Posted on 03/11/2017 9:24:41 AM PST by Salvation
Question: Is it permitted to have Masses offered for departed non-Catholics and non-Christians? How do the graces of the Mass benefit these departed souls? — Marie Pucalik, Mayport, Pennsylvania
Answer: It is permitted and encouraged to pray and have Masses celebrated for all the dead, including non-Catholics and non-Christians. The deceased may need and deserve our prayers. This is perhaps, even more, the case for those who died without the help of the sacraments. The fruits of holy Mass are a great treasure for the souls in purgatory.
How the graces benefit non-Catholics is, of course, dependent on their judgment before Christ. Scripture says, “for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor 5:10). Those who die in serious, unrepented sin cannot inherit heaven. Souls in hell cannot benefit from our prayers. Other souls, who die repentant of serious sin but still not yet perfected are consigned to the purification effected in purgatory (see 1 Cor 3:13-15). It is these souls, Catholic or not, that can benefit from our prayers. Our prayers for them beseech God’s grace in greater abundance as he brings to perfection the work he began in them (see Phil 1:6). Souls that have already attained heaven do not need our prayers, but it is a traditional and pious belief that our prayers are then applied to others.
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As said, all of this depends on the judgment of God. Other than in the case of canonized saints, the Church does not presume to know the current state of others who have died. While it is surely more difficult to be saved apart from the sacraments and faith in Jesus Christ, only God can judge if a person was prevented from understanding the need for Christian faith, baptism and membership in the Church, the moral vision of the Gospel and so forth. Thus we are encouraged to pray for all who have died, beseeching God’s mercy in judgment and his healing for them insofar as they are needful and able to receive it.
There is a prudential matter to be considered in informing non-Catholic family members of the deceased that we are having Masses offered. Though we mean well by it, not all are imbued with our understanding and might feel awkward or averse to our announcement of prayer. In cases like this, having the Masses offered discreetly may be more prudent. But that the Masses should be offered is certain. Surely no soul in purgatory can fail to be grateful for any prayer on their behalf, especially the perfect prayer of the Mass.
Monsignor Pope Ping for OSV column.
well stated, right to the point, and perfectly understandable.
We have had a Mass celebrated for the many unemployed in Houston with prayers for an upturn in the energy industry.
Hire, baby, hire!
The roman catholic teaching on this is in contrast with the NT.
These verses from Hebrews completely contradict Roman Catholic teaching on praying for the dead and the Mass where Christ is resacrificed over and over and over again.
If a person dies without Christ, their eternity is decided. They are sadly consigned to Hell...not Heaven.
23Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
25nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.
26Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
27And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
28so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. Hebrews 9:23-28 NASB
Oh ealgeone, you are not qualified to interpret the bible. This is why there are 30,000 Protestant denominations each with their own interpretation, and only a catholic priest is qualified to tell us what it means, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
So we’ve been told!
The Holy Mass is not a repeated sacrifice, but the same sacrifice St. Paul is talking about, on the Golgotha hill.
It is generally a good idea to learn something about the theology you attempt to critique.
In the faith of millions, a Roman Catholic priest disagrees with you. Will provide his exact quote latter.
Don’t bother, we have priests of all kinds. They are not oracles.
Hey...the priest is the “official” authority in roman catholicism....not the individual.
Indeed it is greater than even the power of the Virgin Mary. While the Blessed Virgin was the human agency by which Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man - not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ, the eternal and omnipotent God, bows his head in humble obedience to the priest's command. p.255
https://books.google.com/books?id=O-kj_LncEjAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+priest+calls+Christ+down+from+Heaven&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj4mazduNHSAhXMNSYKHQ30CFoQ6AEIJzAC#v=onepage&q=the%20priest%20calls%20Christ%20down%20from%20Heaven&f=false
The Faith of Millions, The Credentials of the Catholic Religion, Rev. John A. O'Brien
Nihil obstat: Rev. Lawrence Gollner, Censor Librorum
Imprimatur: Leo A. Pursley, Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, March 16, 1974
The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet are free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained hterein that those who have granted Nihil Obstat or Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.
