But first, we should know if Purgatory is a place or a state our loved ones experience after physical death, a state in which those destined for Heaven, according to Catholic Church doctrine, “undergo purification” before they can properly enjoy Heaven.
The doctrine says only those who die in the state of grace but have not in life reached a sufficient level of holiness can be in Purgatory, and therefore no one in Purgatory will remain forever in that state or go to hell.
Theology experts say this notion has ancient roots and have many authorities in early Christian literature although they point out that the poetic conception of Purgatory as one with geographical boundaries has been largely the creation of conception of medieval Christian piety and imagination.
Whether it is a place or a state, there have since been questions on how long do souls stay in Purgatory.
The theologian, Father Paul O’Sullivan, O.P. says the length depends on: 1. The number of their faults when their bodies were still on earth; 2. The malice and deliberation with which these have been committed; 3. The penance done, or not done, the satisfaction made, or not made for sins during life; and 4. Much also depends on the suffrages offered for them after death.
Father O’Sullivan argues that there is need for atonement or reparation before the souls can go to heaven and be with the Father Almighty, including the angels and saints, since the malice of sin is very great.
Some have argued that man is weak, which the eminent theologian does not deny, but himself argues that God offers abundant graces to strengthen man’s weaknesses and He gives man “light to see the gravity of his faults and the necessary force to conquer temptation.”
Father O’Sullivan says it is difficult to calculate the immense number of venial sins that any Catholic commits.
At the same time, many Christians commit, rather, unfortunately, mortal sins during their lives, and while they confess them, in the argument of Father O’Sullivan, they make no due satisfaction for them.
He cites the English monk the venerable Bede, well known as an author and scholar—his most famous work, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (The Ecclesiastical History of the English People) gained him the title “The Father of English History”—who, according to him, appears to be of the opinion that who pass a great part of their lives in the commission of grave sins and confess them on their death bed may be detained in Purgatory until even the last day.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “All who die in God’s grace, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”
The Scripture is very clear here: “But nothing unclean shall enter [Heaven]” (Rev. 21:27).
Hab. 1:13 says, “You [God]… are of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look on wrong…”
Archbishop Fulton Sheen, in his “Life is Worth Living” masterpiece, says about Purgatory, among other things, that it is “where the love of Man tempers the injustice of Man.”
Purgatory is that state in which people who have died in God’s grace, but without letting go of some of the imperfections and attachments of sin, undergo a purification before entering Heaven, which nothing unclean can enter (Rev. 21:27).
Now, back to the question: do we need to pray for souls in Purgatory?
Theology experts say sin has many ugly consequences, such that even after the sinners have been absolved by the priest of their sins, the wounds and weaknesses may still stay with them and still feel attached to the forgiven sin.
On earth, the sinners can actively purify themselves, with God’s grace, through prayer, penance, and acts of charity.
But in Purgatory, the Holy Souls, as they are called, are passive as they are purified. They are receptive to God’s actions as a patient might be with a surgeon or a precious metal that is purified by flame.
Theologians say one of the beautiful things about Purgatory is that God has allowed those still on earth to help, through their prayers, in the purification of the Holy Souls.
Just as they can pray for their loved ones who are living, and in a mysterious way their prayers can be channels of grace for them, the same is true for their departed loved ones in Purgatory.
Their prayers can help them more speedily reach Heaven and enjoy the company of God.
Archbishop Sheen says man, while still on earth, can do very powerful things for the Holy Souls, continue acts of love for the departed loved ones, and offer them in place of those the kin did not do when they were still on earth.
And whether we pray for parents or grandparents or friends, or perhaps souls we never knew in this life, when those souls stand before God in Heaven, we can be confident that they will remember us in their prayers, he says.
One of the most beautiful things about the Church is that it is the Body of Christ. Whether it’s the Church on Earth, or in Heaven, or in Purgatory, it is all one Body, and it is all connected.
Archbishop Sheen says praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory “is one of the beautiful ways of experiencing that reality. We stay connected in a very real and powerful way to those who have gone before us; we help them with our prayers, Mass offerings and sacrifices; and we prepare to enjoy Heaven with them for all eternity.”
Pope Saint John XXIII himself said: “The devotion to the memory of the dead is one of the most beautiful expressions of the Catholic spirit.”
The Prayer of St. Gertrude, a 13th century Benedictine nun, and mystic, has been suggested by theologians, as one of the most famous of the prayers for souls in Purgatory.
According to tradition, the Lord promised her that 1,000 souls would be released from purgatory each time the prayer is said devoutly.
“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.”
Many of the Fathers of the Church, such as St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom, considered prayers for souls in Purgatory to be essential.
The Church has endorsed the doctrine of Purgatory from the Councils of Florence and Trent in the 15th and 16th centuries right up through Vatican II in the 1960s.
The most famous scriptural reference, among others, concerning these prayers comes from the Old Testament where it is called “a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins” (2 Macabees 12:46).
Two other good prayers for souls in Purgatory:
“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.”
Or:
“O Lord, who art ever merciful and bounteous with Thy gifts, look down upon the suffering souls in Purgatory. Remember not their offenses and negligence, but be mindful of Thy loving mercy, which is from all eternity.
“Cleanse them of their sins and fulfill their ardent desires that they may be made worthy to behold Thee face to face in Thy glory. May they soon be united with Thee and hear those blessed words which will call them to their heavenly home: ‘Come, blessed of My Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”
