All Souls’ Day

All Souls’ Day is a holy day that the Catholic Church dedicates to honor and pray for the dead.  In the Roman Rite, the official name of this day is “The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed.”  It is celebrated annually every 2^nd of November, following All Saints’ Day.  Although it is not a day of obligation to attend the Holy Mass, this day calls on us to pray for our departed loved ones and for the souls of others, so that like the saints, they too may have the beatific vision of Heaven.

This celebration is closely related to the Catholic belief and teaching that when a person dies, his soul goes to one of either three destinations.  Firstly, the soul directly enters Heaven when he dies in perfect communion with God and in state of grace, free of any mortal sin.  Conversely, the soul condemns his own self to hell when he dies in state of mortal sin.  Lastly, in between, a soul goes to Purgatory when he dies without mortal sin but still in state of venial/lesser sins.  Consistent with old tradition as well as biblical basis, Catholics believe that souls in Purgatory are cleansed of their sins and moral impurities before they could enter Heaven.  This is the part where the prayers of the living faithful on Earth are most needed.  By offering prayers and sacrifices in the Holy Mass, we are helping all the souls in Purgatory to achieve sanctification and moral perfection so that one day, in God’s mercy, they shall enter His glorious Kingdom.

As we remember in prayer the suffering souls in Purgatory, especially on this day, let us also be reminded of amending our sinful lives and attaining holiness by God’s grace.

Lord, have mercy on the suffering souls in Purgatory.

Prayer for All Souls’ Day

Listen kindly to our prayers,
O Lord, and, as our faith in your Son,
raised from the dead, is deepened,
so may our hope of resurrection
for your departed servants also find new strength.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.

Source of prayer: DivineOffice.org

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