Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

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 PassionDeath 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