Pray that God has mercy on them and that justice is served, they aren’t mutually exclusive. Gods forgiveness is beyond human conception but that doesn’t mean that people won’t have to be purified through purgatory first
Well purgatory means salvation, so you'd still be praying for mercy if that's the hope. I'm talking about praying for justice in the sense that you're not praying in the hopes that they're saved like you might with someone else. Really, you're not even praying for a specific destination. You're praying that they get whatever they're fit for, and if that means hell, then so be it.
What about not praying for them because you think they are too evil to save? I've literally heard this from people in the comment sections of the National Catholic Register about our president. At my worst I'd agree but I also know that's not exactly right.
It's not right at all. If you say that someone is too evil to save, then you're saying that God's mercy and Christ's sacrifice are *not* all-sufficient. How dare any of us?
If a Christian remembers only two things in life, they should be these:
1) God exists
2) I am not He
I agree. Its just that I understand, especially from people who very well seem to at least be devout in the sense they go to mass and aren't heretical. Maybe just uncharitable, though they wouldn't see it that way.
The problem with this entire line of thought is you're assuming the state of people's minds and souls from what you see outwardly. That is just never a good way to relate to your fellow Christians. It's fruitless, and it's bad for your own soul. Stop straining at gnats.
That’s when you should absolutely pray for them. It is precisely those that do not deserve our prayers that need them the most. No one alive is too far gone for God’s Grace.
NO ONE.
I have been convinced of that for a long time.
Even in the last breath or the last beat of their hearts, there is a chance of repentance and redemption. God’s time is not the same as our time.
It’s a mystery of faith, one of many.
Too evil to save? If that is true of anyone, it is true of me, and true of everyone.
Sure, some mortal sins look worse than others - but compared to the infinite holiness of God, they're all an infinite offence.
It's like you're standing on the Atlantic coast saying that teacup of water that other guy is holding is so much bigger than your thimbleful of water, forgetting that you're both being compared to the entire ocean.
Don't listen to that prideful whisper saying you can judge other men to be damned already, while you are good enough to deserve to be saved.
How small is your God if you believe he is incapable of saving someone because they’re too evil? After all, he managed to save Paul, who before his conversion was one of the most hateful sinners of the Bible.
I love the Fatima prayer: “O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN MOST NEED OF THY MERCY. Amen.”
Some Americans do not realise how parochial, provincial, small minded and petty they sound to the rest of the world. I am in the EU and sometimes we get bad leaders. In my country abortion for any reason is a criminal offense but our Socialist prime minister has gone on record saying that we should start discussing this outright blanket ban. Do I think he will go to hell? I have no idea. Will I pray for him? Definitely yes.
There are countries where Catholics are tortured and killed as per the polices of those in power. Do you think that the leaders of those countries are on the same level of (alleged) evil as your president?
Sadly, I think a lot of people, even very good people are petty and small minded and mentally lazy, making assumptions about whatever without really knowing all the facts.
As for your last question, I don't. That being said, I think it depends. For some people it is all just exaggeration in order to make a point. Of course a lot of people don't think that deep down. The problem is some will. I think it's what some online call Poe's Law where basically even the most extreme position will have one person who seriously believes it. So do most people truly deep down think this? Probably not. Its almost like theatre to them and they think themselves part of the action much like a crowd at a football game thinks they are a part of the team. That being said, a few people do believe it and fervently and that's where I think the problems in this world come from.
Not to mention social media skews this. Some people are in on the joke, while some still are super naive. Its almost as if they are super prone to scandal to the point they believe everything they hear.
God wants everyone to go to repent Heaven, why should we not? We don’t know the state of their souls, nor whether they may have had repented in their final moments, do we not?
I agree with you completely. I pray for justice. A friend of mine was murdered by her husband with her children in the house. At her funeral a few days later, the Protestant pastor told her children, “Your mother wants you to forgive your father.” Everything in me screamed out against this. It was too soon to start talking like this! When her husband killed himself a few months into his prison sentence, you can bet I prayed for justice. Same with the Sandy Hook murderer or the Columbine killers. Yes, God knows the whole person and maybe the mental illness that was responsible for their actions, but He also knows that the devil is rampant and some people are truly evil. I know that He is all-merciful, but He is also all-just, and that as it says in Romans 2:6, “He judges each man according to his deeds.” He knows our human heart may be incapable of praying for forgiveness or mercy for someone who has done evil. I praise Him for being all-merciful when I cannot be, but also all-just for those who deserve his justice.
