“Dare We Hope…”

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I agree. I’ve been told by many great priests that you should always err on the side of God’s mercy, obviously if you know you’re in mortal sin get to confession that day, but always err on the side of God’s mercy if unsure.
 
This type of view looks like it could incline people to presumption and it doesn’t really matter anyways.
 
If someone has died in a state of mortal sin, and is now in hell, then our prayers won’t do anything for them.
 
semper_catholicus said:
If someone has died in a state of mortal sin, and is now in hell, then our prayers won’t do anything for them.
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But when it comes to praying for souls, how would we know whether a person did or didn’t die in a state of mortal sin? I’ve had relatives who left the Church and lived somewhat immoral lives, and then they died without seeking to speak to a priest or receiving last rites.

To all appearances, they died in mortal sin. Yet I would never hesitate for a single moment to pray and offer penance for their souls, to remember at each mass I attend.

Regarding general prayers for “those who died in mortal sin” – I think that’s a rather odd prayer in the first place. I mean, we’re praying for souls in purgatory, yes? I don’t recall the damned in my prayers.

Meanwhile, I think we ALL need to daily remember in our prayers those who will die today, especially those who are not in a state of grace, that God’s mercy and grace will break their hearts and prepare them for judgment. May someone please pray for each of us on the day of our deaths! 🙏
 
I don’t know wether or not someone is in a state of mortal sin.
 
That’s the thing you don’t have to know a specific person just generally is what I mean
 
That’s what I should have said those who are at the point of death in a state of mortal sin
 
Bill_johnson said:
I know Balthasar does not explicitly support a universalist position, but rather believes due to the perfect sacrifice of Christ and the power of the act on the cross, that we can and should fairly reasonably hope that all men are saved. However I know many who say that those who die in a state of mortal sin go to hell, no questions asked. However I also know many people who pray the DMC each day for those who have died in a state of mortal sin. Is Balthasar correct, should we pray for those who die in a state of mortal sin or is there no use praying for them?
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You’re suppose to just pray for the dead.

A person dying in mortal sin going to Purgatory/Heaven is a contradiction in terminology. St Faustina’s Diary is perfectly clear about his.
 
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Bill_johnson said:
That’s what I should have said those who are at the point of death in a state of mortal sin
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It depends on what you mean. If my heart confesses to God and genuinely repents, and if i should die before i see a priest, do you really think that God is going to condemn my soul to hell just because i happen to miss a legal requirement? I really don’t think that God is that hard faced. There are things we ought to do, but for some reason or other we fail to do them. Only God knows the heart. To die in a state of mortal sin one would have to ignore with sound mind and judgement the call to confession. In other words you would have to will with all your heart against God and know exactly what you are doing.

It’s not simply a matter of dying without confession. It’s a matter of knowledge and will.

I am somebody who suffers from severe scruples. My priest said to me confess what you know. Sometimes it’s difficult to know the difference if you are very paranoid to begin with…

Our God is a reasonable God and salvation is a gift, not a tyrannical demand.
 
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Bill_johnson said:
I know Balthasar does not explicitly support a universalist position, but rather believes due to the perfect sacrifice of Christ and the power of the act on the cross, that we can and should fairly reasonably hope that all men are saved.
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I agree. There is no certainty about the fate of human beings regarding their judgement. Heaven is a gift, it’s not something that someone merits. Good is what we ought to do, but that alone does not save us. One can only end up in hell if they refuse God’s gift, and the further you are away from God’s grace the less likely your heart will be open to God’s love and therefore the less likely that you will repent with a true heart.

In other-words, nobody is in hell merely because they sinned. If anybody is in hell it is because they did not repent and change their hearts. Nobody is in hell by accident or because they didn’t merit salvation. None of us deserve heaven, so who knows the fate of man?

We can reasonably hope that all will be saved, but it’s not impossible that some will not be saved; we are not universalists.
 
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No. That is not the official teaching of the Catholic Church. One cannot have perfect contrition without going to confession. How could one be sorry for one’s sins if they die before going to confession, thus showing an intent to be clear of their sins?
 
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