Growing Together in our Catholic Faith

Each week we explore an aspect of our Catholicism to grow a deeper understanding of our faith

Why Masses for the dead?

By Fr. John Diezten

When someone dies and has received all the rites of the church, and we know that he or she has led a good Christian life, what do you think of having Masses offered for the deceased?� If we believe in God�s mercy and love, do you think that year after year we should continue to offer Masses for them?

There are many reasons Masses may be offered for a deceased person.� First, as all prayer, the intention may be to ask God�s blessing and grace on that person during his or her life.� God is not bound by limits of time.� Past, present, and future are all now to him.� We put ourselves in that sphere of reference of eternity in our prayers.

The church does this all the time.� In the funeral liturgy, for example, and in the anniversary liturgies years after the individual is deceased, prayers ask God to give that individual the blessing of a holy and peaceful death.

Another reason is that our prayers and other good works can help the deceased in satisfaction for sin that may be due upon death.� Exactly how this works out in God�s providence we naturally do not know.� But it is still a valid and solid Catholic belief.�

Finally our Masses and prayers can express thanks and praise to God for the life of a person we have loved and still love.� Many men and women who firmly believe their loved ones are in heaven, and who may even pray to them as among the saints of God, still have Masses offered for them.� These Masses are expressions of faith and hope, a part of their remembering, and of their joy over eternal happiness of someone they love.

Reprinted with permission from Father Dietzen's book "Catholic Q and A",   Crossroad Publishing  New York N.Y. Weekly columns by Father Dietzen on current questions are available in Catholic newspapers throughout the country.

Fr. John Dietzen has written columns for many Catholic newspapers for over a quarter of century.