Praying for the dead people

[jesusandyou]

There is another thread on PRAYING TO THE DEAD PEOPLE. The following question is regarding PRAYING FOR THE DEAD PEOPLE. If it is not too late, you may able to still see the following message on the home page of Divine Retreat Centre website www.drcm.org :

25 October 2005
We pray for the 117 people killed when an airline crashed in Kishi north of Lagos, Nigeria yesterday. O Lord, in Your Love and Mercy, comfort all the grieving families and loved ones in their time of anguish. May the souls of all the departed rest in God's Peace. Amen[/b][/color]

27 October 2005
We pray for 15 people killed when tropical storm Alpha swept through Haiti and the Dominican Republic. O Lord, in your Mercy and Love, spare the lives of people who are currently listed as missing. O Holy Spirit, guide the emergency teams in their rescue efforts. Amen.[/color][/b]

Why do Catholics pray for the dead people? Here in this case, why the Divine Retreat Centre also called Potta, pray for the people who have been killed? I don't understand this prayer - is it biblical? Is it to bring the dead people from hell to heaven? Please help me to understand. I don't get it.

[Satish]

Hi JesusAndYou,

Fr. Leonard M Puech has explained why catholics pray for the dead in the below link:
http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0488.html

For information on purgatory:
http://www.holysouls.info/information.php

Hope this helps !

God bless!
Satish

[jesusandyou]

Thanks for the links. Would you like to point out the Biblical verses that will substantiate this act.

Few of my questions:

1. If Catholics do pray for the dead people, can it be done for anyone? Out of the many who died in the accidents, there may be Hindus, atheists, Jews and who did live as a catholic. Does it mean, the salvation of the soul comes after we die, and our prayers can bring the people from hell to heaven?

2. I would appreciate if you can share what you learned from your Churches, rather than pointing to others.

[Satish]

Hi JesusansdYou,

You had asked :

"Would you like to point out the Biblical verses that will substantiate this act."
>> It's there in the links that was provided.

1. If Catholics do pray for the dead people, can it be done for anyone? Out of the many who died in the accidents, there may be Hindus, atheists, Jews and who did live as a catholic. Does it mean, the salvation of the soul comes after we die, and our prayers can bring the people from hell to heaven?
>> I think 2 Romans 12-16 answers your questions

12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

2. I would appreciate if you can share what you learned from your Churches, rather than pointing to others.
>> I think the information in the links provided is as per the Catholic Church's teaching.

Again, please find the time to go through the links that was provided.

God bless!
Satish

[jesusandyou]

I went through the link. In my opinion, FR. LEONARD M. PUECH has not successfuly established the reason why someone should pray for the dead. He has left the people with few new testament passages to make an assumption - instead if he has gone through verse by verse, that would have helped the audience.

I'm expecting an explanation for Romans 2:12-16. I'll be able to better understand then. Thanks.

[Seeker]

You said one thing that is important to clarify.

 

Does it mean, the salvation of the soul comes after we die, and our prayers can bring the people from hell to heaven?

No amount of prayer can bring people from Hell who have died and been condemned.  There is no getting out of Hell.  Once you are condemned by the life you live on earth and die unrepentant, that's it.  Prayers for the dead are for those who are not condemned to Hell.  They are for those who die in God's grace and are destined for Heaven, but may undergo a purification so that they may become fully holy and enter into a perfect union with Christ.

The big question that Romans 2:12-16 answers is whether non-Christians who are ignorant of Christ through no fault of their own, are condemned to Hell.

they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them

Non-Christians who in life "show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness," are not necessarily condemned to Hell.

[jesusandyou]

Could you please answer these qns:

1. "those who are not condemned to hell"

How do you know that someone is condemned to hell or not? You mentioned about repentance. To repent to whom?

2. "purification so that they may become holy"

The qn is why the purification may not help sometimes. You said "they may".

3. "Non-christians"

What do you mean by "non-christians"? What is this "law" you are talking about?

Thanks!

[Seeker]

How do you know that someone is condemned to hell or not? You mentioned about repentance. To repent to whom?

I don't.  Only God knows.  Repent to God for their sins.

The qn is why the purification may not help sometimes. You said "they may".

The purification is always accomplished perfectly by God.  I used the word "may" to mean "can" or "will."  Another way of saying what I did would have been to say that they are purified so they can enter Heaven and enter into a perfect union with God.  Again, these are souls that are destined for Heaven because of their friendship with Christ, but who still retain some of the temporal punishment due to sin.

What do you mean by "non-christians"? What is this "law" you are talking about?

Non-Christians are those who do not believe in Christ as the Son of God, as true God and true Man who died for our sins.  The "law" I referred to is in reference to St. Paul's words in Romans 2:12-16.  This is the natural moral law God writes on the heart of every human being.  For example, most humans with a conscience recognize that murder is evil, whether they are Christian or not.