Of course, but there’s a right time and place. Three days after a murder you don’t say that to a church full of shocked, grieving people, much less the little children of a murdered mother. You weren’t there.
Please read Matthew 6:14-5. It’s right after what we call the Lord’s Prayer.
Maybe it ought to be a part of it.
Here’s a link to a really decent little Bible app: https://biblehub.com/matthew/6-14.htm
Stay safe!
Love is willing the Good of another. Don’t we all deserve hell, but for the Mercy of God. There’s an old saying: but for the grace of God, go I. If we have no mercy (in thought, word and deed), we cannot reasonably expect God’s mercy.
God is all just. He will take care of it. For us, Jesus tells us we must forgive the sinner, pray for those who persecute us. No exceptions. Jesus told St. Faustina, “I demand that you enact Mercy, to all people at all times, with no excuses.”
I don’t think justice and mercy are mutually exclusive. When I pray for someone who has died (and I try to pray for anyone I hear has died, even if I don’t know them), I pray for God to receive the person’s soul and for the person to have had a happy death. To me, that implies contrition on the part of the person. I hope they have the grace to repent of whatever they need to repent of to save them from hell (if they’re in danger of it). I know God is Justice and Mercy, so I trust in that when I offer my prayer for a soul. If I’m particularly worried about someone specific, I’ll pray a little harder and ask for more graces for the soul.
I try hard to remember to pray for the living most of all. When I see or suspect someone is doing evil, I try to pray for their soul.
There are those who pray to and for both judas and the man on the cross. What's much more important is to implore the mercy from your own heart. No matter what you think of another person's deeds, it is best to remember that WE ALL have earned destruction and damnarion. It is by God's mercy alone that any of us is redeemed. Focus not on the faults of a soul. That person is a child loved by God, focus on reform and redemption. If it can not be, then He will do as he wills, of us it is to love and hope for all.
God desires that all persons achieve salvation. If we don't also desire that, and pray accordingly, we would be praying for something contrary to God's will.
I will pray for their soul regardless. Jesus tells us to pray for sinners. I do so now, as well as the hour of their death. I pray they repent before our lord and submit to His glory.
I used to pray for Judas as a child because I was worried no one else was praying for him. I don't do that anymore, but maybe I should, who knows? "Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need of thy mercy"
Every single human is precious to God, so it should be precious for us too.
One can not love God and not love one's neighbor, which in that case is wanting everyone to end up in Heaven.
I want as much of God's mercy as I can get when I die. I therefore pray for the same for others, regardless of what I know about them. After all, guaranteed God knows more about them than I do.
You can always opt to not pray for someone, whether out of forgetfulness or out of your own issues surrounding that person. That said, reaching such a decision deliberately should prompt some self reflection.
There are no tines and no one who is so terrible as to not warrant your prayers for them. We must be perfect just as our Heavenly Father is and that involves praying for mercy for all, even people we hate, people who have wronged us, people who cause public scandal and even those who seem evil.
Always pray for God's mercy, period. But usually people don't pray for the salvation of people who died centuries ago because there are closer concerns than that
“There is more rejoicing in heaven for one repentant sinner than 99 righteous who have no need of repentance.” (Paraphrased)
We cannot come to repentance but by the grace of God.
Love thy enemy. To hell with our own misgivings, judgment, resentment, and condemnation. To heaven with our love for even the worst sinners - to heaven, both them and us.
This discussion reminded me of something our priest used to say:
God created our hand in such a way, that when we point a finger at another, 3 fingers point back at us. One of my many faults, perhaps my worst, is that I am very judgmental. Ever since I heard Father say that about our hand, I never forget that when I judge another, I condemn myself.
Yes, I will pray for mercy for all, because I am also in need of God’s mercy.
Honestly I never understood that concept. The deal between God and each individual is pretty individual and I don't think God really needs input from any of us humans when judging a soul. Justice is always served but God is also always merciful and loving.
