Explanation of the Prayers and Ceremonies of Holy Mass, Dom Prosper Guéranger - Memento of the Dead

Besides the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant, there exists a third part of this Great Body.  Yes, God has given us the power to intercede for the Church Suffering, to come to her aid and to do her good; therefore the Holy Sacrifice can be offered in behalf of her suffering members, and Holy Church in her maternal love, wishes that in every Mass that is said, mention should be made of them, because thereby fresh succour is procured for those of her children who are still detained in this place of expiation.  It is a point of Faith that the Holy Sacrifice brings relief to the souls in Purgatory.  This Doctrine has been handed down to us by Tradition.  As early as the Second Century, we find Tertullian speaking of Prayer for the Dead.  There used, formerly, to be a separate Diptych set aside exclusively for the names of the Departed, whose memory was particularly to be preserved - Benefactors, for example.

The Priest now addresses himself to God, in behalf of these suffering members: Memento etiam, Domine, famulorum famularumque tuarum N. et N. qui nos praecesserunt cum signo fidei et dormiunt in somno pacis.  We say that we are interceding for those who have gone before us, with the sign of faith.  What does the Church understand by this sign of faith?  It is the sign of Baptism, and that of Confirmation, which latter makes the perfect Christian.  Baptism alone already gives us the sign of faith, because in it we are marked with the Cross, so truly so that when the body of a deceased person is brought to the Church, the Priest pronounces this Prayer over it: Non intres in judicium cum servo tuo, Domine ... qui, dum viveret, insignitus est signaculo sanctae Trinitatis.  Yes, it was signed with the sign of faith, signum fidei, the sign of the Trinity; it is therefore entitled, O Lord, to be taken into consideration by Thee, and not to be judged too severely.  This expression of Holy Church, signum fidei, gives a proof, once more, that we may not here pray for infidels, as we have already noticed above, speaking of the Memento of the living, since they are not in communion with Holy Church.

Et dormiunt in somno pacis.  Holy Church puts here strongly before us, in what light she regards death in the case of a Christian.  It is a sleep, she tells us, for those of whom we speak, dormiunt; for the same reason she gives the name of Cemetery to places reserved for burial, because this word means a dormitory, or sleeping place.  Yes, they sleep and it is the sleep of peace, in somno pacis.  Holy Church uses this expression, because those for whom she is praying, died in peace with her, and in true filial submission to her; they died in Jesus Christ, in the kiss of the Lord; even were they still in Purgatory, it can yet be said of them, that they sleep in peace, because they are saved in Jesus Christ, Who bringeth Peace along with Him.  In the Catacombs these words in pace are frequently found graven on tombstones; this was the Early Christians’ way of speaking of death; so too, in the Office of Martyrs we sing: Corpora sanctorum in pace sepulta sunt.  This very ancient Office recalls the language of the Catacombs: in pace.  Holy Church preserves a vestige of the same, when praying for her dead, she bids the Priest say: dormiunt in somno pacis.

The Rubric here directs the Priest to join his hands when ending this first part of the Prayer.  Then it is that he prays for such of the deceased as he more particularly wishes to recommend.  Having done so, again stretching out his hands, he continues thus Ipsis, Domine, et omnibus in Christo quiescentibus; here we see that every Mass is of profit to all the souls in Purgatory.  Locum refrigerii, lucis et pacis, ut indulgeas, deprecamur.  Notice here these three things asked for by Holy Church refreshment, light, and peace.  Now, what is Purgatory?  It is a place in which souls stand in need of refreshment, for those piercing flames are keenly felt.  Moreover, it is a place where there is no light, since Holy Church craves for these poor souls, locum lucis; so there is nothing ever in this place of expiation, to distract them from their fearful sufferings.  Furthermore, it is a place where sweet peace reigns not; there, is ceaseless agitation, the soul striving towards God whom it may not reach; there, in direst trouble and anguish, the misery of the poor soul in having thus put herself into such straits of wailing sorrow and frightful pain.  Yes, Purgatory is indeed a place the very opposite of that abode where reign endless refrigerium, lux, et pax.  These three expressions are of the highest importance, because they reveal to us, that whenever we pray for the Dead, the succour that reaches them by our means, is always in the form of refreshment, light, and peace.

The Priest terminates the Prayer, in the usual manner: Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum.  Amen.  Besides this, there is a special rubric which bids him bow his head whilst saying these concluding words, which is not prescribed in the case of closing other prayers.  It is meant as one more earnest pleading; for at this moment, light shines in Purgatory, as prayer offered for these poor souls can never be ineffectual.  As it were, the dismal prison is uncovered now, to allow the sweet dew of refreshment, light and peace to distil gently on those burning sufferers; and this triple aid is given to the different souls, in the proportion assigned to each by the Justice of God; for Holy Church can only pray for the dead, by way of suffrage; she has no longer those rights she had over them when they were her members on earth.  But, on the other hand, we also know that her prayer has always a salutary effect on the souls suffer in Purgatory, and that God never allows any prayer said in their behalf to be of no avail.