On the Feast of All Souls, we pray for those who are still being purified but who have the assurance of one day entering the Kingdom of Heaven where they will join the Communion of Saints.
The Catholic theology of the suffering souls in Purgatory has its roots in the Bible, contrary to what many evangelical Christians believe. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that Purgatory is where “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of Heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (1030-1).
The Bible has several references to a place of purification where those who cannot immediately enter heaven will go in order to be cleansed of every last vestige of sin. Only those who are completely without sin can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In the book of Revelation, John tell us: “But nothing unclean shall enter [heaven]” (Rev. 21:27). Thus, Purgatory is a place where we go to be purified in order to later enter into Heaven.
In the second book of Maccabees, it said about Judas Machabeus, “In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the dead to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin” (2 Macc. 12:43-46).
The poor souls in Purgatory are now in a passive state and need our prayers. “Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you, my friends, because the hand of the Lord has touched me,” the book of Job tells us (Job 19:21).
Similarly, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus alludes to Purgatory by saying “If you are to go with your opponent before the magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny” (12:58-59). The fact that Jesus clearly says that we will not be released until we have “paid the last penny” is interpreted by the Church as an affirmation that each and every one of our sins must be atoned for before we can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says, “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (12:32). It would make no sense for Jesus to say that forgiveness is possible in “the age to come” if there was no Purgatory. The damned in hell can never be forgiven and those in Heaven do not need forgiveness. Purgatory is the only logical explanation for Jesus saying this.
St. Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians, “If a man’s building burns, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved but only as one fleeing through fire.”
The commemoration of the souls in Purgatory was initiated in the 11th century by St. Odilo. While an abbot at a Benedictine monastery in Cluny, he issued a decree, Omnium Defunctorum, stating that November 2 would be set aside by all the Benedictine monasteries in Cluny as a time to pray for the souls in Purgatory. Soon other monasteries began following suit. Before long, the Carthusians also began to pray for the poor souls in Purgatory on November 2. Pope Sylvester II recognized it as a feast day, and the practice spread to Germany, England and Spain. By the 14th century, it became an established feast day for the Universal Church.
A variety of traditional practices are associated with the feast of All Souls Day. In many European and Latin American countries it is common for families to visit cemeteries to pray for their departed loved ones. Entire clans go out to clean and decorate graves with flowers and candles. Many return home and bake special breads to commemorate the feast day. Mass, too, is offered for the suffering souls — a Requiem Mass for which priests traditionally wear black vestments.
The shorter, darker days of November invoke a somber feeling consistent with the mood of All Souls Day. All around us we see the signs that yet another year is drawing to an end. The trees are arrayed with their glorious color; their once green leaves now spent, having completed their mission. The once verdant waves of tall grass that swayed in the summer breeze now sit bundled up in tight, thick haystacks.
It’s fitting that along with the signs of year’s end, the Church turns our thoughts to the poor suffering souls of Purgatory and asks us to pray for them so that they may soon join the Communion of Saints in Heaven. In this manner we are joined with those who have gone before us, and reminded that we are merely pilgrims on a journey towards our Heavenly home.
