Why Pray for Purgatorians?

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PeterK

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By Purgatorians I refer the the “poor souls in Purgatory.” I didn’t want the subject line to get truncated in the subject index and hope the curious will peek in and read the question.

The question:

Why do we pray for the poor souls in purgatory?
Let me explain my quandary.
They are on the ‘other side.’
They have received particular judgement from none other than Christ Himself.
Who am I to request, via prayer, that this perfect judgement rendered to these souls by Christ be made less in some way or another?
Besides they are all eventually going to heaven anyway, right?
If anything it seems we should offer prayers of thankgiving that purgation exists at all, a great and undeserved mercy.
Praying for the poor souls in purgatory seems to call into question Christ’s perfect justice regarding these souls. Is Christ too harsh? Not merciful enough? I understand it is a charitable act to pray for any individual. I sympathize with the certain devotions that try to make us aware of the suffering of these souls. But are we not praying to alter the particular judgment of Christ when we pray for thier release? Is his judgement perfect or not?

Praying for the living seems more efficacious.

Thanks for listening,
Peter
 
Your way of thinking would then be: “Why pray for anything?”

God already knows the answer… doesn’t he??? Whether or not God chooses to do something, we should pray. We should always ask that his will be done.

By asking that those souls in purgatory suffer a little less, we are asking for the most unselfish thing… someone other than our- selves to sufer less. When we offer up our suffering for them, that is the most unselfish thing. Just as Jesus did for us.

Remember, to pray without ceasing. Fast & Pray! God must be able to change his mind if he wants to. He does hear our prayers, they are never wasted.
 
So that they will get to Heaven in time to pray for me when I am in Purgatory and need all the prayers I can get.
 
PeterK said:
By Purgatorians I refer the the “poor souls in Purgatory.” I didn’t want the subject line to get truncated in the subject index and hope the curious will peek in and read the question.

The question:

Why do we pray for the poor souls in purgatory?
Let me explain my quandary.
They are on the ‘other side.’
They have received particular judgement from none other than Christ Himself.
Who am I to request, via prayer, that this perfect judgement rendered to these souls by Christ be made less in some way or another?
Besides they are all eventually going to heaven anyway, right?
If anything it seems we should offer prayers of thankgiving that purgation exists at all, a great and undeserved mercy.
Praying for the poor souls in purgatory seems to call into question Christ’s perfect justice regarding these souls. Is Christ too harsh? Not merciful enough? I understand it is a charitable act to pray for any individual. I sympathize with the certain devotions that try to make us aware of the suffering of these souls. But are we not praying to alter the particular judgment of Christ when we pray for thier release? Is his judgement perfect or not?

Praying for the living seems more efficacious.

Thanks for listening,
Peter
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We are all members of Christ’s body, all bound to pray for and with each other in our sufferings. That includes you praying for the souls in Purgatory.

It’s an act of charity. Just as you offering to serve jail time in someone else’s place would be an act of charity. Doesn’t negate the justice of the original judgement, just affects the way that the penalty is paid.

And by your logic ANY prayer request would appear to call into question God’s perfect judgement of our needs. Yet Christ commanded us to pray! For our needs, and for forgiveness among other things. Who are we to argue then?
 
Because the odds are good someday you will be a purgatorian, too.
 
As well, there are places in Scripture where Christ effects grace or mercy on person A because of the actions of person B.
 
MarcoPolo said:
As well, there are places in Scripture where Christ effects grace or mercy on person A because of the actions of person B.
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Exactly - the episode of the paralysed man who was let down through the roof by his friends - it’s explicitly stated that Jesus was moved by the faith of the friends to cure him. Same with the centurion’s servant, it was because of HIS faith that the servant was cured.
 
Jesus prayed to God the Father in the garden of the garden of Gethsemane:

Luke 22:42
“Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

If Jesus prayed that God would save him from the cross why shouldn’t we humans pray for a haste release of the souls in purgatory?
 
PeterK said:
But are we not praying to alter the particular judgment of Christ when we pray for thier release?
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Christ already made his judgment, and that will never change: to Heaven they shall go. So we are not praying so to alter Christ’s judgment.

The judgment to enter heaven will be a “growing experience” for those in which an unhealthy attachment to creatures, however slight, still remains.

We pray for them to ease the “transition” that results from this judgment. It’s not to alter this judgment.

An analogy:

A man I know was given a commission to be an officer; the “judgment” he received was to enter the life of military service.

