Why do we pray for the faithful departed? Because our hearts cannot resist still showing concrete acts of love for our family and friends. Even when they have gone from this world, we know that our prayers can still help them, still console them, still speed them one step further towards dwelling with God forever.
The happiness of heaven is not to be minimized. We know that it is nothing less than complete union with God. And we know that for our mind to unite with God’s mind, it must grow. We know that for our heart to unite completely with God’s heart it must be stretched to embrace all that God’s love embraces. When we pray for our beloved family and friends, our prayers help this last growth of their souls. May God who draws them to Himself, continue to draw us to love them through our prayers, that their joy too may be complete.