The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-02-11
PRAYERS FOR
The DEAD
Catholic Champion on Epis-
oopalian Organ Speaks
of an R. G. Practice.
UNIVERSAL CUSTOM OF MANKIND
It's Foundation on a Doctrine
of Faith-Among the
Churches.
CUSTOM OF MANKIND

The "Catholic Champion (High Church
EpiscopaD, in it's December number, de-
votes several of its columns to the sub
ject of Prayers for the Dead" says the
.~Freeman's Journal" editorially. 1t be-
gins thus
q. In the first place there are cer-
tain facts which no one disputes.
(a) The Jews from a remote period
mo one knows how far baek-prayed
for their dead.
(b) The Jews, In our Lords days on
earth, prayed for their dead.
(c) The heather world, led by natural
instinct, or else by primeval tradition,
prayed for the dead.
(d) The Christian Church, from the
earliest ages, prayed for the dead; and
this is SO fixed a system hat St. Angus
tine mentions certain persons for whom
| requiem masses may not be offered.
In fact, it would be little exaggeration
to say tina all civilized pople, whether
Christian, Jewish or heather, always
have and do at the present day pray for
the dead, with the single noteworthy
exception of the children of the Protes-
tant Reformation of the sixteenth CEN
fury. The foregoing statements are
mere matters of fact, which cannot be
denied"
Having laid down these facts as evil
dence Of a universal practice of man
kind, the champion seeks for the belief,
or doctrine, from which this common
practice arose and on which it rests. 1t
| says:-"Every practice of the Catholic
| Church rests for it's sure foundation
upon some doctrine of the faith. Via
is the doctrine underlying the practice OF
praying for the dead? The answer to this
question is fortunately one that will meet
with universal acceptance. The root doc
trine of this practice is that every crea-
ture is in need of the help and sustain
ing power of the Creator"
The root doctrine is too broad to
| account for the universal practice OF
praying for the lead. 1t includes the
saints, who, confirmed in glory, enjoy the
| beatifc vision, and who, therefore,, need
not our prayers. st. Augustine, In one Oh
| his sermons, says tbs sit is an insult to
a martyr to pray in his behalf, for We
ought rather to commend ourselves to
his PRAYERS" This remark is based on
| the belief that those who suffer martyr
dom Immediately enter heaven without
passing through the pains OF purgatory.
It is also too broad because it includes
| those condemned to hell, out of which
there is nc redemption, and, consequent
w for whom prayers would be of no
avail.
Besides. the same evidence that proves
the common practice of praying for the
dead proves also the motive with Wnlch
pravers are offered. Take the case OF
the Jews before the time of Christ. The
historical evidence that they prayed 1oi
the dead is found in the second book OF
Maccabees. where Q2-43) it is stated
that Judas made a collection and sen
money to Jerusalem for Sacrifices to be
offered for the sins of the dead. Here
the reason for prayers is given. fnes
were for the sins; that is, for the for
giveness of the sins of the dead. Aho
the chapte ends with this statement
sIt is therefore a holy and a wholesome
thought to pray for the dead, that they
NAV be loosed from their sins.
Here the evidence that proves the
practice of the Jews gives at the sam
time the motive of it, or the root doc
trine that underlies it. In the same way
Christian tradition and the testimony
Of the Fathers, while proving the prac-
tice of praying for the dead, prove the
motive to be to shorten their purgato'
rial s~ufferings.
The doctrine of a middle state OF
place where souls suffer for a time be
fore entering heaven and the practice
Of nraving for the dead stand or fall to-
gether. Reject the former ana the lat'
ter become objectless. II the doctrine
of ~purgatory be rejected all the DEAD are
in heaven, where they need not ou'
prayers; or in hell, where our prayers
are of no avail. In following a Cath
Ollie practice the champion u ac'
cept the doctrine on which the practice
rests. -