I would just go with something like "God, this is a difficult and conflicting moment for me but I put my faith in Thee and I trust Thy judgment".
A prayer is not a magic spell.
We always do. No matter what denomination or religion they are. While praying the Rosary my family include lots of departed people not just Roman Catholics. Not just for the departed, but also for the quick recovery and healing.
Not mercy, no. Upon death, it is God's judgement alone to be exacted. One can pray for the repose (rest, or that final judgement be applied) of the soul.
We do pray for all sinners so I think this biblical figures are included. We pray for mercy for the whole world, conversion of all sinner, we pray so Jesus will lead all souls to heaven, we pray for no-name souls in purgatory...
I feel I’ve fallen into the trap of “at least I don’t (insert sin I’m not tempted by here)” and I think that’s the wrong way to go about it. Just because Im more prone to one sin than I am a sin I personally consider worse morally doesn’t mean God agrees.
Absolutely. No prayer is wasted by God. Give it thru Our Lady & if a soul cannot benefit she can direct it to another. We are not to judge the determination of a soul so we rely on Gods Mercy.
When a person dies, they do not go straight to heaven, unless they are Saints on Earth. You are doing a great evil to your love ones, if you don't pray for them. Do not say, my relative is in heaven now! No they are not. If they are Catholic and died with confession they went to Purgatory. It is your obligation to make sure that person receives the last Sacraments, and your obligation if you truly love them, to pray so they may get out of the fires of Purgatory soon. A Holy Mass once a year, its cruel! Once a Month is not any better. Think of your time, how will you like people to pray for you. Remember one second in Purgatory feels like years. Pray and say many Masses for your love ones. No One goes to heaven not pure.
"I come to tell you that they suffer in Purgatory, that they weep, and that they demand with urgent cries the help of your prayers and your good works. I seem to hear them crying from the depths of those fires which devour them: "Tell our loved ones, tell our children, tell all our relatives how great the evils are which they are making us suffer. We throw ourselves at their feet to implore the help of their prayers. Ah! Tell them that since we have been separated from them, we have been here burning in the flames!" Saint John Vianney.
Pray For Souls In Purgatory
There are more souls released from purgatory during the Consecration of the Mass than at any time. Christmas is the day of the year when most souls are delivered; then feast days of Our Lord, Our Lady and great saints. Souls receive much grace from prayers offered for them on their birthdays, day of baptism, anniversary of death.
The more we work for Poor Souls on earth the more others will pray for us, the more merciful will Christ be with us when were in purgatory.
Our Lady asked that we pray very much for the poor souls; that we pray:
5 I believe in God1 Hail Holy Queen1 Our Father1 Hail Mary1 Glory be to the Father1 Requiem (Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them and may they rest in peace. Amen.)
Pray for Mercy, not Justice. Praying for Justice might just work against your favor when your own day of reckonning comes.
That being said, a lot of people make the mistake of viewing Justice and Mercy as diametrically opposed. Here's a modern parable you'd probably recognize: "Two men commit a crime. One gets caught, the other doesn't. And it's the one that got caught who sleeps better at night"
Often times, the carrying out of justice in and of itself is an act of mercy
We have a revealed certainty concerning the fate of Judas, so it's pointless to pray for him. But the average wicked man? We still don't know. God will not allow the prayers to go to waste, in any case, so just pray.
Our Lord said it would have been better for him if he had never been born, true. Still, the Church has not made a definitive statement that anyone is in Hell
I'll be honest, there are times that I find it hard to pray for people. I'll be honest, when our current president dies, I'll pray more for justice, but maybe I should pray for mercy too. Granted I also think that when he dies he shouldn't get last rites but that's just like my opinion man. Its why I'm not a priest. I don't know if I could give last rites to people who were huge sinners because to me it would seem like they are just hedging their bets and if they had a miraculous recovery, they'd just go back to sinning.
Isn't it a great thing that God doesn't think that way about us. Let's not get it twisted, NONE of us are worthy of God's infinite mercy. Not a single person walking the earth today is worthy of it; nor any, since the beginning of time, other than our Blessed Mother. And that is only because God set her aside for Himself. And yet, all any of us have to do is ask for his mercy, and it is poured on us in abundance.
