Since we do not know when a soul is released from purgatory, when should
we stop having Masses and prayers said for a deceased person?
Unless God were to give us a special revelation, which He generally never does, or a person is canonized by the Church, we do not know if the soul of a particular person is in heaven, hell or purgatory. We know that it is very useful and even important to pray for the souls in purgatory. It is considered the general consensus of saints and theologians that if we are praying for a soul already in heaven or one that has been damned to hell, our prayers will be of value to ourselves and our own salvation, even though prayers for souls in heaven and hell have no value to them. God will give us personally the benefit of our prayers for them. No prayer is ever "wasted." Therefore, there is really no time limit for our prayers and Masses for the deceased.
Reprinted from June 19, 1998
Why did Jesus take the good thief immediately to paradise without his going
to purgatory? My Protestant friends use this example of the good thief to
deny the existence of purgatory.
The beautiful recounting of the words of Jesus to the good thief (Luke 23:43), to whom legend gives the name St. Dismas, tells us nothing about purgatory, either for the thief or for us. It is possible the suffering of the thief on the cross and his intense contrition and love were sufficient to expiate all the temporal punishment that was due to his sins. Also, we have no idea about he duration of purgatory in temporal terms. Jesus said "Amen I say to you, this day you will be with me in paradise". But the Bible says, "… one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day." (2 Peter 3:8) How long in our kind of measurement was "this day" of which Christ spoke? Jesus Himself ascended into heaven only forty days after His resurrection (Acts of the Apostles 1:3). Your Protestant friends are off the mark in their efforts to disprove what Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture clearly affirm, the existence of purgatory.
Reprinted from November 22, 1996
When did the practice of praying for the dead begin?
The Catholic Church, from the time Christ founded her, always prayed for the dead. This practice, since its importance was already revealed by God in the Old Testament, however, was also present in ancient Judaism. The earliest Christian liturgies (worship services) contains prayers for the deceased. Tomb inscriptions and all the evidence from the catacombs indicate that the earliest Christians prayed for their dead and had Masses offered for the repose of their soul. Writing in the year 211 A.D. Tertullian said, "We offer sacrifices for the dead on their birthdays and anniversaries". Rejection of the doctrine of purgatory only came about when Martin Luther abandoned the Catholic Church and invented the Protestant Religion. There are indications of prayers for the dead in the New Testament (2 Timothy 1:16-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:29-30).
Reprinted from November 8, 1996
Do any other Christians besides Catholics believe in the existence of purgatory?
Yes. The Eastern Orthodox, although separated from the See of Peter, pray and offer the Sacred Liturgy for the deceased. If you add the number of Catholics to the Eastern Orthodox, it is apparent that three quarters of Christianity accepts the doctrine of purgatory. Protestants, in all their various and contradictory sects, churches, and denominations, constitute less than one quarter of those who profess to be Christians in the world.
Reprinted from November 8, 1996
How do we know that purgatory exists? It is never mentioned in the Bible,
so where did the Catholic tradition about Purgatory come from?
Although the word "purgatory" is not mentioned in the Bible, the reality of purgatory is clearly mentioned there. The words "Trinity" and "incarnation" and "Bible" are not mentioned in the Bible, but these realities are revealed there. Jesus speaks of sins to be forgiven in the life to come (Matthew 12:23). Saint Paul speaks of those saved in the next life "through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:15). Saint Peter speaks of the "spirits in prison" (1 Peter 3:18-20) and of the Gospel "preached to the dead" (1 Peter 4:6). The Bible explicitly tells us to pray for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:44-46). Besides being found in Sacred Tradition, which explicitly affirms the existence of purgatory, it is clearly that the doctrine of it existence is also found in Sacred Scripture.
Reprinted from November 8, 1996
When we pray for our deceased friends and relative, are they aware that we
are praying for them or at least will they be aware someday of what we do
for them?
While there is no defined Catholic doctrine about this matter, the Tradition of the Church, Christian custom throughout the ages, many private revelations, and the teaching and practice of the saints through the centuries all indicate that such awareness exists. Many saints have taught that the souls in purgatory, while unable to help themselves, are not only able to be helped by our prayers and Masses, but also are able to pray for us even before they enter heaven. It is a defined doctrine of our Catholic Faith (in the Council of Trent) that the saints in heaven can hear our prayers and can intercede for us before the throne of Almighty God.
Reprinted from February 12, 1999
If a person says a prayer or makes a novena to which a plenary indulgence
is attached, but does not fulfill all the requirements for obtaining a plenary
indulgence, does such a prayer or novena still count for something or are
the prayers worthless?
No prayers are worthless. Even if one does not obtain a plenary indulgence, the prayers might merit a partial indulgence. Also, if there is not any indulgence attached to some prayers or devotions, they can still be of immense value for the person saying or doing them and for those for whom they are said and done.
Reprinted from January 22, 1999
Would it be a sin for a Catholic not to believe in the existence of purgatory?
Yes, it would be a mortal sin of heresy for such a Catholic. Read about purgatory in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (numbers 1030-1032). Read about heresy in the same book (number 2089).
Reprinted from January 22, 1999