question about praying for the dead

[inquiringsoul63]

Is there a specific length of time after a person’s death that we continue to pray for their soul? A couple of examples; if my father passed away almost 20 years ago do I continue to pray for his soul? Another example; I just heard this month that a friend of mine from high school passed away 6 years ago. I had not seen this friend in 23 years but at one time we were somewhat close. I have no idea how this friend lived his life after we lost contact with each other, but know that he had a family. I don’t know whether he lived as a Christian or what the circumstances were of his death. Hearing of his death has bothered me and I’m sad that we lost contact with each other and that it is now too late.

 

[NiceMimi]

I am sorry that I don’t have an answer, but I look forward to the answers of others who are more knowledgeable on this matter.

 

[karebear92]

There is not a time limit for how long we can pray, though it is only healthy for the frequency to decrease as time passes. God lives outside of time and nobody can possibly know the length one is in Purgatory. Your prayers are never useless, though, even if the soul has already entered Heaven. What God does with them I can’t really answer, but a prayer is always heard.

Sorry for your loss.

God bless!!!

 

[maryjk]

I still pray for the soul’s of my grandparents. One died when my Mom was just 1 1/2 years old, I never met him. The last one died in 1985.

I now pray for my Mom’s soul. She died just 2 months ago.

 

[105lynne]

All I know is that I lost my mother 2 years ago and I will never, ever stop praying for her. Personally, I don’t see how she couldn’t have gone straight to Heaven. But, you never know what people struggle with. In spite of my gut feeling she’s in Heaven, I’m not going to risk assuming she’s fine. If she is in Heaven, my prayers intended for her soul won’t be wasted. Plus, I always pray that, if a certain soul I’m praying for is already in Heaven, my prayers are applied to someone who is in need instead.
And I remember reading somewhere (don’t remember what source) that God remembers how much you do for the poor souls and has mercy on you if you go there. shrug

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

You can continue praying for a person who has passed away, whether it be a year after the person has passed away or a 100 years. This is because God is outside time and space (“transcendent”) and therefore has the ability to see all of our future actions such as prayer and take them into account. Indeed, “I am the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelations 1:8) which means that God is the beginning and the end. He has seen it all before they even take place (Exodus 9:16).

In addition, it is also possible that a person who has passed away may be in Purgatory. In that case, praying for them is beneficial as it can help reduce the “debt” that they owe. The “debt” a soul in Purgatory has to pay for are venial sins and mortal sins which have not had penance equivalent to the severity of the sin. Praying for them can help them reduce their debt, and consequently, reduce either the time or harshness of their purification in Purgatory. This is also supported biblically: “Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin” (2 Maccabees 12:46).

 

[bnbkaine]

I pray for all souls in Purgatory, especially those who have no one to pray for them. In my head, I always imagine some soul that has been kicking it in Purgatory for ages. I would not stop praying for anyone I care about. As another poster said, no prayer is wasted. Plus it is a spiritual work of mercy to pray for the dead. I don’t ever remember seeing anything that specified a time.

 

[midori]

There’s no set time limit. It’s good to not forget people and assume they’ve gone to heaven more quickly than they really have— I’d rather pray for someone for too long, and have the extra prayers passed along to someone else, rather than stop praying for someone too soon.

But I also try to weight the “oomphy” stuff you can do for the Souls closer to their time of death. For example, if I want a novena of Masses (a series of 9 masses), or a Gregorian mass (a series of 30 masses) said for the repose of someone in particular, it makes sense to make such arrangements sooner than later. With private prayers, I tend to remember people by name when their passing is still relatively fresh in my memory, but after a period, they end up grouped in a generic petition for the “souls of my friends and family in Purgatory.”

 

[Insight]

Is there a specific length of time after a person’s death that we continue to pray for their soul? A couple of examples; if my father passed away almost 20 years ago do I continue to pray for his soul? Another example; I just heard this month that a friend of mine from high school passed away 6 years ago. I had not seen this friend in 23 years but at one time we were somewhat close. I have no idea how this friend lived his life after we lost contact with each other, but know that he had a family. I don’t know whether he lived as a Christian or what the circumstances were of his death. Hearing of his death has bothered me and I’m sad that we lost contact with each other and that it is now too late.

There is no time limit, always pray for them.

God Bless