Our ancestors came from a part of Europe that remained Catholic while other neighboring parts of Europe left the Church during the Protestant Reformation. If our ancestors had also left the Church centuries ago, today their decedents, us, may not be Catholic. Do you think that it is important to remember our ancestors, not just immediate family that recently preceded us in death but great-grandparents and beyond, in our prayers?
Our ancestors remained true to the Catholic faith, perhaps at great risk to their security, so that it seems to me that we should remember them and the great inheritance, the faith that they left to us.
I think what you are getting at is that you think some of the souls of your ancestors are in purgatory. That could be. I’ve myself have wondered how long I should pray for someone who has died. I’m sure others have wondered this also. If the person is in heaven, then I wouldn’t have to pray for them anymore, and perhaps I should be praying for someone else. If, however, the person is in purgatory, and I think they are in heaven, and I don’t pray for them, aren’t they going to mad at me and spend longer in purgatory?
There is no way to know such things (at least until we join them). Each person is free to do as they see fit when praying for the deceased. I think a good practice is simply to pray for all the souls in purgatory and that will cover them all (including even possibly those Protestant Reformers)! At Mass we are always offering the Sacrifice of Jesus for “our brothers and sisters who have gone to their rest….” So we really are praying for all our deceased ancestors at Mass. I’m not sure we really can do much better than that.
Of course, we do want to pray specifically for those who were near and dear to us. At some point, I think, our prayers naturally change from praying for their souls to just remembering them or asking them for help. Maybe that is a sign for us.
You are right to think about and appreciate those who have gone before us and passed on our Catholic faith in Jesus to us. We should also be mindful of how we are doing passing on our faith on to the next generation. Will anyone pray for us?
Lent is a good time to renew our own personal prayer. Pray for others, but don’t forget the main point of prayer is for us to grow in our own relationship with the Lord.
-Fr. Greg
If you would like submit a question, please write it out and place it in the “Ask a Priest” box in the vestibule or email me at frgreg@kc.rr.com.
