We begin the week with the feast of All Souls. The introduction to the Mass quotes the words of Pope St John Paul II, illuminating the Catholic doctrine of purgatory and the need for our prayers for the deceased.
In praying for the dead, the Church above all contemplates the mystery of the Resurrection of Christ, who obtains salvation and eternal life for us through his cross… To believe in the resurrection of the flesh is to recognise that there is a final end, an ultimate goal for all human life, which so satisfies man’s appetite that nothing else is left for him to desire… Joined to the merits of the saints, our fraternal prayer comes to the aid of those who await the beatific vision. Intercession for the dead… obtains the merits that serve the full attainment of salvation. It is an expression of the fraternal charity of the one family of God… Contemplation of the lives of those who have followed Christ encourages us to lead a good, upright Christian life so that we can prepare ourselves each day for eternal life.