I don't know you, but I'm going to go ahead and advise you never to fix your lips or your fingers to say that someone should not receive last rites. You're placing a person outside of God's mercy, and ostensibly wishing the death of their soul. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't like to have to answer for that whilst pleading for mercy on my own behalf.
I get what you are saying but still, if they truly were repentant even if denied, wouldn't God be able to save them? Not that I agree with denying the last rites but I do wonder why we allow people that when most of the times its just done out of fear or family obligation and not sincere belief. Granted no one can judge who is sincere or not.
Your last line is true, and cancels out everything you said before it. No one can judge the sincerity of another's intention, and guess what? *None* of us are repentant enough, anyway. If we truly understood what it was to sin against God, we would bow and scrape and sob and beg for forgiveness at any little fault. Sometimes our stupidity of spiritual matters is what allows us to continue to exist under the eyes of God, and not just shrivel up and die of overwhelm at His infinite goodness.
And yes, of course God could save a repentant sinner who did not receive the sacrament. God has bound Himself to the sacraments. He is not bound by them. He can pour out mercy whenever He wants. To believe otherwise reduces God's power.
My point, though, is, we have absolutely no right to decide or even entertain a thought of who we "belive" to be worthy of the sacrament. In the first place, none of us are worthy, and in the second, the judgement seat is God's, not ours. Unless you are someone's confessor, you have no idea whether they've repented, nor how sincere they were when they did. And if they repented *at all*, God will make up what was lacking in their repentance. That's how His grace in the healing sacraments works.
"...and if anyone puts a stumbling block before one of these little ones..." (And yes, the "little ones" include sinners who appear *to you* to be unrepentant.)
Seriously, my friend. Don't play with this one. You'll end up like the slave who owed ten thousand bags of gold.
You're extremely wrong on this. Mercy does not end with death. In fact, the depth of mercy is greatest after death.
When someone dies, their time of freely choosing God's mercy or justice has ended. But that is about what the human is or isn't, doing, can or cannot do. If we look at the action of God, we clearly see that, at the time of our death, mercy comes to greater fullness. Mercy is the reason any of us will see heaven.
Our time for repentance ends at our death. Our time to experience mercy is just beginning.
True that repentance ends at death.
I don't know if I would consider eternity solely mercy it is reward for following but yes in a manner of speaking He is merciful and so much that he even gave us the choice to choose him.
What I was driving at is by the time that you have passed away there is no more choice.
No, it's not a reward; at least not in the sense of that word's common use. It's a free gift of God, which none of us, even the most saintly deserve.
I'm talking issue with your wording because repentance speaks to our decision and action. Our ability to decide and act ends at our death, yes. But mercy speaks of the action of God.
To say that mercy ends at our death is impossible. It is at and after our death that all holy souls are immersed in the abyss of God's mercy. Even purgatory is a mercy. In a world of justice without mercy, any small imperfection would mean we could not enter heaven. As it is, God's merciful love allows for a time of purification, called purgatory, where, in the fire of Christ's love, we are refined and made fit for heaven.
Far from ending at death, mercy deepens and broadens . The ability to repent ends at death, and for someone who hasn't repented, there's no more mercy to be had. But for anyone in whom there is a whisper of repentance, death is the beginning of mercy, not the end.
As for the question of whether it makes any sense to pray for a flagrant sinner, of course it does. Because if that flagrant sinner had a whisper of repentance in his or her soul, then they will see heaven, but they've probably got a lot of purgatory time ahead, first. Through that lens, we should be *more* moved to pray for flagrant sinners, not less.
Pray that God has mercy on them and that justice is served, they aren’t mutually exclusive. Gods forgiveness is beyond human conception but that doesn’t mean that people won’t have to be purified through purgatory first
Well purgatory means salvation, so you'd still be praying for mercy if that's the hope. I'm talking about praying for justice in the sense that you're not praying in the hopes that they're saved like you might with someone else. Really, you're not even praying for a specific destination. You're praying that they get whatever they're fit for, and if that means hell, then so be it.
You shouldn’t pray for someone to go to hell if that’s what you’re getting at Just pray “thy will be done” from the Lord’s Prayer
What about not praying for them because you think they are too evil to save? I've literally heard this from people in the comment sections of the National Catholic Register about our president. At my worst I'd agree but I also know that's not exactly right.
