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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
funeral mass	william	Monday, January 10, 2005
Question: Hello, Was wondering about saying mass for someone after they die. I was thinking this was kind of wasteful and not too bright of a thing to do. If the person is dead then they are already in purgatory, heaven or hell. Mass could ease their pain in purgatory I guess, but the person in purgatory is already assured of heaven. So my question is "wouldn't the church be able to save more souls if all the masses in the World were offerred for the living? When two armies or nations are at war and they have only so many arrows, bullets, tanks, men...etc; each side has to decide where and when to use each weapon and resource to get the maxium effect. It seems to me since the "Mass" is one of the most powerful weapons the church has, and there are only so many masses being said each day; the Bishop should ask or tell all the priests that when ever they say a mass they should always include in their intention some living person and never say a mass solely for the dead. question #2 IN this way couldn't more souls be saved? quesition #3 After all what is more important? Helping souls in purgatory or snatching souls from satan's snare and saving them from damnation? Couldn't the Priest say this mass for the deceased and the living family members ---the living family members and deceased family members of the one that died? And also offer the Mass for the family descendants of the descendants that will come in the future(the ones that are born after one dies) A Priest once told me "time is nothing for God" so I don't think this is a strange ideal. Seems to me the church should make this ideal doctrine. We only have so much time and isn't the main battle How many souls will go to heaven and how many souls will go to Satan? maybe Priests already do this? I haven't been to many funerals. God Bless? Wialliam V
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear William: Prayer is not a waste of time, William. In a funeral Mass we are praying for the repose of the departed, blessing their bodies, laying them to rest, and commended them to the mercy of God. I fail to see what is wrong with that or how that is a waste of time. To avoid doing a funeral Mass would be a profound act of disrespect to the departed person and to their family. In terms of daily Masses, we offer the Mass for the dead and the living. In fact each person in the pews can offer their participation in the Mass for some particular intention. The Mass Intention itself can be for a living or departed soul. During the Mass when the Intentions of the parish are read, both the living and the dead are prayed for. We are obligated to pray for the dead, by the way. To pray for those in purgatory can lessen the time a soul spends in purgatory so they may enter into the heavenly bliss sooner. What more perfect prayer for the love of others can there be but to pray that they enter the heavenly bliss as soon as possible? There is time and means to do all that God asks us to do or He would not ask us to do it, and He asks us to pray for the dead as well as for the living. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

funeral mass

william

Monday, January 10, 2005

Question:

Hello,
Was wondering about saying mass for someone after they die. I was thinking this was kind of wasteful and not too bright of a thing to do. If the person is dead then they are already in purgatory, heaven or hell. Mass could ease their pain in purgatory I guess, but the person in purgatory is already assured of heaven. So my question is "wouldn't the church be able to save more souls if all the masses in the World were offerred for the living?

When two armies or nations are at war and they have only so many arrows, bullets, tanks, men...etc; each side has to decide where and when to use each weapon and resource to get the maxium effect.

It seems to me since the "Mass" is one of the most powerful weapons the church has, and there are only so many masses being said each day; the Bishop should ask or tell all the priests that when ever they say a mass they should always include in their intention some living person and never say a mass solely for the dead.

question #2 IN this way couldn't more souls be saved?

quesition #3 After all what is more important? Helping souls in purgatory or snatching souls from satan's snare and saving them from damnation?

Couldn't the Priest say this mass for the deceased and the living family members ---the living family members and deceased family members of the one that died? And also offer the Mass for the family descendants of the descendants that will come in the future(the ones that are born after one dies) A Priest once told me "time is nothing for God" so I don't think this is a strange ideal.
Seems to me the church should make this ideal doctrine.
We only have so much time and isn't the main battle How many souls will go to heaven and how many souls will go to Satan? maybe Priests already do this? I haven't been to many funerals.
God Bless?

Wialliam V

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear William:

Prayer is not a waste of time, William. In a funeral Mass we are praying for the repose of the departed, blessing their bodies, laying them to rest, and commended them to the mercy of God. I fail to see what is wrong with that or how that is a waste of time. To avoid doing a funeral Mass would be a profound act of disrespect to the departed person and to their family.

In terms of daily Masses, we offer the Mass for the dead and the living. In fact each person in the pews can offer their participation in the Mass for some particular intention. The Mass Intention itself can be for a living or departed soul. During the Mass when the Intentions of the parish are read, both the living and the dead are prayed for.

We are obligated to pray for the dead, by the way. To pray for those in purgatory can lessen the time a soul spends in purgatory so they may enter into the heavenly bliss sooner. What more perfect prayer for the love of others can there be but to pray that they enter the heavenly bliss as soon as possible?

There is time and means to do all that God asks us to do or He would not ask us to do it, and He asks us to pray for the dead as well as for the living.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum