Why Do We Pray for the Dead?

Why do we pray for the dead?  This Sunday’s first reading (Wis 3:1-9) reminds us that ‘the souls of the just are in the hand of God,” and that “they are in peace.” God already has our loved ones, and all those who have gone before us, well in hand. So why do we intercede?

Prayer is a way of communicating with God that changes us, not God. Prayer can transform our perspective, foster inner peace and strengthen our connection to God. Praying for the dead can bring us comfort as we deal with loneliness and grief, or any lingering guilt we might be feeling. Part of praying for the dead is about letting God do the cleansing and the healing of all those unfinished pieces of our shared story.

But the real heart of why we pray for the dead, and why we have funeral liturgies, is because we believe in the communion of saints.  We trust that even though death has come, it hasn’t severed the living connection we share with those who have gone before us.  There is still a flow of love and presence that reaches right through death’s veil.

So, we pray for the dead as a way to remain in sacred contact with them. We let our prayers be a way of continuing to hold them close, even as we entrust them fully to God.

1.In what ways has praying for someone who has died brought you comfort or a sense of peace?

2. Can you share a moment when you felt a sense of ongoing communion with someone who has died?

3.How do you understand the idea that prayer changes us rather than changing God?