The Church prays for the dead, and this prayer says much about the reality of the Church itself. It says that the Church continues to live in the hope of eternal life. Prayer for the dead is almost a battle with the reality of death and destruction that weighs down upon the earthly existence of man.
What happens in Purgatory? What's the point of it? Can the holy souls pray for us? Is Purgatory painful? Find answers to your questions on Purgatory in this blog.
What happens when we die? How can a loving God allow souls to go to hell? What is purgatory? Find out answers to common questions about Catholic Church teaching on death and eternal life in this blog.
The idea of being judged when we die can seem terrifying. Yet Catholic Church teaching about death and judgement is not intended to scare us, but rather to empower us to live this life for the next world. When we recall the loving mercy of God, we can greet death not with fear but with hope.
The saints are not just heroic people who live in history books. They are ordinary Christians who tried to love God with their whole hearts. We can ask them to pray for us. Why would we do that?
Since the Mass looks ordinary to our own eyes, we need the grace of God to help us to even begin to comprehend the beauty and treasure of what we are about to experience. These prayers before Mass assist us with asking God for this blessing.
