Theme · Catholic Funeral Readings

Praying for the Dead

Catholics pray for the dead. The funeral Mass is the Church's highest act of intercession for the soul of the deceased, and this practice is rooted in Scripture itself. Second Maccabees names it directly: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." Psalm 130 is the De Profundis, prayed by the Church for the dead for centuries. Romans 14 names that "whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." For families committed to ongoing prayer for their loved one — through Masses, anniversaries, and All Souls — these readings anchor the practice.

Readings on this theme

First Reading (Old Testament)
2 Maccabees 12:43-46
It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 130:1-8
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord
Second Reading (New Testament)
Romans 14:7-9, 10c-12
Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's

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