What is All Souls Day? Why Celebrate?
All Souls Day is a holiday dedicated to celebrating all souls who have passed away. This holiday commemorates Saints (those who are in Heaven with God) and those who have died with the guilt of their sins and need to atone for them before being granted entry into God's Kingdom.
All Souls Day is a time to pray for those who you have lost in your life that He may have mercy on their souls and that they can be at peace.
This holiday is also a time to pray for those dearly departed souls whom you do not know in hopes that your prayers may help these souls get into heaven.
Celebrating this holiday gives you a chance to pray for those faithfully departed souls who have died with the weight of sins still on their hearts.
During All Souls Day, many people go and decorate the graves of their loved ones and attend Requiem masses in order to commemorate those souls believed to be in purgatory.
Although this is not a holiday of obligation, the Church may also hold a special mass to pray for the souls who have been denied entry into the Kingdom of Heaven, or the priest may dedicate a service to these souls.
This holiday is celebrated in many different ways, and the way you celebrate depends entirely on your intentions and family traditions. But, no matter how we celebrate, we must always remember to pray for those souls in purgatory in hopes that they may find peace with God on this amazing holiday.
This holiday is not just about remembering those who have died, but about praying for those who have yet to be accepted into Jesus’ Kingdom.
Celebrating All Souls Day with Bethlehem Handicrafts
Angels
As we pray for those who are in purgatory, angels can remind us how important it is to proect the ones we love and pray for them.
This praying angel illustrates the importance of proclaiming our love for God through prayer and, on this special holiday, can remind us to pray for those souls in purgatory.
Saints
Saint Michael the Archangel is known for protecting us from the evil forces of the world, and having a statue of Saint Michael can help remind us to pray for those we have lost to battles with evil.
As he stands there, sword and shield in hand, ready to protect us from all of the evils in the world, we are reminded that we have to pray to protect those souls in purgatory.
Pray to Saint Michael this All Souls Day and ask him to protect your loved ones and those souls in purgatory from all of the evil in the world.
The Holy Family
In the Bible, we can repeatedly see Joseph and Mary praying to God for guidance when they were unsure how to help Jesus. We also must pray to God for guidance in knowing how to help our loved ones escape purgatory. And, like God told Joseph to take his family to Egypt to escape King Herod, God will reveal to us which path to take if we ask him.
Here, we can see the wings of an angel protecting the Holy Family as they begin their journey with Jesus, the baby that would soon prove to be the savior of the world.
We must pray to God, just as Jesus, Mary, and Joseph have, for guidance and ask Him to have mercy on those souls in purgatory.
Praying for Lost Souls
As Christians, we strive to uphold the image of Jesus by being as virtuous, kind, and merciful as He was. Praying for these souls is one way that we can spread Jesus’ mercy.
By praying for the lost souls in purgatory, we extend Jesus’ mercy to those who have died with the guilt of their sins still weighing on their hearts.
We must pray for these lost souls in order to help end their suffering in the afterlife, as our faithfully departed do not deserve an eternity of suffering.
We pray for the souls of those who did not believe in our God, that they may see the truth and be saved from an eternity in purgatory
We pray for the souls of those who did not have a chance to atone for their sins, that they may repent and be with the Lord in Heaven
We pray for those who had just begun their journey of faith before they died, that they may continue to proclaim the word of the Lord in the afterlife and be saved from eternal damnation.
As we pray for those in purgatory, for whatever reason they may be there, we are called to extend Jesus’ mercy upon those who are suffering in the afterlife, that they may see the goodness of the Lord.