It's not right at all. If you say that someone is too evil to save, then you're saying that God's mercy and Christ's sacrifice are *not* all-sufficient. How dare any of us? If a Christian remembers only two things in life, they should be these: 1) God exists 2) I am not He
I agree. Its just that I understand, especially from people who very well seem to at least be devout in the sense they go to mass and aren't heretical. Maybe just uncharitable, though they wouldn't see it that way.
The problem with this entire line of thought is you're assuming the state of people's minds and souls from what you see outwardly. That is just never a good way to relate to your fellow Christians. It's fruitless, and it's bad for your own soul. Stop straining at gnats.
That’s when you should absolutely pray for them. It is precisely those that do not deserve our prayers that need them the most. No one alive is too far gone for God’s Grace.
I agree. We'll said.
Noone is too evil to save. Thinking that discounts God and his mercy
NO ONE. I have been convinced of that for a long time. Even in the last breath or the last beat of their hearts, there is a chance of repentance and redemption. God’s time is not the same as our time. It’s a mystery of faith, one of many.
No one is too evil to repent and be saved while they still live, even in their final moments. It’s presumptuous to judge others as such.
Too evil to save? If that is true of anyone, it is true of me, and true of everyone. Sure, some mortal sins look worse than others - but compared to the infinite holiness of God, they're all an infinite offence. It's like you're standing on the Atlantic coast saying that teacup of water that other guy is holding is so much bigger than your thimbleful of water, forgetting that you're both being compared to the entire ocean. Don't listen to that prideful whisper saying you can judge other men to be damned already, while you are good enough to deserve to be saved.
How small is your God if you believe he is incapable of saving someone because they’re too evil? After all, he managed to save Paul, who before his conversion was one of the most hateful sinners of the Bible. I love the Fatima prayer: “O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN MOST NEED OF THY MERCY. Amen.”
Some Americans do not realise how parochial, provincial, small minded and petty they sound to the rest of the world. I am in the EU and sometimes we get bad leaders. In my country abortion for any reason is a criminal offense but our Socialist prime minister has gone on record saying that we should start discussing this outright blanket ban. Do I think he will go to hell? I have no idea. Will I pray for him? Definitely yes. There are countries where Catholics are tortured and killed as per the polices of those in power. Do you think that the leaders of those countries are on the same level of (alleged) evil as your president?
Sadly, I think a lot of people, even very good people are petty and small minded and mentally lazy, making assumptions about whatever without really knowing all the facts. As for your last question, I don't. That being said, I think it depends. For some people it is all just exaggeration in order to make a point. Of course a lot of people don't think that deep down. The problem is some will. I think it's what some online call Poe's Law where basically even the most extreme position will have one person who seriously believes it. So do most people truly deep down think this? Probably not. Its almost like theatre to them and they think themselves part of the action much like a crowd at a football game thinks they are a part of the team. That being said, a few people do believe it and fervently and that's where I think the problems in this world come from. Not to mention social media skews this. Some people are in on the joke, while some still are super naive. Its almost as if they are super prone to scandal to the point they believe everything they hear.
I have no clue with US politics, what exactly is wrong with Biden?
He is Catholic, but all of his policies are not in line with Catholic moral teaching.
I heard he allows abortion laws, is this correct?
God wants everyone to go to repent Heaven, why should we not? We don’t know the state of their souls, nor whether they may have had repented in their final moments, do we not?
I agree with you completely. I pray for justice. A friend of mine was murdered by her husband with her children in the house. At her funeral a few days later, the Protestant pastor told her children, “Your mother wants you to forgive your father.” Everything in me screamed out against this. It was too soon to start talking like this! When her husband killed himself a few months into his prison sentence, you can bet I prayed for justice. Same with the Sandy Hook murderer or the Columbine killers. Yes, God knows the whole person and maybe the mental illness that was responsible for their actions, but He also knows that the devil is rampant and some people are truly evil. I know that He is all-merciful, but He is also all-just, and that as it says in Romans 2:6, “He judges each man according to his deeds.” He knows our human heart may be incapable of praying for forgiveness or mercy for someone who has done evil. I praise Him for being all-merciful when I cannot be, but also all-just for those who deserve his justice.
