Fr Apollo Cardozo
Every religion has its own specific beliefs, customs and traditions observed by its members on different occasions. These cannot be easily neglected or forgotten as they are deeply rooted through faith in the people and have been passed across generations. One such custom is remembering the dead. Every year, Christians remember their dead on November 2, which is observed as ‘All Souls’ Day’ or ‘Commemoration of the Dead,’ to remember the departed from the family and pray for them.
Background: According to the Catholic Church, the fate of souls in Purgatory can be affected by people on earth. Purgatory is not a place but rather a state where souls undergo a process of purification. The theological basis for remembering the dead and praying for them is in the belief that the soul, when leaving the body at the time of death of a person, may not be perfectly cleansed of his sins or has not fully atoned for his past transgressions, hence it has been debarred from the Beatific Vision.
So, the living, through prayers, good deeds and sacrifices, specially the sacrifice of the mass, can help them to be cleansed of their sins and attain the Beatific Vision. This belief is also based on the passage in 2 Maccabeus, chapter 2, verses 42- 46, where the writer makes a reference to making ‘atonement’ for the souls of the dead. There is also ample evidence in the west to pray for the dead from inscriptions on catacombs.
Origin: There are a number of theories about the origin of All Souls’ Day. Some say it originated from European folklore and folk beliefs (customs
