PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD. As we come to the end of the Month of All Souls, we reflect on another set of orations provided for holy Masses offered for One Deceased Person. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Collect – For One Deceased Person – Set #3 O God, in whose presence the dead are alive and in whom your Saints rejoice full of happiness, grant our supplication, that your servant N., for whom the fleeting light of this world shines no more, may enjoy the comfort of your light for all eternity. Through our Lord Jesus … for ever and ever. Amen.
“GOD IS LIGHT.” The Apostle begins one of his beautiful Letters by stating: “God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5c] This must have brought great comfort to those who believed that the dead sat “… in darkness and death’s shadow …” [Luke 1:79] While we believe that, for now, only our Blessed Mother, the Angels and Saints fully bask in God’s perpetual light, we pray for all who await “the daybreak from on high” [1:78] at the end of their purification. The Church has always taught that we, who are still living on earth, can intercede for those awaiting entrance into heaven. However…
The Church has never fully defined how God ‘purifies’ us after death. Since Scripture states: “… nothing unclean will enter [heaven]” [Revelation 21:27), there must be some sort of ‘cleansing’ of those not eternally damned. Many images have been used: a sanctifying fire; ‘doing time’ as if in prison, for which ‘time off’ is granted for penance performed by others, etc. So, be assured: we CAN help the dead fully enter God’s perpetual light!
Prayer over the Offerings – One Deceased Person: #3 May the offering of this sacrifice be pleasing to you, Lord, so that the soul of your servant N., finding through your mercy the pardon he/she sought for his/her sins, may exult for ever with your Saints and praise your glory for all eternity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
OUR GREATEST GIFT TO THE DEAD. While every prayer and good deed offered for the dead is efficacious, there is one that tops them all. The most beneficial way to intercede for them is to have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered for them. A close second is to have the items used in Sacred Liturgy dedicated to their memory. For through the Mystery of Faith, our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection, which is renewed and made present at every holy Mass, we apply the graces Christ won for us on the Cross to that particular ‘Mass Intention.’
Contact the Parish Office to arrange for Mass to be offered for your particular intentions. Stipulate a set amount in your will for Masses to be offered for yourself, should your loved ones not have any offered for you. Prearrange and pre-pay your own Funeral Mass with a Funeral Home; some regular churchgoers have been denied this blessing by survivors who oppose – or are ‘not into’ – the Faith! And always contact the Parish Office BEFORE purchasing items to be memorialized to make sure we can – and will – use them.
Prayer after Communion – One Deceased Person: #3 As we receive these heavenly gifts, we give you thanks, O Lord, and humbly pray that the soul of your servant N., freed through your Son’s Passion from the bonds of sin, may come happily into your presence. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
HELP OTHERS PAY THEIR DEBTS. Some biblical translations render Jesus’ words, “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” [Matthew 10:8b] as, “The gift you have received, give as a gift.” Both versions demand that all that is bequeathed to us is not ours to keep for ourselves; every blessing from God MUST be freely shared! Some squawk at Catholicism’s pious practices of praying for the dead, but NOT doing so would make us hoarders of the means of salvation which God freely offers to us. So, it is only right that – each time we receive Eucharist, we share the graces received with the dead. For as scripture says, “This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.“ [1 Timothy 2:3-4] With whom do you share your Eucharistic graces?
With God’s love and my prayers,
Very Rev. Michael J. Kreder, VF, KCHS