What happens to our souls after death? Our Catholic doctrine teaches us that we will be met with four last things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell. Purgatory is the place for the soul which is in a state of constant cleansing through its purifying flames. Being in Purgatory is given to the souls who remained faithful to the commandments of Christ and yet remain imperfect. Thus, they need to be purified from their imperfections for them to enjoy heaven with the Father, Jesus, Mary, the saints, and all its choirs of angels.
We, the Militant Church or the pilgrims of the earth, have the responsibility to continuously work and pray for the Suffering Church or those Christians whose souls are in Purgatory. They are in constant need of our works and prayers for their immediate ascent towards heaven. May our offering of this prayer out of love for them aid their need and shorten their time spent under the purging fires of Purgatory.
Catholic prayer for the souls in Purgatory
O God, our Father in heaven,
I come before You to offer my prayers for the suffering souls in Purgatory. They are the graced souls who are bound to heaven, and yet they still need to undergo its purifying flames to remove their imperfections. The cleansing fires of Purgatory symbolize both Your righteous justice and loving mercy. May this prayer of mine work in alleviating their suffering so that they may quickly advance to obtain heaven and its rewards.
I pray for the suffering souls of my relatives and friends in Purgatory. May their selfless acts and pious deeds be enough to merit gaining the impending rewards of heaven. May the delay of enjoying the consolations of heaven accelerate towards its fulfilment. May my constant offering of prayers and sacrifices for them continue to benefit their poor souls in Purgatory.
I also pray for the forgotten souls in Purgatory. To those poor souls who have no one left to offer prayers for them. To those deserted souls who were forgotten and left out. And to those souls who died in anonymity, unknown to the world. Not only do they suffer the purging flames of Purgatory, but they also suffer the loneliness, for no one remembers nor prays for them. They are alone in their suffering. May my prayers quench their parched tongues like droplets of water. May my words accompany them in their loneliness. And may my sacrifices be enough to help them out from their suffering.
I ask all of these in Jesus’ name with the intercession of Mary, our Mother.
Amen.
Short prayer to release souls from purgatory
Our Father in heaven, may You grant eternal rest to the souls in Purgatory. May they eventually enjoy the consolations of heaven and sing praises to You forever and ever. Amen.
The Word of God
So they all blessed the ways of the Lord, the righteous judge, who reveals the things that are hidden,and they turned to supplication, praying that the sin that had been committed might be wholly blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened as the result of the sin of those who had fallen. He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a purification offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection.For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin.
2 Maccabees 12:41-45 NRSVUE
Prayer to Saint Nicholas of Tolentino for the souls in Purgatory.
Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, I come before you in prayer seeking your powerful intercession for the poor souls in Purgatory. Born from the miraculous prayer of your parents, you showed your pronounced faith in God. Embracing the religious life at an early age, you became a shining example of providential charity in attending to the physical and spiritual needs of the poor. You would give your share of bread to the hungry before the monastery gate. You also prayed for the sick and, through God’s will, miraculously healed anyone who sought your powerful intercession. Your fame and popularity grew; nevertheless, you continued to become a pastor for the people in Tolentino. The nourishing bread that you provide strengthens the body and uplifts the soul.
Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, patron of the poor souls in Purgatory, kindly heed my prayer for those souls suffering from its cleansing flames. You, who have directly received the petitions of the suffering souls, became an instrument for them to attain eternal life with God in His kingdom. Let the offering of my penitential works and pious prayers for them to ease their suffering and for their immediate ascent into heaven.
Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, pray for us and for the poor souls in Purgatory.
Amen.
Further reflection
When we reflect on our identity of being “church”, we often perceive people gathered praying in their pews, the Militant Church. Or it can be the multitude of souls enjoying the everlasting presence of God in heaven, the Triumphant Church. But there is also another church found in between; these are the souls who are continuously purged in fire: the Suffering Church. They are the ones who desperately need our prayers so that they can quickly be released from their time of cleansing their impurities, making them worthy to enjoy the consolations of heaven. Our prayers for them are like droplets of water for their parched throats. And yet the need for prayer for poor souls in Purgatory are often neglected, at worst, forgotten.
It is considered good practice to pray continuously for our deceased family, relatives and close friends. Whenever we would visit a wake or a grave of a deceased loved one, we send them our prayers to equip them in their journey toward paradise. Our prayers and pious sacrifices for their souls will surely aid them in advancing to gain the rewards of heaven. Besides praying for those souls whom we know, we should also pray for those forgotten souls. They are the poor souls who have no one left to pray for them. They are evident in abandoned graves or unnamed tombs. Praying for these souls is a definitive exercise of our fraternal charity towards our fellow Christians. It is our means of guiding and aiding their needs so that they too, may quickly ascend into heaven together with the souls whom we constantly pray for.
Praying for the souls in Purgatory is not a difficult thing to do. We can offer a rosary for them, seeking the powerful intercession of Mary, our mother. Praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sake of the souls in Purgatory is an indispensable gift for them. Or one can simply pray: “Eternal rest, grant unto the souls in Purgatory, O Lord and let your perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace, amen”.
May we never forget the suffering souls in Purgatory in our daily prayers. When the time comes, we might also arrive in a state of unworthiness from our sins. And upon reaching heaven, we may have a chance to meet the fortunate souls who benefitted from the prayers we offered for them. Let us practice our fraternal love and charity in praying for the suffering souls in Purgatory.
