Am I bad person for this?

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AFerri48

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Finding it hard to pray for the souls of “evil” people… so to speak. I know it’s kind of impossible to say who is evil or whether they truly understood the evil of their actions, but when it comes to guys like Hitler, Bin Laden, and Stalin, I find it kind of heart to pray for these men to find eternal happiness after the horrible evils they committed.

I try really hard to forgive people, but sometimes… are we required to forgive acts that don’t directly effect us? I pray that I get stronger at this one day.
 
No, it doesn’t make you a bad person. I struggle with this as well. It is something; however, that we are called to do and I am making an effort to really contemplate why this is required of us. The St. Rita Novena I’ve been praying includes praying for our enemies. Give yourself some time.
 
I can tell you this much; we are required to love our enemies.
Personally, i’ve seen plenty of judging (i’ve obviously judged many times too) against me and people I know, and I pray for them. I find it important to do so, so we may not have grudges or hate in our lives.
 
You don’t need to worry about somehow manufacturing feelings. Love - like all virtues - is an exercise of the will, which is manifested through how we act. Some prayers in your life are going to have the pleasure of being accompanied with warm feelings. Others will not. The ones that do not are not necessarily inferior to the ones that are. It is even possible for them to be more pleasing.
The act of love and anger can sometimes accompany one another. It is just - and even obligatory - for you to intensely hate evil men’s ways. Don’t worry about it, because however much you hate those ways, you can be certain that God hates them infinitely moreso. But, you can never desire a person’s damnation when you could instead desire that they repent and be saved.
 
I try to remember that God loved each of these people (as much as he loves me) right 'til the end and was hoping they would turn to him. I asked this question of our Deacon. He suggested we pray for a softening of their hearts. That I can do 🙂
 
Those people were sinners, same as you and I.
You may think that they were worse, even if they were,
then how great a hold did evil have on them
and how blessed are you to be free from such great torment.
Just how much more then, do they desperately need our help?
:gopray2::highprayer::crossrc::knight1:
 
I can’t imagine making an effort to pray for Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Bin Laden, etc.
You all are much better Christians than me.
I wouldn’t pray for them even if a knife was at my neck.
Despots that kill millions don’t deserve prayers. They would never pray for you, nor give you mercy.
Ask the 6 million Jews Hitler killed, or the 50-60 Million Stalin killed…

More power to you who feel you can pray for them, but I’ll go to my grave and answer to Christ for my decision not to.
 
There is a humorous rhyme that may help one to understand charity toward evildoers:
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven’s door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp,
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on Cloud Nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus , 'What’s the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How’d all these sinners get up here?
God must’ve made a mistake.
‘And why’s everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.’
‘Hush, child,’ He said, ‘they’re all in shock.
No one thought they’d be seeing you.’
 
But Hitler died unrepentant for his sins and also tried his best to destroy Our Lord’s Catholic Church should we not be praying for those who can be still saved right now such as ISIS and north Korea’s commuist leaders
 
Trad_Catholic27 said:
But Hitler died unrepentant for his sins and also tried his best to destroy Our Lord’s Catholic Church should we not be praying for those who can be still saved right now such as ISIS and north Korea’s commuist leaders
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Yes, You should pray for them…

As for Hitler and alike,
you do not know if at the precise moment of their death,
that some ,or even all were fully repentant of their evil ways.
Saint Paul tried to destroy the Christians as well remember, where is he now?
Trad_Catholic27 said:
But Hitler died unrepentant for his sins
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Just curious but how would you know that for a fact?:confused:
 
JRS_88 said:
I can’t imagine making an effort to pray for Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Bin Laden, etc.
You all are much better Christians than me.
I wouldn’t pray for them even if a knife was at my neck.
Despots that kill millions don’t deserve prayers. They would never pray for you, nor give you mercy.
Ask the 6 million Jews Hitler killed, or the 50-60 Million Stalin killed…

More power to you who feel you can pray for them, but I’ll go to my grave and answer to Christ for my decision not to.
Click to expand...
I think it would be highly unusual - abounding on eccentric - for a person to make a personal devotion out of specifically praying for dead mass murderer tyrants by name on a regular basis. I believe Pope Pius XII did pray for Hitler while Hitler was alive, that Satan would depart from him.

No matter: anytime a person prays for the souls in Purgatory, as a general intention, that would include anybody that might be there, including dead tyrants, however unlikely that might seem. You wouldn’t pray, “For the reprieve of the souls in Purgatory, except for XYZ people, just in case they made it there” So if by some extraordinary chance there is an infamous tyrant in Purgatory, anybody that prays for the souls in Purgatory prays for that person.
 
Trad_Catholic27 said:
But Hitler died unrepentant for his sins and also tried his best to destroy Our Lord’s Catholic Church should we not be praying for those who can be still saved right now such as ISIS and north Korea’s commuist leaders
Click to expand...
We should be praying for everyone. For those who have sinned and those who haven’t. I know it’s a hard thing to do to forgive our enemies, and i struggle with this every day as i work with a lot of disadvantaged and destructive people, but praying to let love/god into their heart is the only way I know that could make a difference.
 
We should forgive others for God’s sake, first and foremost. God is our Creator and Redeemer; He wants no one to be lost. It is not always easy to forgive, but it is much easier when we consider that Jesus died for us all while we were still sinners.

Here is one of my favourite stories of God’s mercy:

"Father Patrignani (Corona d’Esempi, IV. Esemp. 13, t. iv.) relates that a certain woman had committed a great many crimes, but Jesus patiently waited for her conversion. As the woman seeks the lost penny in the sweepings, so did Jesus seek this lost soul in the very midst of her sinful career. This woman at last went so far in her wickedness as to receive Holy Communion unworthily. After having received, she drew from her mouth the sacred particle and placed it in a handkerchief. She then went to shut herself up in her room, where she threw the Blessed Sacrament on the ground, and began to trample it under her feet. But lo! she casts her eyes down, and what does she see ! She sees the Sacred Host changed into the form of a beautiful Infant, but all bruised and covered with blood; and the Infant Jesus said to her:

“What have I done to you that you treat me so ill?”

Upon which the wretched creature, full of contrition and repentance, threw herself on her knees in tears, and said to Him: “O my God, dost Thou ask me what Thou hast done to me? Thou hast loved me too much.” The vision disappeared, and the woman changed her life and became a model of penance. Oh! the great patience of God in waiting for the return of the sinner."
  • Fr. Mueller (‘The Prodigal Son’)
 
I have a big enough prayer list for people I know and love. I don’t have to add historical figures I never met who caused great harm in the world.

They’re in God’s hands, that’s enough for me to concern myself with.

Jim
 
think about how evil you can be, how evil you were, your not bent on evil, you repent frequently, but , like lost souls they cant, they dont, think about what if you prayed so they would stop, then things would be good, thats what you want, you want them to get onto your level, so you can enter heaven together be on earth as it is in heaven together and not do harm,

also your soul is at stake, if you have a knife to your throat by an islamist or hitlers nazi ss , and your about to die, if you hate youll be like them, that is the biggest thing to watch out for,

when i pray for them, i sort of leave them alone and carry on, hitler actually comes big on my list because im polish and its obvious what he did to me and my people, but i have thought about that one for many times and i would forgive him, even for destroying and massacring my entire people,
 
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