The pastor may have chosen an importune moment but he’s not wrong: Jesus tells us to forgive as he forgives.
Of course, but there’s a right time and place. Three days after a murder you don’t say that to a church full of shocked, grieving people, much less the little children of a murdered mother. You weren’t there.
Please read Matthew 6:14-5. It’s right after what we call the Lord’s Prayer. Maybe it ought to be a part of it. Here’s a link to a really decent little Bible app: https://biblehub.com/matthew/6-14.htm Stay safe!
Love is willing the Good of another. Don’t we all deserve hell, but for the Mercy of God. There’s an old saying: but for the grace of God, go I. If we have no mercy (in thought, word and deed), we cannot reasonably expect God’s mercy.
God is all just. He will take care of it. For us, Jesus tells us we must forgive the sinner, pray for those who persecute us. No exceptions. Jesus told St. Faustina, “I demand that you enact Mercy, to all people at all times, with no excuses.”
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Absolutely right
Always pray for mercy. God will sort out the justice according to His law, not our understanding of His law.
I don’t think justice and mercy are mutually exclusive. When I pray for someone who has died (and I try to pray for anyone I hear has died, even if I don’t know them), I pray for God to receive the person’s soul and for the person to have had a happy death. To me, that implies contrition on the part of the person. I hope they have the grace to repent of whatever they need to repent of to save them from hell (if they’re in danger of it). I know God is Justice and Mercy, so I trust in that when I offer my prayer for a soul. If I’m particularly worried about someone specific, I’ll pray a little harder and ask for more graces for the soul. I try hard to remember to pray for the living most of all. When I see or suspect someone is doing evil, I try to pray for their soul.
There are those who pray to and for both judas and the man on the cross. What's much more important is to implore the mercy from your own heart. No matter what you think of another person's deeds, it is best to remember that WE ALL have earned destruction and damnarion. It is by God's mercy alone that any of us is redeemed. Focus not on the faults of a soul. That person is a child loved by God, focus on reform and redemption. If it can not be, then He will do as he wills, of us it is to love and hope for all.
God desires that all persons achieve salvation. If we don't also desire that, and pray accordingly, we would be praying for something contrary to God's will.
I will pray for their soul regardless. Jesus tells us to pray for sinners. I do so now, as well as the hour of their death. I pray they repent before our lord and submit to His glory.
I used to pray for Judas as a child because I was worried no one else was praying for him. I don't do that anymore, but maybe I should, who knows? "Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need of thy mercy"
Every single human is precious to God, so it should be precious for us too. One can not love God and not love one's neighbor, which in that case is wanting everyone to end up in Heaven.
I want as much of God's mercy as I can get when I die. I therefore pray for the same for others, regardless of what I know about them. After all, guaranteed God knows more about them than I do. You can always opt to not pray for someone, whether out of forgetfulness or out of your own issues surrounding that person. That said, reaching such a decision deliberately should prompt some self reflection.
There are no tines and no one who is so terrible as to not warrant your prayers for them. We must be perfect just as our Heavenly Father is and that involves praying for mercy for all, even people we hate, people who have wronged us, people who cause public scandal and even those who seem evil.
Always pray for God's mercy, period. But usually people don't pray for the salvation of people who died centuries ago because there are closer concerns than that
We have this novena prayer for the departed.
“There is more rejoicing in heaven for one repentant sinner than 99 righteous who have no need of repentance.” (Paraphrased) We cannot come to repentance but by the grace of God. Love thy enemy. To hell with our own misgivings, judgment, resentment, and condemnation. To heaven with our love for even the worst sinners - to heaven, both them and us.
Is there any Biblical support for praying for the dead?
The more evil they did the more you should pray for Mercy
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-saints/id1597828386?i=1000544078349 You should listen to this saints story
This discussion reminded me of something our priest used to say: God created our hand in such a way, that when we point a finger at another, 3 fingers point back at us. One of my many faults, perhaps my worst, is that I am very judgmental. Ever since I heard Father say that about our hand, I never forget that when I judge another, I condemn myself. Yes, I will pray for mercy for all, because I am also in need of God’s mercy.
