Why Do Catholics Pray for the Dead? - "... Only those in whom Christ is brought to perfection can enter heaven. We are here then to lend our prayers to that perfecting ..."

Why do Catholics pray for the dead?

"...Only those in whom Christ is brought to perfection can enter heaven.

We are here then to lend our prayers to that perfecting

to that final work of God's grace

in freeing dad from every encumbrance of sin."

"Today we pray for him. We pray for the repose of his soul.

We thank God for His goodness to dad, as is right and just,

but we also know that, although dad believed,

he did so imperfectly, like the rest of us.

He tried to love God and neighbor,

but like the rest of us did so imperfectly.

He was a practicing Catholic - practicing in the sense that he hadn't perfected it yet.

Or rather Christ was not yet perfected in him,

and only those in whom Christ is brought to perfection can enter heaven.

We are here then to lend our prayers to that perfecting,

to that final work of God's grace

in freeing dad from every encumbrance of sin."

Fr. Paul Scalia

St. James Catholic Church

Falls Church, VA

Diocese of Arlington

Subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Great Catholic PreachingNovember 2, 2020