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*Image: An Angel Frees the Souls of Purgatory by Ludovico Carracci, c. 1610 [Pinacoteca Vaticana, Rome]
By John M. Grondelski, The Catholic Thing, Feb. 20, 2023
John Grondelski (Ph.D., Fordham) is a former associate dean of the School of Theology, Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey. All views herein are exclusively his.
The ritual phrase above is so common that many Catholics probably don’t even bother to think about what it is saying. I’d even venture to suggest that no small number of people in the pews couldn’t explain what it’s saying, at least not beyond “we’re praying for X.” And while that’s true, there’s more to the story that an earlier generation of Catholics might have articulated but many today, I fear, just can’t.
Why do we pray for X?
We pray for X because he’s dead and so can’t help himself. Now that doesn’t mean that the dead just lie there, utterly passive. We invoke the saints in heaven and ask for their prayers. They’re dead. Yet we’re confident they can help us.
So why are we praying for X? …
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