Should I pray for the Reformers tonight?

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Tonight is the Requiem High Mozart Mass for All Souls (Observed). Would it be Christian of me to pray for the Reformers who caused the split or is it a lost cause for them? Should I pray for them anyway, despite them maybe not having a prayer, seeing as how no prayer goes unwasted?

Ta muchly for all the legitimate answers!
 
why and in what circumstances could it ever conceivably be wrong to pray for anyone who has died? don’t understand the question.
 
All Souls is the commemoration of the “faithful departed.” This is jsut my opinion, but I would use this day to honor and pray for the faithful departed since it is set aside specifically for that purpose. Pray for the “Reformers” on a different day. I just think that would be the appropriate thing to do.
 
Genesis315 said:
All Souls is the commemoration of the “faithful departed.” This is jsut my opinion, but I would use this day to honor and pray for the faithful departed since it is set aside specifically for that purpose. Pray for the “Reformers” on a different day. I just think that would be the appropriate thing to do.
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I agree that would be more appropriate. Also, because on All Souls Day, we realy should pray for all souls, and not just some of them. Not that there’s anything wrong with remembering specific people, but we should keep in mind that the very pupose of the day is to pray for all those who have no one to pray for them.

Think of it this way, who needs our prayers more, those who erred, or those who were faithful? Since the ones we’re talking about themselves denied the efficacy of prayers for the dead, their followers are not praying for them. Once they are (or were, since we can never presume on God’s judgment) released from Purgatory, how much more will they as purified saints pray for those who prayed for their souls when no one else did? Just a thought…
 
I should think you could pray privately for anyone you wished to, at any time you wished.
 
adstrinity said:
Tonight is the Requiem High Mozart Mass for All Souls (Observed). Would it be Christian of me to pray for the Reformers who caused the split or is it a lost cause for them?
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As I understand the Catholic view (at least as currently taught and expressed), you can legitimately hope for the salvation of anyone. And I think it’s within the bounds of Catholic orthodoxy to hope that the Reformers in particular, who had much to confuse them and alienate them from the Church, may have found mercy from God in spite of the evil they did. (I am expressing my own view here–I agree that they did great evil.)
Should I pray for them anyway, despite them maybe not having a prayer, seeing as how no prayer goes unwasted?
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Well, I once prayed for Lenin (while crossing Red Square–it seemed appropriate). But then I’m a heretical Episcopalian. (Actually I was not an Episcopalian at that time–I was an unattached/nondenominational/confused person. I’m still confused, of course.)

Edwin

P.S.

Did you say Mozart Requiem? Used as originally intended, liturgically? Oh glory!
 
Contarini said:
As I understand the Catholic view (at least as currently taught and expressed), you can legitimately hope for the salvation of anyone. And I think it’s within the bounds of Catholic orthodoxy to hope that the Reformers in particular, who had much to confuse them and alienate them from the Church, may have found mercy from God in spite of the evil they did. (I am expressing my own view here–I agree that they did great evil.)

Well, I once prayed for Lenin (while crossing Red Square–it seemed appropriate). But then I’m a heretical Episcopalian. (Actually I was not an Episcopalian at that time–I was an unattached/nondenominational/confused person. I’m still confused, of course.)

Edwin

P.S.

Did you say Mozart Requiem? Used as originally intended, liturgically? Oh glory!
Click to expand...
Not only can we hope for that salvation, we MUST hope for it.
  1. The mercy of God is infinite.
  2. We can never presume on His judgment.
And yes, we may pray for anyone living or dead at any time. (the only exception being that we may not pray for the souls of the canonized saints)
 
It’s a spiritual work of mercy to pray for the dead. God will take your prayers into account. No one knows who is lost or saved, (except those canonized by the Church) and God takes all our prayers into account, God is outside of time that’s why he can accept prayers now that influnce what happened then.

(As an aside I believe that Luther and Calvin are in hell and there is no use praying for them. All it takes is one unrepented mortal sin to get there. The reformers committed several.) If a Catholic can go to hell because of one unrepented mortal sin, do you think Protestants are excluded?
 
eelpis said:
It’s a spiritual work of mercy to pray for the dead. God will take your prayers into account. No one knows who is lost or saved, (except those canonized by the Church) and God takes all our prayers into account, God is outside of time that’s why he can accept prayers now that influnce what happened then.

(As an aside I believe that Luther and Calvin are in hell and there is no use praying for them. All it takes is one unrepented mortal sin to get there. The reformers committed several.) If a Catholic can go to hell because of one unrepented mortal sin, do you think Protestants are excluded?
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Might Luther or Calvin have repented on their deathbeds?
 
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