peter Kreeft has a few books dealing with Purgatory that I especially like. The first is called Between Heaven and Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C. S. Lewis, and Aldous Huxley. It’s an easy to read imagined discussion between three of the great individuals of the 20th century about the most important things in life, including Purgatory, but also Jesus, His divinity, and the nature of our world.
The second book by Dr. Kreeft is Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven But Never Dreamed of Asking. It’s about a lot more than just Heaven!
As I close, let me extend an invitation to you. I would like to learn more about the different devotions our Patrons practice for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Please consider writing to me with your favorite devotion to [email protected] with the subject line, “My Favorite Devotion.” I’d be glad to share your stories in future newsletters.
May God bless you.
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