Purgatory question

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Continuing the discussion from Greetings!:

Is the Catholic doctrine of “praying someone out of purgatory” derived from this verse?

16 “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that”
1st John 5:16
 
“Praying someone out of purgatory” is 100% a matter of God’s mercy and grace. It is a spiritual work of mercy on our part, and Servant of God Fr. John Hardon believed that that the mercy we show to others, such as in prayer, will also result in mercy being shown them.

Our Lord forgiving and praying for His killers from the cross is one such example. “They know not what they do” I note here that a requirement of mortal sin is knowledge.

If it takes an entire life of prayer, that stands to benefit two souls: those for whom we pray, as well as ourselves.
 
Kevin11 said:
Is the Catholic doctrine of “praying someone out of purgatory” derived from this verse?
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Catholic don’t pray souls out of purgatory. Our prayers are to God, begging Him to have mercy on the souls in purgatory and to free them from their pains, to release them from purgatory, to bring them into eternal rest where His Light shines upon them for all eternity. It is we who intercede for them as they cannot intercede for themselves.
Kevin11 said:
If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death,
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Therefore a venial sin. Only mortal sin results in the death of the life of grace within the soul.

So when we see a brother sinning we pray to God to have mercy on them, to touch their hearts and open their eyes in such a way that they will repent and change, their ways. Our prayers at these times are also our importuning God to have mercy on them when they appear before His Majesty at their particular judgement. All of which is my intention when in these circumstances I pray “Lord have mercy, or Lord forgive them”.
 
Kevin11 said:
Continuing the discussion from Greetings!:

Is the Catholic doctrine of “praying someone out of purgatory” derived from this verse?
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No. All our Doctrines are from what we call the Deposit of Faith. Jesus Christ established the Catholic Church by selecting 12 Apostles and giving them authority to go out into the world and Teach all that He commanded.

The Deposit of Faith consists of all of Jesus Teachings, which we call Sacred Tradition. The Catholic Church then took this Sacred Tradition and wrote it down in the New Testament.
16 “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that” 1st John 5:16
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This verse substantiates the Catholic Doctrine of mortal and venial sin. But it also has something to do with Purgatory. Unrepented mortal sin results in a soul going straight to hell. Those in Purgatory only have venial sins on their soul. Or, they have repented of mortal sins but must still pay for the “temporal” effects of those sins.

What would temporal effects of sins be? Well, say that someone commits a serious crime and then repents. But, another person sees him and is inspired to go out and commit crime. That is a temporal effect. Although the first criminal repented, he is partially responsible for the crimes of the guy whom he inspired.

There are other verses which help explain the Doctrine of Purgatory.

Does that help?
 
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"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,
leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
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So, Purgatory is sort of like that. And when we pray for people in Purgatory, it’s like we’re applying our prayers and merits towards someone else’s account. Not that we can actually transfer merit, but we can make satisfaction on someone else’s behalf. We’re all called to the aid of other members within the Body of Christ— whether we’re currently part of the Church Militant, Church Suffering, or Church Triumphant.

But the exchange rate is more favorable when we’re here on earth. After death, it’s God’s justice that’s being exacted— but during our lives, we’re able to access God’s grace.
 
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