The holy souls in Purgatory are especially dear to God since their love for Him is rapidly being brought to its perfection, being purified day and night, hour by hour. Their prayers for our needs are thus very powerful, though these Poor Souls are helpless in regard to their own sufferings.
The Church’s Liturgy of today, commemorating all the Faithful Departed, dates back to the close of the Tenth Century when Our Lord inspired St. Odilo, the Abbot of Cluny, to establish in the Benedictine Order a general commemoration of all the souls in Purgatory. The practice was soon adopted by the whole Western Church, and has been continued without interruption to our day.
Let us recommend to God today and throughout the coming week, all the souls in Purgatory, and especially those for whom we are particularly bound to pray – our relatives, friends, and benefactors, and also those who in this life were in any way compromised or scandalized by our own sins – that they may find relief from their sufferings and entrance into Heaven.
In November, the Church reminds us of our duty and privilege to help the souls in Purgatory, who long to be relieved of their sufferings and to be united forever to God in Heaven.
We can gain a plenary indulgence – the complete remission of temporal punishment due to sin – for the Poor Souls in Purgatory each day during the Octave of All Saints Day (November 1-8) by visiting a cemetery and praying for the faithful departed, and on the Feast of All Souls (November 2) by devoutly visiting a church and praying the Apostles Creed and the Our Father. To gain these indulgences, we must be in the state of grace, be completely detached from sin, receive the sacraments of Confession and Communion (within 7 days before or after the indulgenced act), and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father (e.g., by praying an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be). Read more about how to Gain Indulgences for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them!
May they rest in peace. Amen.
A THEOLOGICAL NOTE REGARDING INDULGENCES
Sin carries two punishments: eternal punishment and temporal punishment.
Mortal sin, of course, has both. Venial sin only has temporal.
The eternal punishment is, as we all should know from our elementary catechism, the punishments endured in hell. Hell is real and hell is eternal.
The eternal punishment is remitted by absolution received in the Sacrament of Confession.
If we do not satisfy all our temporal punishment on earth, but die in the state of grace, then we must satisfy the remainder of that punishment in Purgatory. We do well to recall Our Lord’s words from a parable: “I say to thee, thou shalt not go out [from the prison], until thou pay the very last mite.” (Luke 12:59; see also Matthew 5:26)
An indulgence never remits eternal punishment.
An indulgence can only remit temporal punishment.
In this context, temporal does not refer to “this temporal world” of ours; rather, it is in contradistinction to eternity. Purgatory is not eternal; therefore, the sufferings there are still properly referred to as “temporal.”
Related Videos:
- Do Our Prayers Help Souls in Purgatory? | Ask Father with Fr. Michael Rodríguez
- How Does Our Lady Relieve the Souls in Purgatory? | Ask Father with Fr. Paul McDonald
- The Church Suffering | Monthly Devotions by Father Shannon Collins
- Fatima and Purgatory | Fr. Karl Stehlin
- The Litany for Holy Souls
Further Reading: