Praying to the dead?

[polishprincess]

I’m not 100% sure this is the right posting place…but anyway!

Would it be a sin to pray to the dead who we believe made it to heaven?

I heard a priest say that we can, but I’m not all that sure he’s right!

God’s blessings be upon you!

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

It is my understanding that it probably isn’t a great idea. We have saints for a reason. A better idea would be to pray FOR the dead. Purgatory needs our petitions.

I’m sure that if you prayed to a person who you thought was in heaven that if the unthinkable were true and they were in hell your prayers would go to the communion of saints.

I would shudder to think if someone had died and I prayed TO them instead of for them in purgatory.

I don’t think it is forbidden to do as you say, I just think it might be healthier and more beneficial to stick to the cannon of saints and praying for the dead.

Good topic for this week!

 

[polishprincess]

It is my understanding that it probably isn’t a great idea. We have saints for a reason. A better idea would be to pray FOR the dead. Purgatory needs our petitions.

I’m sure that if you prayed to a person who you thought was in heaven that if the unthinkable were true and they were in hell your prayers would go to the communion of saints.

I would shudder to think if someone had died and I prayed TO them instead of for them in purgatory.

I don’t think it is forbidden to do as you say, I just think it might be healthier and more beneficial to stick to the cannon of saints and praying for the dead.

Good topic for this week!

Thanks! God bless!

 

[Ad_Orientem]

When I asked a priest about this, he said it is perfectly alright *privately *to ask the intercession of deceased family and friends who we have good reason to believe they died in God’s grace and friendship. IIRC, Fr. Trigilio of EWTN once said something to this effect in response to a question on his radio program.

Let’s not forget that during the beatification process, a miracle must be obtained by invoking the deceased–who is not yet beatified. But obviously these are persons who lived heroic virtue. I wouldn’t invoke just anybody.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

When I asked a priest about this, he said it is perfectly alright *privately *to ask the intercession of deceased family and friends who we have good reason to believe they died in God’s grace and friendship. IIRC, Fr. Trigilio of EWTN once said something to this effect in response to a question on his radio program.

Let’s not forget that during the beatification process, a miracle must be obtained by invoking the deceased–who is not yet beatified. But obviously these are persons who lived heroic virtue. I wouldn’t invoke just anybody.

That is a good point about the beatification process. I would also be cautious praying to someone who was not Catholic. I don’t want to open a huge can of worms and non Catholics CAN attain heaven but the Church has never declared a non Catholic saint.

There is a danger when someone dies to ascribe to them virtue that may not have been real.

I know that my dad, was a wonderful man, a hero to me, a great dad and by comparable standards a “good” person. He was not Catholic, nor did he have any public faith at all. I would and do pray for him, but I would not pray for his intercession. God has revealed to us a gigantic army of Saints. And he did that for a purpose. These are the holy men and women who lived virtue and who are in heaven, they have been revealed to us to serve us on our paths to heaven.

 

[fred_conty]

I’m not 100% sure this is the right posting place…but anyway!

Would it be a sin to pray to the dead who we believe made it to heaven?

I heard a priest say that we can, but I’m not all that sure he’s right!

God’s blessings be upon you!

In my understanding of the Church’s teaching of those in purgatory, either we pray for them, or to them.

For them, because they need our prayers to shorten or lessen their suffering so they may enter heaven more quickly.

To them, because they are in God’s grace and as such may pray for us as well. There have been people who say that their prayers were answered more successfully by praying to those in purgatory. They are loved by God and he hears their prayers.

If the person in purgatory is already in heaven and someone prayed for them thinking they were in purgatory, then those prayers are transferred to those in purgatory who need them.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.

 

[DarkLight]

It is also licit to pray to the dead innocents, who we know from church teaching are in heaven.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

It is also licit to pray to the dead innocents, who we know from church teaching are in heaven.

Who are the dead innocence? Is that the same as the Holy Innocents?

 

[DarkLight]

Who are the dead innocence? Is that the same as the Holy Innocents?

Any baptized child who died under the age of reason can be called an innocent, though the Holy Innocents refers specifically to the children Herod killed.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Any baptized child who died under the age of reason can be called an innocent, though the Holy Innocents refers specifically to the children Herod killed.

The Church teaches that all baptized children under the age of reason are in heaven?

I did not know that but it would kinda make sense.

 

[DarkLight]

The Church teaches that all baptized children under the age of reason are in heaven?

I did not know that but it would kinda make sense.

Baptism cleanses us from the stain of original sin. Children under the age of reason are incapable of committing mortal sin. Thus they are in heaven.

Many parents of children who died young say they find it very comforting to pray to the lost child.

 

[chero23]

Their was a thread about this, I mean we don’t know if the person has made passed purgatory and is in heaven. We can just hope that they are. But like somebody posted on here, If our prayer are well meant, even if that person for whom the prayer was given to, God won’t let it go to waste.