Catholics pray for the dead because

[adstrinity]

we follow what Jesus did.

rosarytapes.com/pray.html%between%

Jn 11:41

The dead benefit from prayers because of Jesus. Lk 8:41



Did anybody else know this/had heard of this? I’m passing this along to help others in case this is news to anybody else.

 

[Catholic_Dude]

we follow what Jesus did.

rosarytapes.com/pray.html

Jn 11:41

The dead benefit from prayers because of Jesus. Lk 8:41



Did anybody else know this/had heard of this? I’m passing this along to help others in case this is news to anybody else.

I have never heard of that particular example before, but I do believe 2 Tim 1:16-18.

 

[jean8]

I have never heard of that particular example before, but I do believe 2 Tim 1:16-18.

dude,
Protestants do not accept Maccabee’s. the Jews didn’t either.
it isn’t considered inspired.
What do Catholics teach about Maccabee’s?

jean8

 

[Church_Militant]

dude,
Protestants do not accept Maccabee’s. the Jews didn’t either.
it isn’t considered inspired.
What do Catholics teach about Maccabee’s?

jean8

1. That’s not really true. Their feast of Tabernacles is only found there and they still celebrate it to this day!
   1 Machabees 10
   21 Then Jonathan put on the holy vestment in the seventh month, in the year one hundred and threescore, at the feast day of the tabernacles: and he gathered together an army, and made a great number of arms.
   2 Machabees 10
   6 And they kept eight days with joy, after the manner of the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long before they had kept the feast of the tabernacles when they were in the mountains, and in dens like wild beasts.

So I’d say that there’s a sort of defacto acceptance there. This is the same thing that my best Orthodox Jewish friend tells me. As for praying for the dead, that’s also there in 2nd Macabees 12:46 (DRB)

38 So Judas having gathered together his army, came into the city Odollam: and when the seventh day came, they purified themselves according to the custom, and kept the sabbath in the place. 39 And the day following Judas came with his company, to take away the bodies of them that were slain, and to bury them with their kinsmen, in the sepulchres of their fathers. 40 And they found under the coats of the slain some of the donaries of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbiddeth to the Jews: so that all plainly saw, that for this cause they were slain.

*40 “Of the donaries”… That is, of the votive offerings, which had been hung up in the temples of the idols, which they had taken away when they burnt the port of Jamnia, ver. 9., contrary to the prohibition of the law, Deut. 7. 25. *

41 Then they all blessed the just judgment of the Lord, who had discovered the things that were hidden. 42 And so betaking themselves to prayers, they besought him, that the sin which had been committed might be forgotten. But the most valiant Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin, forasmuch as they saw before their eyes what had happened, because of the sins of those that were slain. 43 And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection, 44 (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead,) 45 And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them.

45 “With godliness”… Judas hoped that these men who died fighting for the cause of God and religion, might find mercy: either because they might be excused from mortal sin by ignorance; or might have repented of their sin, at least at their death.

46 It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.

46 “It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead”… Here is an evident and undeniable proof of the practice of praying for the dead under the old law, which was then strictly observed by the Jews, and consequently could not be introduced at that time by Judas, their chief and high priest, if it had not been always their custom.

With regard to what the Catholic Church teaches Maccabees and all the Deuterocanonical books.

 

[w_stewart]

What does the threadstarter mean when he uses the word “dead”?

 

[adstrinity]

What does the threadstarter mean when he uses the word “dead”?

She. SHE SHE SHE SHE SHE

AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY & NIXON, WHY WAS SECOND MACCABEES BROUGHT UP?!!! Not only did I not quote a Deutero Cananical Book, I didn’t quote the Old Testament at all. I cited Jesus. Catholic Dude cited St. Paul.

Dead: Not on Earth anymore.

 

[adstrinity]

Also, Acts 9:36. Prayers for the dead are effectual.

 

[HamtramckSteve]

She. SHE SHE SHE SHE SHE

AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY & NIXON, WHY WAS SECOND MACCABEES BROUGHT UP?!!! Not only did I not quote a Deutero Cananical Book, I didn’t quote the Old Testament at all. I cited Jesus. Catholic Dude cited St. Paul.

Dead: Not on Earth anymore.

I know this feeling! That’s how my day at work was.

Thank you for the laugh!

 

[adstrinity]

Thank you for the laugh!

