In the Catholic calendar, we set aside November to remember those who have died and pray for them in a special way. Many churches do not pray for the dead. So why do Catholics pray for them?

We believe that the physical world that we can study scientifically is not all that is. Beyond the physical is a spiritual world, a separate realm or dimension. It would be more accurate to say that the physical space-time of our universe is a small part of this larger spiritual world. Every culture I know of has believed in a spiritual world. The Greeks and Romans believed that the dead would wander below to a kind of joyless cave system called The Underworld. A few good souls might be invited to join the gods in their feasting on Mt. Olympus. Many Native American nations thought of earth as a “middle world” between a bright spiritual world above and a dark, heavy world below.

In the last few centuries, our knowledge of the physical world has expanded dramatically. But our sensitivity to spiritual things has also shrunk significantly. We have lost touch with not only the spiritual world, but also with the spiritual side of our human nature. Some have come to see spirits and souls as superstitious or naive. But if you poll a random group of people, on average about half of them have experienced a visit from a deceased loved one, the presence of a positive spirit (angel), or some kind of negative spiritual presence. However, they are all quick to discount their own experience with words like, “You might think I’m crazy, but…” It doesn’t take faith to believe in spirits; you just have to be willing to trust your own observations and those of millions of other people.

The first reason that we pray for our “dearly departed” is that they haven’t gone very far. Their souls have left their bodies but have not ceased to exist. The spiritual world connects all of us in a deeper and more immediate way than the physical world does. Praying for our loved ones is a way that we can stay connected with them. Ongoing communication is one way we remain “in communion” even beyond the grave. The Nicene Creed professes belief in, “the Communion of Saints;” what do other Christians think this means? Catholics think it means that the bonds of love that knit us together in life do not unravel with death. Praying for the dead speaks to this reality.

The second reason that we pray for the dead is that we look forward to the Resurrection of the Dead. Humans are both body and soul. However, many Christians mistakenly downplay the body, identifying the soul as “the real you.” Death frees the soul from being stuck in a body; for them, heaven is just a spiritual realm. Catholics believe that humans are both body and soul, and that both parts matter. Jesus became incarnate in a human body to save all of us, not just our souls, but also our bodies. His sacrifice on the cross is both physical and spiritual. The Gospels take pains to show that Jesus is risen “in the flesh” — he has his real body back. And he will raise us, too!

Christians used to believe what the Bible says, namely, that Jesus will return on the last day and undo death. He will put our bodies and souls back together, and then unfold the new heaven and the new earth (Rev 21, 2 Peter 3:12-13). Modern Christians, stuck in a physical world, seem to see only a spiritual salvation. Again, the Nicene Creed says, “I believe… in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.”

Catholics are praying for the dead because we haven’t yet seen the Resurrection. We hope and pray that all our dearly departed are enjoying the blessed light of heaven already, and will be sheep at the final Judgement (Mat 25). We all look forward with faith and hope to the Kingdom of God.

In November we remember the dead. As the leaves fall and the weather grows colder and darker, take some time to walk and pray in a cemetery. Read the Biblical passages about the Resurrection and use your imagination to reflect on our final destiny.
 
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Fr. Joel Sember is a Catholic priest and local pastor of St. John the Evangelist and SS. Mary & Hyacinth, Antigo; St. Wenceslaus, Neva; and SS. James & Stanislaus, White Lake. You can find him online at www.PilgrimPriest.us and on the Antigo Area Catholic Churches YouTube channel. His book, Oriens: A Pilgrimage Through Advent and Christmas is available on Amazon.com and through Christian bookstores.

Published in the Antigo Daily Journal "Clergy Corner" on 7 Nov 2025