Praying for our beloved dead

We, Catholics, believe that there is such a thing as purgatory. It is a place or a state of being in which the souls are purified before they enter heaven. We easily fall into temptations due to our human weakness and, thus, we sin.

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Today, we are more concerned about praying for our beloved dead than debating about the existence of purgatory. We go to church and offer Mass for them, even if they died a long time ago. We also go to the cemeteries to visit their tombs. We do not presume that their souls are already in heaven. That is why we constantly pray for them—just in case. That is the only way we can help them. They cannot help themselves anymore, according to a tradition.

When God takes away our lives, will there be people praying for us, helping us to get to heaven? Let us improve and widen our relationships. We cannot afford to die miserably, with no one praying for the repose of our souls.

If we are righteous, our souls are in the hand of God (Wis 3:1). Though the world may see us as nerds and stupid, or even fools, because of our faith in Jesus, we will still live in peace. We, who are struggling to be just and holy, should not pay attention to them.

First Reading - Wis 3:1-9 [or 2 Mc 12:43-46]