That’s why I’m here.

 

[CentralFLJames]

Catholics pray for the dead because this is an apostolic tradition handed down to us from the early church and because its scriptural and because its plain that God is timeless and in eternity can hear our prayers “in the now of eternity” as if they were said at any point in time and apply them to anyone at a point in time which most benefits them.

Thus a person praying the highly efficacious Divine Mercy Chaplet a day or a month or a year or more after the loss of a loved one can pray with confidence that God has already heard those prayers and extended the intended petition to the person before they died if it was acceptable to His will. This is also a reason why Catholics try to keep themselves in a high state of grace since its a rational thing to do if one loves God and becuase the higher our state of grace through cooperation with grace the more efficacy our prayers have.

James

 

[CentralFLJames]

Also - praying for the dead is considerd an essential and required act of Mercy required by all Christians and is linked to the essential nature of Charity.

Corporeal works of mercy
Corporeal works of mercy are those that tend to bodily needs. The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46) enumerates such acts – though not this precise list – as the reason for the salvation of the saved, and the omission of them as the reason for damnation. The last work of mercy, burying the dead, comes from the Book of Tobit.

Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the Homeless
Visit the imprisoned
Visit the sick
**Bury the dead **

Spiritual works of mercy
The spiritual acts of mercy provide for the needs of the spirit.

Admonish the sinner
Instruct the ignorant
Counsel the doubtful
Comfort the sorrowful
Bear wrongs patiently
Forgive all injuries
**Pray for the living and the dead **

More here" Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy

James

 

[Catholicdeacon]

dude,
Protestants do not accept Maccabee’s. the Jews didn’t either.
it isn’t considered inspired.
What do Catholics teach about Maccabee’s?

jean8

Jean,

The Jews did accepted this practice, why would Judas Maccabeus and his soldiers offer sacrifice for His dead comrades if it was not a well known practice? To scandalize those who read this story? I believe also that the death sea scrolls contain prayer's for the dead. 
The book of Maccabees was considered inspired revelation by the majority of Jews on Jesus times. It was not untill 100 years after Jesus ascension that these books were removed from the Jewish canon, because Christians were using them evangelize the Jews of this time.

In His love…

Catholic Deacon

 

[Ignatius]

we follow what Jesus did.

rosarytapes.com/pray.html

Jn 11:41

The dead benefit from prayers because of Jesus. Lk 8:41
.

That doesn’t seem to be in either John 11:41 or Luke 8:41

Joh 11:40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Joh 11:41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
Joh 11:42 I knew that thou hearest me always, but I have said this on account of the people standing by, that they may believe that thou didst send me.”

Luk 8:38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but he sent him away, saying,
Luk 8:39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.
Luk 8:40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.
Luk 8:41 And there came a man named Ja’irus, who was a ruler of the synagogue; and falling at Jesus’ feet he besought him to come to his house,
Luk 8:42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As he went, the people pressed round him.

Are you sure you’ve got the right scripture?

 

[threadkiller]

Praying for the dead stems from our Jewish heritage. Fasting is prayer. Jer.14:12 “If they fast, I will not hear their supplicatiions… .” King David fasted(prayed) for Saul and Jonathon after their deaths 2Sam.1:12. I think St. Paul may have referred to this practice in 1Cor.15:29 when people were being baptized for the dead. I believe this is the baptism of suffering(Ma.10:38, 39, Lu.12:50) brought on by fasting. Sorry about that Mormons.

 

[beeliner]

dude,
Protestants do not accept Maccabee’s. the Jews didn’t either.
it isn’t considered inspired.

Jean, if I understand you correctly, you are saying that the two books of the Maccabees included in the LXX (there are, I believe, three others that are not included there) are not part of the Hebrew canon, and you are correct.

For reasons now obscure, when the Hebrew canon was closed in about AD90, these books were considered too recent to be included. It was strictly a matter of dating and had nothing to do with the books’ content, nor for that matter with the degree of ‘inspiration’ involved in the writings.

Now, having established that, all educated Jews are familiar with the works of the Maccabees and all religious Jews pray for their dead, especially on the anniversary of the person’s death. This practice is called ‘yertzeit’, from the German word Jahreszeit, meaning ‘time of year’ or ‘season’.

It would seem quite likely that, as an observant Jew, Jesus Himself followed this custom.