Have you ever been to a funeral where you heard people make a saint out of someone, regardless of the truth? They tell only funny or kind stories, whitewashing the reality of that person’s life. Not that they were a bad person, but maybe they had bad habits or unresolved sins in their lives. Uncle Steve may have been very generous, but perhaps he also had a sharp tongue and cheated at checkers.

Very few of us meet our final day without some kind of spiritual baggage. Even with the grace and working of the Holy Spirit, most of us end our lives not entirely ready to meet our Maker. Those who don’t tend to be declared Saints! 

Thank God the work to prepare us for the Kingdom doesn’t end when the doctor declares us dead. If we’re not ready for God, he doesn’t abandon us. If we desire an eternity with him and seek him in this life, he has made a path for us to finish our ascent to him.

The renowned medieval poet Dante Alighieri describes the place of ascent between our earthly life and Heaven as a mountain. This mountain, which was an image of Purgatory, described those who had died seeking God on their final journey to perfection. Stripped of the distractions and challenges of our fallen world, those in Purgatory pray and devote their lives to growing in perfection and shaking off their earthly baggage. Whatever attachments and sins we are burdened with are, in Dante’s telling, matched with coordinated virtues. For example, those who struggled with the vice of pride practice the virtue of humility. They have knowledge of what happens after death and have the motivation to accept the work to purify their hearts. While we don’t know the exact nature of how purgatory will operate, what we do know is that God’s mercy is beautiful and true in this life and the next.

But what does this have to do with our lives today? Just as God’s mercy can reach us no matter where we are on the journey to Heaven, so too can our prayers have an impact in this life and the next. The saints in Heaven can pray for us and intercede on their behalf, and we can do the same for the souls in purgatory. Our prayers offer grace, comfort, and strength for their journey of purification. 

We know the why and the what, but what about the how? Prayers for the dead can take many forms. You can visit the grave of a loved one and pray there. You can light a candle at the back of the church and pray. You can participate in All Souls’ Day Mass, or have a Mass said in their memory. The most important part is that you pray for them!