purgees

[mark_a]

I heard on Catholic radio that those in purgatory cannot pray for themselves.

'zat so?

While I’m at it, how long should one pray for a loved one who might be there? I read that Jews considered it rude to pray for a deceased loved one for more than 11 months.

 

[Todd_Easton]

My :twocents: …
Only the living in this world who are in the state of grace can earn merit with which to pay the temporal debt of their own sins or the temporal debt of the sins of those in purgatory. Those in purgatory itself are beyond earning meriting, as too are those in heaven, and so those in purgatory can’t pray their way out of it.

You might want to think of those in purgatory as those thrown into a debtors’ prison (Matthew 5:25-26) until they work off their debt to “the last penny,” at a fixed rate of say fifty dollars a day. There is nothing they themselves can do to reduce their sentence. However, their sentence can be reduced if someone with means who is outside the prison pays off their debt for them.

The souls in purgatory may be able to intercede for the living, as the dead rich man did for his living brothers from his place of fiery torment. (Luke 16:19-31.) Although, as far as I know, the Church does not officially invoke the intercession of the souls in purgatory in her liturgies, as she does the saints in heaven, she does permit private devotions to the intercession of the souls in purgatory.

 

[mark_a]

My :twocents: …
Only the living in this world who are in the state of grace can earn merit with which to pay the temporal debt of their own sins or the temporal debt of the sins of those in purgatory. Those in purgatory itself are beyond earning meriting, as too are those in heaven, and so those in purgatory can’t pray their way out of it.

You might want to think of those in purgatory as those thrown into a debtors’ prison (Matthew 5:25-26) until they work off their debt to “the last penny,” at a fixed rate of say fifty dollars a day. There is nothing they themselves can do to reduce their sentence. However, their sentence can be reduced if someone with means who is outside the prison pays off their debt for them.

The souls in purgatory may be able to intercede for the living, as the dead rich man did for his living brothers from his place of fiery torment. (Luke 16:19-31.) Although, as far as I know, the Church does not officially invoke the intercession of the souls in purgatory in her liturgies, as she does the saints in heaven, she does permit private devotions to the intercession of the souls in purgatory.

Thanks. Any thoughts on the other question I had:

While I’m at it, how long should one pray for a loved one who might be there? I read that Jews considered it rude to pray for a deceased loved one for more than 11 months.

 

[Convert_in_99]

I heard on Catholic radio that those in purgatory cannot pray for themselves.

'zat so?

While I’m at it, how long should one pray for a loved one who might be there? I read that Jews considered it rude to pray for a deceased loved one for more than 11 months.

I don’t think they can pray for themselves. But thanks be to God that once they are there they are guaranteed heaven…and they know this. The suffering is caused by the purification of soul that must be endured before they can live forever with the merciful God whom they have already been judged by. They WANT to go to purgatory because they have seen God and their sins and want to be purged and washed of all uncleanliness before they are exposed to the immaculate prescence of God and before they live forever with Him.

The GOOD NEWS is that one in purgatory CANNOT go to hell. PRAISE GOD THEY ARE SAVED. But, yes, we must pray for them that their sufferings be eased and they go more quickly to God in heaven.

Also, no prayer is wasted. Simply offer prayers for the deceased for as long as you’d like. If prayer is no longer needed for them…it will surely be transfered to someone else in need. God knows…he just wants the prayer…He will do with it what He sees fit.

 

[Andruschak]

I heard on Catholic radio that those in purgatory cannot pray for themselves.

'zat so?

While I’m at it, how long should one pray for a loved one who might be there? I read that Jews considered it rude to pray for a deceased loved one for more than 11 months.

One might purchase a set of Gregorian masses for the dead person. This in addition to daily prayers. Some of us, me for example, pray daily (and often) for The Poor Souls. We offer indulgences and merits for them through Mary, Mother of the Poor Souls. The Rosary is especially effective, packed as it is with indulgenced prayers.

The pious belief is that the Poor Souls, once liberated by the prayers of a living person, will devote their time in heaven to prayers and petitions for the one who released them from Purgatory, hoping one day to thank them in person.