I can understand why you don't want his teaching exposed.
It is counter to the NT in so many ways.
That the priest is: he celebrates the Eucharist.
But we have priests that preach in error from time to time. And of course we have the infallible Protestant men that never err in the reading comprehension.
The book was declared to be free from error: The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet are free of doctrinal or moral error.
As I said before....I can understand why catholics hate it when this is posted from this book.
It stands in contradiction of the NT.
Or a Catholic pope. You forgot the sarcasm tag. Otherwise an RC must assert that an infallible interpreter is essential for knowing what is of God (both men and writings), and thus following itinerant preachers who were not ordained by the historical magisterial stewards of Scripture, but are rejected by them, and instead presume to establish their claims upon Scriptural substantiation in word and in power, must necessarily be rejected. You should know where that leads.
More provocative promotion of prevarication. 1 Cor 3 is NOT referring to RC purgatory, where imperfect believers experience purifying torments commencing at death in order to atone for sins and become good enough to enter Heaven.
Instead, 1Co. 3:8ff is about the judgment seat of Christ (For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10) , in which the manner of material which believers used to build the church with is revealed (Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. (1 Corinthians 3:8) Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. (1 Corinthians 3:13) , and believers receive and or lose rewards based on whether the material is combustible or not.
And in which the only suffering for believers is that of the loss of reward (and implicitly the Lord's grievous disapproval), while the believers are saved despite this loss - Not because of it (If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3:14-15) .
For instance, insomuch as one built their church, directly or indirectly, by exalting mortals above that which is written, and or used unScriptural means, thus resulting in tares (which are burnt: Mt. 13:40) shall suffer loss (if they are saved at all). For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3:9-15)
Meanwhile the precious stones with fire-tried faith (1Pt. 1:7) endure, and gain rewards for the instruments of their faithfulness. Thus Paul says to the Thessalonians, "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? " (1 Thess. 2:19; cf. Rv. 3:11) And to the Corinthians, we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus. 2Cor. 1:14) And to the Philippians, that being my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. (Phil. 4:1)
Moreover, this judgment seat of Christ does not occur at death, but at the Lord's return. (1Cor. 4:5; 2Tim. 4:1,8; Rev.11:18; Mt. 25:31-46; 1Pt. 1:7; 5:4)
This fact alone disallows 1 Cor. 3 from referring to purgatory. [Going further into eschatology, the Bible most apparently teaches that the resurrected/raptured saints (who have part in the first resurrection - the resurrection of life: Jn. 5:29a; Rev. 20:6,7,14) will return with the LORD from Heaven to execute judgment, and to reign with with Him for the 1,000 year millennium. (Rv. 2:27; 19:15; 20:6 - and during which the Jews shall be tested): And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." (Jude 1:14-15; cf. Mal. 3:18; Mt 16:27; 19:28; Mt 24:30,31; 25:31; Lk. 22:20; 2Th 1:7,8; Re 1:7; 5:10; 19:6-20; 20:4) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. (Mt. 13:43) And as stars differs from one another in glory, (1Cor. 15:41) it is not unreasonable to suppose that in eternity some saints might shine brighter than another, depending upon how single their eye was on earth, (Mt. 6:22) and how they responded to the light and grace they received. (Lk. 12:48)]
Nowhere does Scripture tell of believers being in a place of suffering for a time commencing at death, but while the tormented postmortem state of the lost is clear, in accordance with accountability, and relevant to grace given, (Lk. 10:12-14; 12:48; Rv. 20:11-15) the only clear references to the postmortem place elect souls go to refers to them being with the Lord.
