The first two weeks of November, for the Church and the Dominican Order, are filled with a whirlwind of emotions. It begins with the Solemnity of All Saints on the first. Then we commemorate all the souls of the faithful departed on the second. Then the Dominican Order does it all over again on the seventh and eighth with the celebrations of All Dominican Saints and All Dominican Souls. These feasts set the theme for the whole month. Especially throughout November, we Catholics pray for our dead, and one way we friars do this is by praying the Office of the Dead.

The Office of the Dead is a section of the Liturgy of the Hours that is used specifically to pray for the souls of the faithful departed on their funeral day, on the anniversary of their death, and on All Souls Day. Unlike the other parts of the Liturgy of the Hours, in this office the psalms, hymns, readings, and prayers are specifically focused on one thing, death.

The history of the Office of the Dead is quite a mystery. Scholars debate how far into history the prayers go. Some say that they go back to the beginning of the ninth century. We at least know that, by the Middle Ages, every religious had this office memorized. Eventually the Council of Trent made it obligatory in the sixteenth century.

Today the Dominican friars continue this tradition and pray this office as a community when one of their members dies. On the day of his funeral, the community unites together around this man who is our brother and offers his soul to God. The community remembers the value he brought to the Order through praying certain psalms such as Psalm 130: “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you is found forgiveness. For this we revere you.”

The Office of the Dead is a great devotion for anyone because it can remind us that we need to pray for the Church Suffering. For though they can no longer pray for themselves, they aren’t completely separated from us. It also allows us to grieve those we’ve lost. There is a temptation to push away feelings of sadness when we’ve lost someone that we loved because of the saving truth of the Gospel. Because Christ saves us through his death and resurrection, we think we shouldn’t experience feelings of sorrow and grief. However, the Office of the Dead can help us to acknowledge that it is heartbreaking when someone we love dies. This can be seen in the readings chosen for this office, such as a letter from St. Braulio: “O death! You separated those who are joined to each other in marriage. You harshly and cruelly divide those whom friendship unites.”

But we don’t stay in this sorrow. The Church, in her wisdom, through the Office of the Dead also provides us with the hope that we might see the ones we’ve lost again in the kingdom of heaven. St. Braulio continues, addressing death itself: “But your power is broken. Your heinous yoke has been destroyed by the One who sternly threatened you when Hosea cried out, O Death! I shall be your death.” This wonderful devotion allows us to both grieve and hope for the ones we’ve lost.

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Photo by Lawrence Lew, O.P. (used with permission)