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One Bread, One Body - Reflection for November 2, 2024

12 REASONS TO PRAY FOR THE DEAD

"It is the will of Him Who sent Me that I should lose nothing of what He has given Me; rather, that I should raise it up on the last day." –John 6:39

When we pray for the dead, we:

• obey the Lord and His Church,
• love our neighbor,
• express our unity with the other members of God's family,
• through God's grace, help purify people in purgatory,
• help those in purgatory to go to heaven,
• face death and thereby become more aware of reality,
• express and strengthen our faith in the power of prayer,
• receive the benefit of the prayers of those in purgatory (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 958),
• rejoice, for all those in purgatory have given their lives to Jesus and will go to heaven,
• purify ourselves so that we will go directly to heaven and skip purgatory, or lessen our time in purgatory,
• share in the pouring out of God's mercy, and
• enter more deeply into the mystery of God's love and His plan of salvation.

There are other reasons to pray for the dead, but these twelve reasons show that, in praying for the dead, we act "in a very excellent and noble way" (2 Mc 12:43), for it is "a holy and pious thought" to pray for the dead (2 Mc 12:45).

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Acknowledgement

Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:

· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College