On Praying for our Beloved Dead

Our Holy Mother Church celebrates All Souls Day every November 2, We Catholics make it a point to offer mass intentions, prayers and visit the grave of our departed loved ones. It is a time for us to remember the good memories we had with them.

As for me and my children, we reminisce the happy times we had with my husband. My husband had a kidney problem and died of various complications six years ago. The thirteen years of togetherness I had with him is unforgettable. He was a good husband and a wonderful father to our children.

Nonetheless, by God’s grace I was able to accept the fate of my husband. With the help and support of family and friends my children and I continue to survive knowing that an angel (my husband) is watching over us. By always praying for the soul of my husband, we believe that he is already with the Lord.

As a widow, I find comfort on Max Lucado’s words from his book Grace for the Moment where he says:

If you’ll celebrate a marriage anniversary alone this year, God speaks to you.
If your child made it to heaven before making it to kindergarten, he speaks to you…
If your dreams were buried as they lowered the casket, God speaks to you.

He speaks to all of us who have stood or stand in the soft dirt near an open grave. And to us he gives this confident word: “I want you to know what happens to a Christian when he dies so that when it happens, you will not be full of sorrow, as those are who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and then came back to life again, we can also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him all the Christians who have died” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 TLB).

May we constantly include in our prayers the soul of our beloved dead not only during All Souls Day but every day of our lives. Below is an example of a prayer we can recite for them that I gathered from catholic.org:

God our Father,
Your power brings us to birth,
Your providence guides our lives, and by Your command we return to dust.
Lord, those who die still live in Your presence, their lives change but do not end.
I pray in hope for my family, relatives and friends, and for all the dead known to You alone.
In company with Christ, Who died and now lives, may they rejoice in Your kingdom, where all our tears are wiped away.
Unite us together again in one family, to sing Your praise forever and ever.
Amen.