| All souls: praying for
them
During a family vacation to the Black Hills in South Dakota, we took
the Pig Tails route to Mount Rushmore. On the spiraling drive, we approached
the first small archway in the rock that perfectly framed the four faces
of the Shrine of Democracy. As we passed through each of three more archways,
we got more excited about the destination where we would spend the rest
of the day.
How the church prays
The church does a good bit of praying in archways. Babies and inquirers
are met outside the church door and are signed with the cross before being
escorted in for holy rites. Candles, palm branches, Easter fire, and Easter
candle are blessed outside before all process through the door of the church
for the Presentation of the Lord, Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, and
the Easter Vigil. The bodies of the dead are met at the doorway, too, to
begin the funeral liturgy and are taken back through there for the committal
and the procession to the cemetery.
More than once during the funeral rites while surrounding the blessed
dead, the church prays:
Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon him/her.
May he/she rest in peace.
R. Amen.
May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through
the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R. Amen.
(Order of Christian Funerals 81 [Vigil for the Deceased], 108
[Prayers after Death], 118 [Gathering in the Presence of the Body], and
223 [Rite of Committal]; see also the Manual of Indulgences, 4th ed., 29).
We also make this prayer in early November on All Saints and All Souls;
on first hearing of the death of one we know; and when visiting a cemetery.
What the church believes by praying
Standing over the grave with the bodies and souls of the dead is very
much like standing in the doorway and seeing heaven on the other side.
In fact, the doorway is an image to help our understanding. Heaven — our
final destination — is the reality we glimpse with eyes of faith.
When we pray, “Let perpetual light shine on him/her,” it summons our
belief that the dead and all the living will one day see God face-to-face
and enjoy the blessedness of heaven. Another name we give to the reality
beyond heaven’s gate is “the beatific vision.” No one on earth knows how
long it takes to get from death’s door to heaven’s gate. We know it happens
to many — the saints; we hope and pray it happens for all. Saints are the
known and unknown in heaven. Souls are the unknown still in the doorway,
still glimpsing heaven, still not yet there.
What the church learns by believing
That is why the church prays for the dead, the faithful departed. That
is why, in addition to funeral rites and Masses on anniversaries of deaths,
the church added the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls
Day) to the Roman calendar on Nov. 2 each year. It is a day of such
importance that every priest may celebrate three Masses. It is a day of
such importance that even though it bears no liturgical rank, it is treated
like a solemnity — a day of highest rank.
That is why the church has a little-known octave from Nov. 1–8, when
the living are encouraged to pray for the souls in purgatory on any and
each day.
It is a blessed thing to pray for the dead. In praying for those who
have gone before us in faith, and in teaching each generation to do the
same, there will always be people on earth praying for souls between earth’s
and heaven’s gates — praying for those who can no longer pray for themselves.
Resources for further study
See the Order of Christians Funerals for the beautiful texts
for the rites of final commendation, signs of farewell, procession to the
place of committal, and the committal.
See Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers for texts for visiting
a grave (pages 178–183 [1st ed.], 158–162 [rev. ed.]).
See the glossary of the American edition of Catechism of the Catholic
Church for these terms:
-
beatific vision: “God in heavenly glory” (see also nos. 1028, 1720)
-
purgatory: “a state of final purification after death and before
entrance into heaven” (see also nos. 1031, 1472)
-
soul: “does not die from the body, from which it is separated by
death, and with which it will be reunited in the final resurrection” (see
also nos. 363, 366, 1703)
ML
Eliot Kapitan oversees liturgy and the catechumenate for the Diocese
of Springfield in Illinois as director in the Office for Worship. Kapitan
teaches, writes, and is a workshop presenter on liturgy, catechumenal ministry,
and adult learning. He brings to this work both parish and diocesan experience.
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