We pray for the dead because we realize that not all of us leave this world having let go of all those things that are still holding us back from God. It’s God’s final offer of mercy. With this act it helps us remember how much our God loves us. Even if we don’t quite make the mark, He still gives us that second chance. So as people of faith, we pray for those who have gone before us. When they pass from this world to the next, we feel powerless that we can’t really do anything to help. But by our prayers, we very much can still take care of them by helping them on that final leg of their journey into God’s Kingdom.