One of the most common and dangerous misconceptions among many Catholics today, especially in cultures like ours that have been shaped by superstition, is the belief that the souls of our departed loved ones become “ghosts” who can roam the earth and communicate with the living. You often hear people say that after death, the soul wanders for forty days before it goes to heaven. This idea is false. It does not come from the teaching of the Church, nor does it reflect the truth of what happens to the soul after death.
This “forty days” belief actually comes from a misinterpretation of Scripture. After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples for forty days before ascending into heaven (Acts 1:3). But here is the key point: what applies to Christ does not automatically apply to us. Jesus is God. His Resurrection and His Ascension are divine events that revealed His victory over sin and death. We, on the other hand, are creatures who face judgment immediately after death. The Church teaches clearly that once a person dies, the soul no longer roams around on earth. It is immediately judged by God in what we call the particular judgment.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1021-1022) teaches that each person receives their eternal retribution at the very moment of death, either entrance into heaven (immediately or through purification in purgatory) or eternal damnation in hell. There is no “wandering period.” There is no “forty days of roaming.” The soul stands before the throne of God and receives judgment according to the state of grace it died in. This is the unchangeable truth of divine revelation, not a folk tale or human invention.
Now, here is where things become spiritually dangerous. Many people, even some who call themselves Catholics, try to communicate with the dead. They seek mediums, spiritists, or use occult methods like Ouija boards or “white magic” to reach their deceased loved ones. They think they are doing something innocent or comforting. They think they are connecting with their family. But the reality is dark and frightening. The Church condemns these practices because they open the door to demonic deception. The souls of the dead do not linger on earth and they do not return to speak through the living. Those spirits that respond in these occult practices are not your grandmother, not your friend, not your parent, they are demons.
The devil is a deceiver. Scripture tells us that Satan “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). These fallen spirits are masters of imitation. They can mimic the voices, the memories, and even the emotions of your loved ones. They do this to gain your trust, to confuse you, and ultimately to lead you away from God. What seems like a comforting message from a departed family member may in truth be a trap from hell designed to draw you into superstition, idolatry, or despair.
This is why God clearly forbids all forms of necromancy, divination, and witchcraft. In the book of Deuteronomy, the Lord says: “Let no one be found among you who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). When we attempt to contact the dead, we are not communicating with souls of our loved ones; we are engaging with demonic entities that masquerade as them. This is not merely superstition, it is spiritual warfare.
So what should we do when we remember our departed loved ones? The answer is simple: we pray for them. We offer Masses for their souls. We visit their graves not to talk to them as though they were still on earth, not to leave food or drinks as if they could consume them, but to intercede for them before God. Our prayers, sacrifices, and devotions can help those in purgatory, who are being purified in love before entering the joy of heaven. That is the true and Catholic way to honor our dead.
Especially for us Filipinos, this is a call to conversion. Our culture is rich in tradition, but many of these old superstitions must be purified by faith. Stop believing that souls roam for forty days. Stop thinking that your deceased relatives visit you in dreams or move objects in your house. Stop offering food to the dead or talking to spirits. These are not holy customs, they are remnants of pagan practices that have no place in the Catholic faith.
We must remember: there is no such thing as a “ghost” in the sense of a departed human soul haunting the earth. What people call ghosts are often manifestations of demonic deception or psychological fear. True souls of the departed are either with God in heaven, being purified in purgatory, or condemned in hell. They do not wander. They do not communicate. They await the resurrection of the body at the end of time when Christ returns in glory.
So, to my fellow Filipino Catholics, reject these empty and dangerous beliefs. They are not signs of faith, they are signs of confusion. What truly matters is not trying to “feel” the presence of our loved ones, but praying for their souls. Offer Masses, pray the Rosary, and commend them to the mercy of God. That is how we truly love the dead. That is how we live our faith with integrity.
Do not be deceived. The dead do not walk among us. The devil does. And he delights in every false belief that keeps us from the truth. The Catholic faith calls us not to superstition but to prayer, not to magic but to grace, not to fear but to faith in Jesus Christ.
So the next time All Souls’ Day comes, visit the cemetery not to “talk” to your loved ones, but to pray for them. Offer your love through prayer, not through superstition. Because the truest expression of love for the dead is not conversation, it is intercession. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.