What are appropriate prayer intentions when praying for the souls of the dead?

Q: In my rosary group, I suggested we pray for all those experiencing feelings of hopelessness. My friend said that since it's the month of November, we should pray for the dead who are feeling hopeless. I've never heard of this intention before. Is it legit?

A: I think your friend's heart is certainly in the right place. But while Catholics are called to pray for the dead -- and while it's a wonderful spiritual work of mercy to pray for living persons currently feeling hopeless -- our Catholic teaching does not allow for the logical possibility of hopeless deceased souls who can still benefit from our prayers.

As you probably already know, we as Catholics believe that a soul faces one of three possibilities after death: They will go to either heaven, hell or purgatory. As we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven, through a purification or immediately, or immediate and everlasting damnation" (CCC, No. 1022).

Heaven is the state of perfect happiness that comes from full union with God, the source of all goodness. The saints in heaven (and everyone in heaven is technically a saint, whether or not that are formally canonized with that title) are obviously not hopeless, since in heaven all true hope is ultimately fulfilled. Consequently, the saints have no need of our prayers -- instead, we ask them to prayerfully intercede for us here on earth.

Of course, not every person -- not even every basically good person -- will be living a saintly life at the time of their death, and therefore might not be spiritually prepared to encounter God face-to-face. God still mercifully provides for these souls with the state of purgatory, which is a period of purification and healing of the wounds left behind from repented sins.

We believe that purgatory does involve a degree of suffering, but that this suffering is "entirely different from the punishment of the damned" (CCC, No. 1031). We on earth can help the souls in purgatory through our prayers and sacrifices. However, while the souls in purgatory can use our prayers, this is not because they feel hopeless! All souls in purgatory are destined for heaven, and so the state of purgatory is a fundamentally hopeful one.

With respect to hell, as we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin" [that is, unrepented moral sin] descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, 'eternal fire.' The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs" (CCC, No. 1035).

It's important to keep in mind that the souls in hell suffer not because God is vengeful and eager to punish, but rather because such souls have freely rejected God through their own embracing of sin. God does not actively send souls to hell as much as He simply respects their choices.

Unlike purgatory, which is a journey toward something greater, hell is an absolutely permanent state. In the Divine Comedy, the poet Dante famously imagines the gates of hell as bearing the inscription: "Abandon all hope, you who enter here," and this is theologically accurate. Because of hell's finality, the souls there cannot benefit from anyone's prayers for them.

Still, in many cases we don't know the eternal destiny of any particular soul. Even for those who lived very sinful lives, we can always hope that they turned toward God in their final moments. And so it's safe to say that as far as we should be concerned, prayers for the dead are never wasted.