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The Time After Pentecost
the poor souls is alleviated and made bearable by this hope. In view of this fact even the Mass
for the Dead becomes a “eucharist,” a prayer of thanksgiving to God. “It is truly meet and just,
right and profitable, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to Thee, O holy Lord,
Father Almighty, everlasting God, through Christ our Lord. In whom the hope of a blessed
resurrection has shone upon us. . . . For unto Thy faithful, O Lord, life is changed, not taken
away [by death]; and the abode of this earthly sojourn being destroyed, an eternal dwelling is
prepared in heaven. And therefore . . . with all the heavenly hosts we sing a hymn to Thy glory,
saying without ceasing: Holy, Holy, Holy” (Preface).
The Church remembers her children as long as they remain in purgatory; she knows that
they have been saved and redeemed. Eternal life is assured them, and there is no possibility of
their being lost, since they can no longer sin. They love God above all things with a perfectly
pure love, and they are loved by God. He has already prepared a place for them in heaven. Yet
a little while and they will repose in the heart of God eternally.
“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let the perpetual light shine upon them.” “Absolve,
O Lord, the souls of all the faithful departed from every bond of sin. And by the help of Thy
grace may they be worthy to escape the sentence of vengeance and enjoy the beatitude of
eternal light” (Tract).
Through the sacred liturgy we may share the burden of the poor souls in purgatory. We
firmly believe that all who died in Christ are saved in Christ, “in whom the hope of a happy resurrection
has shone on us. . . . For unto Thy faithful, O Lord, life is changed, not taken away.” Our
salvation depends on our incorporation in Christ, on our being filled by His life and His Spirit
through our common faith, our common sacrifice, and the other sacraments of the Church.
Prayer
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy servants and
handmaids the remission of all their sins, that by devout prayers they may obtain the forgiveness
which they have always desired. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
All Souls’ Day (5)
“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let the perpetual light shine upon them. . . .
Absolve, O Lord, the souls of all the faithful departed from every bond of sin. And by
the help of Thy grace may they be worthy to escape the sentence of vengeance and enjoy
the beatitude of eternal light” (Gradual and Tract). Thus we beseech the Lord on behalf
of the poor souls. We know that we can still be of assistance to our beloved departed
even beyond the grave. The holy bonds which have bound us together during our life are
not destroyed by death. There is between us a spiritual, supernatural intercourse in the
community of the saints.
“Now you are the body of Christ, and members of member” (1 Cor 12:27). God “hath
subjected all things under His [Christ’s] feet and hath made Him head over all the Church,
which is His body” (Eph 1:22 f.). Whoever is united to this body of Christ belongs to the
community of saints, to that supernatural, living community which unites all the redeemed
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