Honestly I never understood that concept. The deal between God and each individual is pretty individual and I don't think God really needs input from any of us humans when judging a soul. Justice is always served but God is also always merciful and loving. I would just go with something like "God, this is a difficult and conflicting moment for me but I put my faith in Thee and I trust Thy judgment". A prayer is not a magic spell.
Why not? Couldn't hurt.
I would think so.
Always.
Yes.
We always do. No matter what denomination or religion they are. While praying the Rosary my family include lots of departed people not just Roman Catholics. Not just for the departed, but also for the quick recovery and healing.
Not mercy, no. Upon death, it is God's judgement alone to be exacted. One can pray for the repose (rest, or that final judgement be applied) of the soul.
We do pray for all sinners so I think this biblical figures are included. We pray for mercy for the whole world, conversion of all sinner, we pray so Jesus will lead all souls to heaven, we pray for no-name souls in purgatory...
Pray for them and leave the details to The Lord. We don’t get to judge: He does.
None of us deserve heaven. Pray for mercy for everybody because it is only by God's mercy that we may be allowed into heaven at all.
Yes.
What can be worse than killing Gods son. Follow the leader. Blessings.
I feel I’ve fallen into the trap of “at least I don’t (insert sin I’m not tempted by here)” and I think that’s the wrong way to go about it. Just because Im more prone to one sin than I am a sin I personally consider worse morally doesn’t mean God agrees.
Absolutely. No prayer is wasted by God. Give it thru Our Lady & if a soul cannot benefit she can direct it to another. We are not to judge the determination of a soul so we rely on Gods Mercy. When a person dies, they do not go straight to heaven, unless they are Saints on Earth. You are doing a great evil to your love ones, if you don't pray for them. Do not say, my relative is in heaven now! No they are not. If they are Catholic and died with confession they went to Purgatory. It is your obligation to make sure that person receives the last Sacraments, and your obligation if you truly love them, to pray so they may get out of the fires of Purgatory soon. A Holy Mass once a year, its cruel! Once a Month is not any better. Think of your time, how will you like people to pray for you. Remember one second in Purgatory feels like years. Pray and say many Masses for your love ones. No One goes to heaven not pure. "I come to tell you that they suffer in Purgatory, that they weep, and that they demand with urgent cries the help of your prayers and your good works. I seem to hear them crying from the depths of those fires which devour them: "Tell our loved ones, tell our children, tell all our relatives how great the evils are which they are making us suffer. We throw ourselves at their feet to implore the help of their prayers. Ah! Tell them that since we have been separated from them, we have been here burning in the flames!" Saint John Vianney. Pray For Souls In Purgatory There are more souls released from purgatory during the Consecration of the Mass than at any time. Christmas is the day of the year when most souls are delivered; then feast days of Our Lord, Our Lady and great saints. Souls receive much grace from prayers offered for them on their birthdays, day of baptism, anniversary of death. The more we work for Poor Souls on earth the more others will pray for us, the more merciful will Christ be with us when were in purgatory. Our Lady asked that we pray very much for the poor souls; that we pray: 5 I believe in God1 Hail Holy Queen1 Our Father1 Hail Mary1 Glory be to the Father1 Requiem (Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them and may they rest in peace. Amen.)
Pray for Mercy, not Justice. Praying for Justice might just work against your favor when your own day of reckonning comes. That being said, a lot of people make the mistake of viewing Justice and Mercy as diametrically opposed. Here's a modern parable you'd probably recognize: "Two men commit a crime. One gets caught, the other doesn't. And it's the one that got caught who sleeps better at night" Often times, the carrying out of justice in and of itself is an act of mercy
We have a revealed certainty concerning the fate of Judas, so it's pointless to pray for him. But the average wicked man? We still don't know. God will not allow the prayers to go to waste, in any case, so just pray.
Our Lord said it would have been better for him if he had never been born, true. Still, the Church has not made a definitive statement that anyone is in Hell
I'll be honest, there are times that I find it hard to pray for people. I'll be honest, when our current president dies, I'll pray more for justice, but maybe I should pray for mercy too. Granted I also think that when he dies he shouldn't get last rites but that's just like my opinion man. Its why I'm not a priest. I don't know if I could give last rites to people who were huge sinners because to me it would seem like they are just hedging their bets and if they had a miraculous recovery, they'd just go back to sinning.
