Praying for people already past

[Mark_Robert]

Since God transcends time and space, past, present and future don’t really apply to Him. My question is, since that’s true, can we pray for the salvation of someone already dead? That is, can we pray that they received the grace of salvation before they died? Conceivably, God could answer not only the prayers that were said for the indvidual before they died but future intercessory prayers for them as well? That would mean that graces were offered to the person in light of both God’s knowledge of the past and his foreknowledge of the future applying both past and future intercessory graces to the person at the moment of death.

 

[Trishie]

Because time is no barrier for God, I usually ask Jesus to go to the person at the instant of death, to show them His goodness and love, His saving action for them and invite them to repent and accept Him. I pray for the dying person’s acceptance of this grace.

What you say sounds very reasonable to me.

 

[Belle10]

You could pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy for them…it’s a beautiful prayer and Jesus said even the most hardened sinner, if he turn to Him at the moment of death, would be forgiven and shown mercy with the chaplet. I agree time is no barrier for God (nothing is!) so I’d suggest the chaplet for those who have already passed.

 

[Robbinson]

Because time is no barrier for God, I usually ask Jesus to go to the person at the instant of death, to show them His goodness and love, His saving action for them and invite them to repent and accept Him. I pray for the dying person’s acceptance of this grace.

What you say sounds very reasonable to me.

Wow - I had this very discussion with a friend from Opus Dei today! I agree and what a comforting thought.

Blessings,

Brian

 

[Andruschak]

Since God transcends time and space, past, present and future don’t really apply to Him. My question is, since that’s true, can we pray for the salvation of someone already dead? That is, can we pray that they received the grace of salvation before they died? Conceivably, God could answer not only the prayers that were said for the indvidual before they died but future intercessory prayers for them as well? That would mean that graces were offered to the person in light of both God’s knowledge of the past and his foreknowledge of the future applying both past and future intercessory graces to the person at the moment of death.

I would hope so. My biological father died in the year 1963, as a Lutheran. It has taken me many many years to forgive him. But two years ago I had a set of Gregorian Masses said for the repose of his soul. I hope and pray that this is retroactive to the time of his death

 

[CatsAndDogs]

Since God transcends time and space, past, present and future don’t really apply to Him. My question is, since that’s true, can we pray for the salvation of someone already dead?

You can pray for a person not yet alive!

You can pray for your own great-great-great-grandson when you are 12 years old.

If you pray truly for anyone, God will notice and respond.

Praying for someone who has been in life is even more “direct”, and God will likewise be generous beyond measure (as usual).

That is, can we pray that they received the grace of salvation before they died? Conceivably, God could answer not only the prayers that were said for the indvidual before they died but future intercessory prayers for them as well? That would mean that graces were offered to the person in light of both God’s knowledge of the past and his foreknowledge of the future applying both past and future intercessory graces to the person at the moment of death.

 

[epower]

There was a university that set up some prayer experiments. They had volunteers pray for a certain result in an experiment. The experiment was setup by an atheist professor to prove that prayer did not work. The thing that they were praying for had already happened. When the results were checked at the end of the experiment, the prayer results were higher then what could have been expected due to random chance. You can pray for anything at anytime (past, present or future). It is amazing.

 

[Veritas41]

Since God transcends time and space, past, present and future don’t really apply to Him. My question is, since that’s true, can we pray for the salvation of someone already dead? That is, can we pray that they received the grace of salvation before they died? Conceivably, God could answer not only the prayers that were said for the indvidual before they died but future intercessory prayers for them as well? That would mean that graces were offered to the person in light of both God’s knowledge of the past and his foreknowledge of the future applying both past and future intercessory graces to the person at the moment of death.

Yes, I’ve heard priests talk about this – God offered His grace to the Blessed Mother to preserve her from original sin in light of the future sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, so it makes sense that He can take “future” prayers to answer in the present