May They Rest in Peace—If Applicable

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky ( bio - articles - email ) | Nov 03, 2025

You’ve heard it said, “Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.” Jesus teaches us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (cf. Mt. 5:43–44). When an enemy of mine died, I prayed for the happy repose of his soul, saying, “May he rest in peace—if applicable.” A friend was somewhat scandalized by this unusual addendum, so I explained: when we pray for the “faithful” departed, we always imply—if applicable.

Our prayer intentions do not apply if the person is already in heaven (unlikely) or in the other place (who are we to judge?). When a person dies, the default presumptive interim destination is Purgatory, as a necessary and happy spiritual bus stop on our way to heaven. God redirects His graces if we’re off target. Since the truth of Jesus evaluates every prayer, in humility, we can safely add, if applicable, to every prayer intention. QED.

At every Mass and once a year during the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, we collectively pray for the repose of souls in Purgatory. Faithful souls that have crossed the threshold of the Day of Judgment into Purgatory will undergo final purification before entering heaven’s glory. Purgatory is joyful because heaven is assured.

Theologically precise terms describe revealed realities. God reveals the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through Scripture, and we use the word Trinity to describe this revealed reality. Similarly, while the word Purgatory isn’t directly stated in the Bible, the practice of praying for the dead is.

The Book of Wisdom (3:1-9) alludes to Purgatory:

The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment [the pains of Hell] shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction, and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be punished [Purgatory], yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself [Heaven].

Old Testament hints of Purgatory also include 2 Maccabees, where prayers are offered for soldiers who died in battle against the Greeks, wearing pagan charms. Jesus, too, alludes to this concept when He says, “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Mt. 12:32)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1030) teaches: “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”

Purgatory reveals the reasonableness of faith and is vital to our understanding of human nature. Purgatory reminds us that our belief in God isn’t a magical formula, and our encounters with Christ in the Sacraments aren’t acts of sorcery. We freely cooperate with God’s grace in our humanity.

Salvation isn’t guaranteed simply by proclaiming Jesus as our Lord and Savior; it is a process of growth, healing, and purification. Our virtue grows or diminishes depending on how we cooperate with God’s grace. The reality of Purgatory gives us hope for the obliteration of remnants of evil that cling to us.

Some suggest that the pains of Purgatory resemble the fires of hell—“chastised a little”—but without the eternal torment. A successful surgery provides us with another helpful metaphor: the recovery can be painful, but it is joyful because the pain leads to healing. Purgatory is like overcoming an addiction. Confronting our sinful attachments may be painful, but the freedom that follows fills us with joy. Breaking a caffeine addiction brings migraine headaches, but we rejoice in our victory over our intemperance. Purgatory.

Religious men and women take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, which are shaped by Church authorities who consider cultural and personal circumstances. However, these virtues are not just for those in religious life—they apply to everyone.

Poverty, according to our state of life, helps us sever unhealthy attachments to worldly things. Do we own our possessions, or do our possessions own us? Chastity helps us control our desires and overcome sinful inclinations, redirecting us toward healthy ones. Everyone should strive for chaste celibacy before marriage. Marital chastity includes the marital embrace and excludes sinful counterfeits. Obedience to God’s will brings peace and happiness, both in this life and the next. In Purgatory, God purifies us of our attachments to worldly things, sinful inclinations, and disobedient desires.

Only the greatest of saints reach a level of detached virtue and sanctity at the moment of death. However, we trust that God, in His mercy, will grant us the grace to grow in His love, overcome every imperfection, and guide us on the path to everlasting glory. Purgatory gives us hope of final purification as we avoid final impenitence for mortal sins.

Purgatory also helps us understand God’s perfect justice. Even in cases that challenge our sense of justice, the doctrine of Purgatory helps. During the Nuremberg Trials, war criminals were executed, some of whom repented before their deaths. Many people cynically scoffed at the possibility of their salvation, but Purgatory offers a proper perspective. God is not mocked. Purgatory is not only a place of God’s mercy, but also a place of His perfect justice.

We are privileged to pray for and honor the souls of the deceased (especially our loved ones), with the hope that those who follow us will also pray for us during our time in Purgatory. But first, we must turn to Jesus and His sacraments to obtain, maintain, and retain sanctifying grace.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace, If applicable.