When we pray for the dead, we...
1. Obey the Lord and His Church
2. Love our neighbor
3. Express our unity with the other members of God's family
4. Through God's grace, help purify people in purgatory
5. Help those in purgatory to go to heaven
6. Face death and thereby become more aware of the vanity of life
7. Express and strengthen our faith in the power of prayer
8. Receive the benefit of the prayers of those in purgatory (CCC 958)
9. Rejoice, for all those in purgatory have given their lives to Jesus and will go to heaven.
10. Purify ourselves so that we will go directly to heaven and skip purgatory, or lessen our time in purgatory
11. Share in the pouring out of God's mercy, and...
12. Enter more deeply into the mystery of God's love and His plan of salvation.
By praying for the dead, we act "in a very excellent and noble way" (2 Mc 12:43), for it is "a holy and pious thought" to pray for the dead. (2 Mc 12:45).
Here are some prayers to help you pray for the Holy Souls:
Prayer of St. Alphonsus for the Holy Souls for ALL November, "Prayer to our Suffering Savior"
St. Gertrude's Prayer - by Jesus to St. Gertrude to release "1000" souls from purgatory.
20 Decades of the Holy Rosary for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