Not only did the penitent criminal go to "paradise" (Lk. 23:43; cf. 2Cor. 12:4; Rv. 2:7) as did Stephen, (Acts 7:59) but so would Paul and co. be with the Lord once absent from the body (Phil. 1:23,24) - even though Paul told the Philippians that was he not already perfect. (Phil. 3:12).Likewise he stated to the Corinthians, "We [plural] are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8) and so would every resurrected Corinthian believer (1Cor. 15:51ff) or Thessalonian if the Lord returned in their lifetime, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1Thess. 4:17) - even though in the former case at least believers were in need of greater purification. (2Cor. 7:1)
Furthermore, Scripture only reveals growth in grace and overcoming as being realized in this world, with its temptations and trials, (1 Peter 1:6-7; 1Jn.2:14; 5:4,5; Rv. 2.7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21) where alternatives to submitting to God can be made (suffering itself does not make one mature) and thus it was here that the Lord Himself was made perfect, (Heb. 2:10) as in experientially proved, being in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Heb. 4:15) Thus what Scripture teaches is that it is on earth that testing and overcoming takes place, and that the elect go to be with the Lord upon death, or at His return, whichever comes first, and then they are judged as to the manner of works, reflecting their faith, and are rewarded and or suffer loss of rewards. While perfection of character in this life. Mt 5:48 is invoked in support of this perfection being needed to be with God (which in context refers to treating your enemy benevolently), yet this does not teach that the achievement of absolute moral perfection in this life is a perquisite for salvation, which idea requires redefining salvation as to mean progressing to a state of being just enough by moral perfection to be with the Lord, and that being absent from the body means present in purgatory, not with the Lord, contrary to what is expressly stated. And which is akin to placing one under the Law, (Gal. 3:10) versus justification by imputed righteousness (justfying the unGodly by faith: Rm. 4:5) appropriated by a faith,, but a faith which effects holiness. For while salvific faith is one which characteristically effects the obedience of faith toward its Object (which faith in any moral authority will do), and which is an overcoming kind of faith, (Rv. 2,3), and grows towards the maturity which is called perfection, (Col. 1:28; 4:12; Ja. 1:4; 3:2; 1Jn. 4:17) and which faith has great recompense of reward, (Heb. 10:35), yet Scripture states that believers (being of true faith) are presently saved (Titus 3:5), and positionally perfect (Heb. 10:14) and seated in Heaven. (Eph. 2:6) And thus Christ can dwell with them now - "Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27) - and as shown, they can and will go to be with the Lord at death, or at the Lord's return. Thus while salvific faith is a faith characterized by following Jesus, (Jn. 10:27,28) a postmortem further refinement of character is not necessary for believers of true faith to eternal life, nor it such provided. The soul who is saved is one who choses light over darkness and so comes to Christ, (Jn. 3:19-21) and who responds to conviction of sin by repentance, (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 1Thes. 1:9; 2Cor. 7:10,11) who therefore rest upon Christ and His blood for salvation, (Rm. 3:25; 4:5) but whose faith requires him to be one who hateth his life in this world (Jn. 12:25) in preference to serving the Lord whose kingdom is not of this world, (Jn. 18:36) and to repent when convicted of not being so, as he seeks to serve his LORD, (Mk. 8:35) including sharing the faith, following the Lord with others of such faith. (1Thes. 1:2-8) And seeking to be approved of Christ as He will judge and recompense all, (2Cor. 5:7-11) and who by patience and faith endure persecutions and tribulations because of his faith, as well as chastisement needed for holiness. (Heb. 12:7-9; 1Cor. 11:32) And who wants to be free from the power of sin, (Rm. 7:24) and be like His LORD, and be changed from his vile body to be clothed upon with his new body from heaven, (2Cor. 5:2) and who looks forward to the coming of Christ, (1Thes. 1:10) who shall be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe. (2Thes. 1:10)
Look what God said would be...
Amos 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
That ‘famine’ is wide and deep... regardless of what some in preachers costumes wear.
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