Praying for relatives' past sins?

[jbettin]

Can we legitimately do this? If they’re still alive, it seems like it would be OK to pray that they come to recognize their sins as sins.

What about for relatives who have died? Presumably, someone who’s died has already had their particular judgement. OTOH, God is outside of time.

 

[AndyF]

jbettin:

Most definitely.!

You can intercede for others who have passed on. However, prayers have no effect for those who have met their reward of true death. For those in purgatory it has enormous help.
Those in heaven and have obtained their alloted beatific gift can be of great assistance to those living, as they are in commune with the Father. (I know my Mum puts in a good word for me.).

Better still I think is to get the Saints to intercede for us. Who can refuse their request, hey?

When we go to heaven we get to find out all the prayers that were said in our behalf and those who said them. Must be a very moving experience.

AndyF

 

[Todd_Easton]

Praying for the dead and offering sacrifices for the dead that they might be loosed from their venial sins is a “holy and pious” practice. See 2 Maccabees 12:38-46.

 

[Jaypeeto4]

Yes, you can pray for your relatives who have died.
God is outside of time.
God may have granted final repentance and saving grace
to your dying relative based on the prayer he FORESAW that you were going to offer for him or her in the future.

Jaypeeto4 (aka Jaypeeto3)

 

[Church_Militant]

This is called “Generational healing” where I am and I think it’s a load of New Age Christianized psycho-babble and I want nothing to do with it. The one guy that pushes it hardest that I know of talks a lot of foolishness and heresy.

Here’s a good article on it.

There is nothing in Catholic teachings to support “Generational Healing” In fact, there is plenty to support that this belief is nothing more than a “wishful magic formula” that inter-mingles Catholic Church Liturgy such as the Holy Mass and the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to give credibility to its movement. In its process, “Generational Healing” rejects the Catholic teachings regarding the Sacraments of Baptism and Confession.

LINK
Pax tecum,