That’s not to say that your praying has to be either/or. Just as during the prayers of intercession at Sunday Mass, when a congregation prays for members of some general categories (“for the sick”) and for some specific ones (“for Mary Johnson, who is having surgery this week”), your prayers for the holy souls can include everyone or a particular someone, such as for those killed in a recent natural disaster, deceased relatives, friends, neighbors, or colleagues. They can, and do, want and need your prayers for themselves, too. They can, and do, pray for those of us here on earth. You can pray to loved ones and others who are heaven, asking for their intercession and for a little help here! But what you may not realize is that you can do the same with the souls in purgatory. What this means is that you know some souls are in heaven and some souls are in purgatory. But which there? The Church doesn’t say, except in the cases of canonized saints - and, of course,Our Lord and Our Lady! The “who’s who of the afterlife” is easy to understand. A WHO’S WHO - AND A WHO’S WHERE - OF THE AFTERLIFE 2 and traditionally, the entire month of November, which is dedicated to the holy souls. These reminders are: All Saints’ Day on Nov. In its wisdom (thank you, Holy Spirit!) and through its liturgical calendar, the Church offers us three important annual reminders that the souls in heaven are saints and the souls in purgatory need our prayers. Those who have entered heaven - whether now canonized by the Church or not - are doing great! Yes, they can and do pray for us on earth and the souls in purgatory, but for members of the Church Triumphant, eternal life couldn’t be better. Those of us who aren’t in heaven need to pray and rely on the prayers of others, often heavily. The Communion of Saints is made up of the faithful on earth, the souls in heaven, and the souls in purgatory (in traditional terms: the Church Militant, the Church Triumphant, and the Church Suffering). ✦We pray for them because we’re part of the Communion of Saints. ✦We pray for them just as we’re called to pray for those still living on earth. By Susan Tassone Why should we pray for the souls in purgatory? The short answers:
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