Your Servants Who Have Gone Before Us with the Sign of Faith

The portion of the First Eucharistic Prayer (Roman Canon) in which we remember and pray for the dead brings the third part of the Church into prominence at Mass. We know that we who come before the altar at Mass form one part of the Church, often called the Church Militant. We are that part of the Church who continue to “fight the good fight” (1 Tim 6:12). The second part of the Church, the Church Triumphant, we have already remembered in the Roman Canon. They are all the saints in heaven who have already run the race” and have “gotten the prize” (1 Cor 9:24). Those in heaven are participating in the heavenly liturgy as they adore and love the Holy Trinity. We are united with them and participate in that heavenly liturgy every time we come to Mass (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1139).

The third part of the Church holds an important place every time the Eucharistic Sacrifice is offered. They are our beloved dead, ‘the servants (of God) who have gone befoe us with the sign of faith”. (1st Eucharistic Prayer) We are united with our beloved dead and hold them in a loving and prayerful embrace when we pray for them at Mass. They have been marked with the sign of faith at baptism. They have been claimed for Christ by the Blood He shed on the Cross. Because of their sins, as yet, they are not prepared to enter into God’s presence in heaven. They need to be cleansed from every vestige of sin. They have died in God’s friendship and grace, but they are imperfectly purified from their offenses (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1030). The Church has formulated her teaching on Purgatory, to where the souls of those who are not ready to enter into heaven first go, based on Holy Scripture (cf. 1 Cor 3:15; 1 Pet 1:7; 2 Macc 12:46).

The Church has always taught that the dead can benefit greatly by our prayers and especially when they are prayed for at Mass. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. (1032)

This teaching of our Faith gives us great consolation. Those who die are not lost to us. Rather, there is a bond of love that binds us together in Christ’s Body, the Church. When we come together as members of His Body at Mass, through the Sacrifice of His Body and Blood made present, we are given the ability to reach out to our beloved dead and aid them in their preparation to enter into the Presence of God. Our prayers for our departed brothers and sisters gain particular efficacy by our union with the Lord Jesus in His offering of Himself at Mass to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dear friends, knowing the power that God has given us in our praying for the dead at Mass should be a great source of hope for us. We can and should help those who have gone before us. We can help them and strengthen our bond of love with them by requesting that a priest offer Mass for them. We should do that for our parents, our brothers and sisters, other family members, for our friends and for all the faithful departed.

When we participate in a Mass is not being specifically offered for someone we know and love, each of us can still remember them in prayer at that Mass. We can pray for them at the part of the Eucharistic Prayer when we remember the dead. We can especially pray for them when we are very deeply in union with Our Lord and one another, as we receive Holy Communion.

A very good and holy priest friend of mine used to say, “One of the greatest acts of charity is to pray for the dead.” And so it is! United in Christ’s love at Mass, we are in communion with the saints in heaven and with the souls in Purgatory. Let us ask the intercession of the heavenly intercessors and pray for those in Purgatory who long to enter the Kingdom.

Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid

Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh