Catholics:?

Question

I've seen people mention that praying for someone now could have saved someone before they died in the past. Is there some kind of theological belief like that?

I forgot to write "since God is not bound to time."

Answer 1

*Is Catholic*

Yes. I know that I have mentioned that in the past.

The prime example is how the prayer's of Jesus and the sacrifice of the Cross caused Mary to be conceived without sin.

Christ's prayers (the sacrifice of the Cross is Christ's Divine Prayer to the Father) allowed him to bring the soles of the just patriarch of Israel into heaven who had died millennia before. By the prayers and blood of Christ Adam and Eve were raised from the dead.

If you understand how that works with the Communion of Saints and the merits of Christ, then yes, a prayer today can cause a past event to occur.

Let us be clear, a prayer today does not save a person who is today in hell.

Another good example is how the Catholic funeral rites pray that the soul of the dead be accepted by Christ, an event which has already occurred at the time of the death of the individual!

So yes, pray now for God's mercy for those who have died that they during their life, might have accepted the grace that was given to them and died a happy death.

Answer 2

The only way anyone can get saved is through the blood of Jesus Christ. Can they ask God to deal with someone's heart - sure - but unless God does deal with their heart and they turn from their sins - that's all any one can do is pray for them. After the last breathe leaves the body- it's over .There is no chance forgivness. It sounds like something the Catholics would teach.
Prayer is very powerful when your heart is right with God.

Answer 3

I dont know about time travelling but you can pray for people,I always pray for my loved ones who i hope to meet again.

Even if the person who died had little faith your prayers can work for them,
When the paralyzed man at capernaum was being lowered through the roof it was the faith of the people lowering him down that saved him,not the man himselfs faith.
Praying for others does work,they are still around,they just arent here.
.

Answer 4

I believe that prayers may be applied to someone before they die because Jesus is in the eternal "Now" which means there is no time there. He may be able to save someone even after they appear to be dead. St. Faustina has also said something that gives people hope in accordance with the Divine Mercy vision she had of our Lord where there was a whitish ray and a red ray streaming from his heart. He told her to tell everyone about his Divine Mercy and to pray the chaplet begging the Father "For the sake of his (Jesus') sorrowful, passion, to have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Answer 5

Yes. Since Gos is not bound by time, he could take a prayer from 1,000 from now, and apply it to someone or something 1,000 years ago, and vice versa of course.

Amazing, isn't it?

Answer 6

I am a Catholic, and we believe in something called the community of saints. Those in heaven, those in purgatory (died and not quite to heaven), and those who are now living on Earth. We can pray for the souls in purgatory so that they can get to heaven faster. I hope this helps!

Answer 7

If you are dead it is to late.
God is not bound by time, but we are until we die.

There is no purgatory! When Jesus was on the Cross and the Thief next to Him confessed his sins and took Christ as his savior, what did Jesus say to him. "You shall be with me in GLORY tonight" No purgatory. False Catholic belief.

Answer 8

dielibra-
Jesus would not have had to spend any time in purgatory since He had no sin...