Praying for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences During November

Praying for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences During November

Explaining indulgences and practices Catholics can do during the month of November for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.

Directions

It is during November that the Church meditates on the Communion of
Saints, which is the charitable link with the faithful who have already
reached heaven (Church Triumphant), the faithful departed who are still
expiating their sins in Purgatory (Church Suffering) and of the pilgrim
faithful here on earth (Church Militant). "In this wonderful exchange,
the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of
one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets
the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the
punishments for sin." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1475).

On November 1st the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints, a
holyday of obligation, honoring all those faithful in heaven. Throughout
November the Church also remembers our faithful departed. The need and
duty of prayer for the departed souls has been acknowledged by the
Church at all times. It is recommended in the Scriptures of the Old
Testament: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the
dead, that they may be loosed from sins."(2 Macch. 12, 46). This duty
has found expression not only in public and private prayers but
especially in the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the
repose of souls.

Throughout November the Church prays for all who are in the purifying
fires of Purgatory, waiting for the day when they will join the company
of the saints in heaven. The celebration of Mass is the highest means
the Church can provide for charity for the dead, but we can also relieve
their sufferings through our prayers, sufferings and penances. We an
also help the Poor Souls by doing acts and prayers that have indulgences
attached to them. There are many indulgences, applicable only to the
Souls in Purgatory, that can be obtained during the month of November.

An indulgence is "the remission before God of the temporal
punishment due for sins already forgiven as far as their guilt is
concerned." To obtain this remission there are proper dispositions and
certain conditions predetermined by the Church that must be met by the
faithful. The remission is acquired through the intervention of the
Church, who has the power to loose and bind granted through Jesus
Christ. "As minister of the Redemption, authoritatively dispenses and
applies the treasury of the satisfaction won by Christ and the Saints" (Enchiridion of Indulgences).

To understand this practice of indulgences, the Catechism explains:

[I]t is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence.
Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us
incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the "eternal
punishment" of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails
an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here
on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This
purification frees one from what is called the "temporal punishment" of
sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of
vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very
nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can
attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no
punishment would remain.

The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the
remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of
sin remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds
and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must
strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should
strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the
various practices of penance, to put off completely the "old man" and to
put on the "new man." (1472, 1473)

An indulgence can either be partial or plenary. It is partial if it removes only part of the temporal punishment due to sin, or plenary if it removes all punishment.

To be able to gain an indulgence, one must have the intention to gain
them, and perform the works at the time and in the manner prescribed.

To attain a plenary indulgence, three conditions must accompany the prescribed act:

1. the faithful must receive the sacrament of confession, either eight days before or after the pious act is performed,


2. receive Holy Communion on that day
3. and recite prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father (one Our Father and one Hail Mary is the minimum, but any other additional prayers may be added).

All attachment to sin, even venial sin, must be absent. If one's
disposition is less than perfect or if some of the above conditions are
not fulfilled, the indulgence becomes partial.

One must also remember that one can acquire one plenary indulgence a day.

Indulgenced Acts for the Poor Souls A partial indulgence can be
obtained by devoutly visiting a cemetery and praying for the departed,
even if the prayer is only mental. One can gain a plenary indulgence visiting a cemetery each day between November 1 and November 8. These indulgences are applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory.

A plenary indulgence, again applicable only the Souls in Purgatory, is also granted when the faithful piously visit a church or a public oratory on November 2. In visiting the church or oratory, it is required, that one Our Father and the Creed be recited.

A partial indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, can be obtained when the Eternal Rest (Requiem aeternam) is prayed. This is a good prayer to recite especially during the month of November:

Requiem aeternam dona ei (eis), Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei (eis). Requiescat (-ant) in pace Amen.

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine
upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy
of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Many families add to the "Prayer Before Meals" the second half of the "Eternal Rest" prayer:

Bless
us, O Lord, and these thy gifts, Which we are about to receive,
from Thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord, Amen. And may the souls
of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.

Other families recite the "Eternal Rest" prayer in between decades of the rosary.

It is a good devotion to pray for the departed all through the year, not
just November. After these Souls in Purgatory are in heaven, they will
intercede for us. We should all develop prayerful habits, such as
praying the "Eternal Rest" prayer when passing cemeteries, to remind us
of our eternal destiny.

For more information on the Church's teachings on indulgences, read the Enchiridion of Indulgences given by the 1968 Decree of the Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary.

Also see The Catechism of the Catholic Church section on Indulgences, Part 2, Section 2, Chapter 2, Article 4, Subsection 10, 1471-1479..

Activity Source: Original Text (JGM) by Jennifer Gregory Miller, © Copyright 2003-2009 by Jennifer Gregory Miller