November is time to remember deceased in prayer

This week, the church celebrates the Feast of All Souls and the Feast of All Saints, beginning the month of November as the month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. As we watch the weather begin to cool and the leaves begin to fall, it seems natural that we turn our attention to those who have gone before us.
 
During the same month that we gather with family to celebrate our thanks, the church asks us to devote our prayers to those souls in purgatory. Often when we think about death, we think about heaven and hell. For that reason, the concept of purgatory can be confusing. St. John Paul II addressed this confusion in three general audiences in 1999. He reminded us that the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” characterizes heaven, hell and purgatory as states of being, rather than places, since place implies a temporal reality.
 
Purgatory, according to St. John Paul II, is a “condition of existence,” where Jesus “removes … the remnants of imperfection.”
 
Before we enter into heaven – the state of being in full communion with God – we need to be completely purified. Souls in purgatory, then, “are already in the love of Christ who removes from them the remnants of imperfection.”

As we pray for those souls undergoing purification before entering into communion with God, we express our own charity – coming to the aid of those in need, even in death.

I remember thinking about our church’s focus on prayer for the dead and believing it to be morbid. Sometimes, when we explain these prayers to others, morbidity can be their first thought.

But recently I attended an exhibit on Victorian mourning practices, including a focus on ‘memento mori,’ objects that the Victorians would keep to remind them of their loved ones. Those objects also served as a reminder that all life eventually comes to an end. For the Victorians, one of the most common objects were locks of hair that could be kept in lockets. In a culture where mortality was on the rise, recalling their loved ones took on greater importance in their lives.

In a similar way, our church asks us to remember those who have died to help them get to heaven, but also as a reminder to ourselves of our own mortality. In some ways, this month begins to call to mind our preparations for Lent.

This November, as we think about our family traditions and begin preparing for the upcoming holidays, we’re also asked to consider the memories of those family members and friends who have already passed. We pray for their sanctification, and, in doing so, we are reminded of the necessity of our own sanctification.

Heather Bozant Witcher can be reached athbozantwitcher@clarionherald.org.