When the hour came, he took his place at table with the apostles. He said to them, I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it (again) until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God. Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you (that) from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me. And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. -The 5th Luminous Mystery

EWTN.com - Praying for souls in purgatory

EWTN.com - Praying for souls in purgatory: "Hello Dr. Geraghty,

It seems that most prayers are not answered in the way we hope.

How do know that when we pray for the souls in purgatory or have masses said for them or do penance for them, that God is helping them? (Reducing their time in purgatory or perhaps helping them to bear it.) The Church encourages us to pray for them, but might our prayers often not be answered in the way we hope, much as they seem not be answered in the way we hope when we pray about earthly matters? (Healing, getting a job, etc.) Or can we not know either way?

Thank you.
Answer by Richard Geraghty on 11/15/2008:

Dear Anon,

The Church urges us to pray, knowing that since God is good, all prayers are to the good. Are not God's actions better than ours?

Dr. Geraghty"

1 comment:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2009

    Prayers are answered if it is in God's plan. When praying for anything, the prayer should be generic, that is..one should pray for the general solution to some issue, leaving the specific answer in the hands of God.

    ReplyDelete

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