His transition into the life of military service was quite difficult; This transition (Officer Training School) was a “growing experience” for him as he was formed in the military culture he was “judged” to enter.

His family and friends prayed for him in his time of transition. Their prayers weren’t intended to reverse the “judgment” to enter military service.
 
Vincent said:
Christ already made his judgment, and that will never change: to Heaven they shall go. So we are not praying so to alter Christ’s judgment.

The judgment to enter heaven will be a “growing experience” for those in which an unhealthy attachment to creatures, however slight, still remains.

We pray for them to ease the “transition” that results from this judgment. It’s not to alter this judgment.

An analogy:

A man I know was given a commission to be an officer; the “judgment” he received was to enter the life of military service.

His transition into the life of military service was quite difficult; This transition (Officer Training School) was a “growing experience” for him as he was formed in the military culture he was “judged” to enter.

His family and friends prayed for him in his time of transition. Their prayers weren’t intended to reverse the “judgment” to enter military service.
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Unlike those who refuse the salvation offered by Christ, those in purgatory will enter heaven. That is why they are referred to as the holy souls in Purgatory. Purgatory is a place in which the last vestiges of sin are purged from our souls. Our prayers help in that regard. It is a time of final preparation/purification.
God is a God of mercy, not merely judgment. In His mercy, he has the ability to shorten any sentence imposed.
When does a silversmith know that the piece he is creating is ready? When he sees his reflection. Our prayers help God see his reflection in us and in those in final preparation for entry into heaven.
Stated another way, I see God’s judgment less in terms of time and more in terms of readiness.
As in the example given by Vincent, "When does the soldier become a soldier? When is he ready for the service he entered?
 
I pray for those in Purgatory…or possibly in Purgatory, so that they may lessen their time in transition to Heaven. However, I try not to think too much about the actual experience of Purgatory.

I had this discussion with a non-Catholic friend of mine, and he made the valid point that outside of the material world, there is no time. Therefore, “how long” is someone in Purgatory? Does purification happen instantly from an eternal perspective? From a simple mathematical perspective - Time in Purgatory divided by Time in Heaven equals?? Not possible. I’m getting a headache again. 😛

Anyway, I do understand that our prayers are not wasted, even if the person we are praying for has already transitioned to Heaven (or worse, never went to Purgatory 😦 ).
 
just a small note: while purgatory seems to be a scary place for a few people, it indeeds show the great, perfect, and merciful of God.

Think for yourself this - why should our house has a door mat at the front door?

To me, Purgatory is the Door Mat to Heaven. 😃
 
Living for this world alone , with the false notion that life is a game of pleasure , (a form of idolatry of excessive self love ) and denial of wanting to live for the better plan / will of God , for His children so that they truly can inherit what children can …these posssibly are the major circumstance of the need for purification …moments that were wasted - to be set straight , to align with God’s loving will…

At the moment of death , having realised the extent of the self centerdness, and all its repercussions , in the lives of many, may be they choose to spend the puragatorial time , to pray for others, including us…( and we can benefit, provided we too care to ask for same , by asking for God’s mercy for them .)

The holy souls ,may be , in turn , as part of their growth in truth and humility - of the interdependance of God’s creation - are allowed, to recieve the graces that we here are able to bring in , by asking for God’ mercy for them .

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and may Your perpetual light shine upon them !
 
Joe_Kelley said:
So that they will get to Heaven in time to pray for me when I am in Purgatory and need all the prayers I can get.
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👍 👍

And may :)Your Friendly Neighborhood Methodist add a singularly 😛 Wesleyan reason?? :
I pray for them because God wants me to pray for them. And knowing that, it would be a sin for me to refuse to pray for them. Mind you, I sometimes :confused: wonder at the specific people He brings to my mind to pray for…but I do it anyway. 🤷 He’ll explain it eventually. Either that, or it will be made obvious in some other fashion.
 
They are in our family, and families stick together.
Catholics are big on families, and we have the biggest family of all in the communion of saints.
So, go pray for a family member right now!🙂
 
water said:
just a small note: while purgatory seems to be a scary place for a few people, it indeeds show the great, perfect, and merciful of God.

Think for yourself this - why should our house has a door mat at the front door?

To me, Purgatory is the Door Mat to Heaven. 😃
Click to expand...
Marcus Grodi of the Coming Home Network refers to Purgatory as “God’s Mud Room”.🙂
 
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