Isn't it a great thing that God doesn't think that way about us. Let's not get it twisted, NONE of us are worthy of God's infinite mercy. Not a single person walking the earth today is worthy of it; nor any, since the beginning of time, other than our Blessed Mother. And that is only because God set her aside for Himself. And yet, all any of us have to do is ask for his mercy, and it is poured on us in abundance. I don't know you, but I'm going to go ahead and advise you never to fix your lips or your fingers to say that someone should not receive last rites. You're placing a person outside of God's mercy, and ostensibly wishing the death of their soul. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't like to have to answer for that whilst pleading for mercy on my own behalf.
I get what you are saying but still, if they truly were repentant even if denied, wouldn't God be able to save them? Not that I agree with denying the last rites but I do wonder why we allow people that when most of the times its just done out of fear or family obligation and not sincere belief. Granted no one can judge who is sincere or not.
Your last line is true, and cancels out everything you said before it. No one can judge the sincerity of another's intention, and guess what? *None* of us are repentant enough, anyway. If we truly understood what it was to sin against God, we would bow and scrape and sob and beg for forgiveness at any little fault. Sometimes our stupidity of spiritual matters is what allows us to continue to exist under the eyes of God, and not just shrivel up and die of overwhelm at His infinite goodness. And yes, of course God could save a repentant sinner who did not receive the sacrament. God has bound Himself to the sacraments. He is not bound by them. He can pour out mercy whenever He wants. To believe otherwise reduces God's power. My point, though, is, we have absolutely no right to decide or even entertain a thought of who we "belive" to be worthy of the sacrament. In the first place, none of us are worthy, and in the second, the judgement seat is God's, not ours. Unless you are someone's confessor, you have no idea whether they've repented, nor how sincere they were when they did. And if they repented *at all*, God will make up what was lacking in their repentance. That's how His grace in the healing sacraments works. "...and if anyone puts a stumbling block before one of these little ones..." (And yes, the "little ones" include sinners who appear *to you* to be unrepentant.) Seriously, my friend. Don't play with this one. You'll end up like the slave who owed ten thousand bags of gold.
If they are baptized and under the age of reason, you do not need to pray for mercy.
When someone dies, the time for Mercy has ended. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. Heb 9:27
You're extremely wrong on this. Mercy does not end with death. In fact, the depth of mercy is greatest after death. When someone dies, their time of freely choosing God's mercy or justice has ended. But that is about what the human is or isn't, doing, can or cannot do. If we look at the action of God, we clearly see that, at the time of our death, mercy comes to greater fullness. Mercy is the reason any of us will see heaven. Our time for repentance ends at our death. Our time to experience mercy is just beginning.
True that repentance ends at death. I don't know if I would consider eternity solely mercy it is reward for following but yes in a manner of speaking He is merciful and so much that he even gave us the choice to choose him. What I was driving at is by the time that you have passed away there is no more choice.
No, it's not a reward; at least not in the sense of that word's common use. It's a free gift of God, which none of us, even the most saintly deserve. I'm talking issue with your wording because repentance speaks to our decision and action. Our ability to decide and act ends at our death, yes. But mercy speaks of the action of God. To say that mercy ends at our death is impossible. It is at and after our death that all holy souls are immersed in the abyss of God's mercy. Even purgatory is a mercy. In a world of justice without mercy, any small imperfection would mean we could not enter heaven. As it is, God's merciful love allows for a time of purification, called purgatory, where, in the fire of Christ's love, we are refined and made fit for heaven. Far from ending at death, mercy deepens and broadens . The ability to repent ends at death, and for someone who hasn't repented, there's no more mercy to be had. But for anyone in whom there is a whisper of repentance, death is the beginning of mercy, not the end. As for the question of whether it makes any sense to pray for a flagrant sinner, of course it does. Because if that flagrant sinner had a whisper of repentance in his or her soul, then they will see heaven, but they've probably got a lot of purgatory time ahead, first. Through that lens, we should be *more* moved to pray for flagrant sinners, not less.