Help Souls Get to Heaven! Do You Know the Eternal Rest Prayer?

Have you ever wondered about what happens to the souls of our loved ones after they pass away? As Catholics, we believe that the souls of the faithful go to a place called Purgatory, where they are cleansed and made ready to enter Heaven.

The prayer for Eternal Rest, also known as the Requiem aeternam, is a powerful tool that can help our loved ones on this journey.

The Eternal Rest prayer is a request to God to hasten the progression of souls in Purgatory to Heaven, or to rest in the love of God the souls of the faithful departed in Paradise until the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgement. This prayer is used within the Church, but also Anglicanism, Methodism, and Lutheranism.

The prayer is cited from 2 Esdras which reads:

“Therefore I say to you, O nations that hear and understand, “Wait for your shepherd; he will give you everlasting rest, because he who will come at the end of the age is close at hand. Be ready for the rewards of the kingdom, because perpetual light will shine on you forevermore.”

The prayer for Eternal Rest is not only for the deceased but also for the living. It reminds us to be ready for the rewards of the kingdom and to always be in a state of grace, so that one day we may also rest in the love of God in Paradise. The prayer is a reminder that death is not the end, but rather a new beginning in the eternal life with God.

To pray the prayer for Eternal Rest, it can be recited alone or as part of a larger prayer service such as the traditional Catholic funeral mass. It can also be said at any time, for example, when visiting a loved one’s grave or simply as a daily devotion:

℣. Eternal rest, grant unto him/her, O LORD,
℟. And let perpetual light shine upon him/her.
℣. May he/she rest in peace.
℟. Amen. 

Pray for the souls of purgatory!

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