Prayers for Souls in Purgatory, St. Michael the Archangel, and Jesus Before the Incarnation
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Fr. Josh answers questions about what our prayers do for the souls in purgatory, why St. Michael the Archangel is considered a saint, and what was Jesus' nature as the Second Person of the Trinity before the Incarnation.
Snippet from the Show
The Catholic Church uses the term "saint" to refer to any being who is in heaven, either an angel or a human being.
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Questions
Praying for Souls in Purgatory
What are we praying for when we pray for loved ones in purgatory? If a person needs to be purified, how does our prayer help to speed that process? I'm generally struggling with the concept of purgatory and its biblical basis. After attending a wake recently, I wasn't able to give a good explanation to my kids about what our faith teaches about the next steps for our deceased family member. Thank you for your thoughts.
-AmyJo
St. Michael the Archangel
Can you explain St Michael the Archangel? If he is an angel, how is he a saint? I thought that saints were fully human and that the reason we venerate them and ask for their prayers on our behalf is that they are like us, born with original sin and tempted as we are, but they have demonstrated a holy and venerable path for us to emulate. How does an Angel or archangel fit this model?
-Peter
Who was Jesus before the Incarnation
So we know that God operates outside of time as we know it and that Jesus was not created. It is also my understanding that John 1:1-5 describes Jesus as the Word that was with God and was God but I'm a bit confused on the form that Jesus existed in before His earthly birth. We are taught that His divinity and humanity are so intertwined that it's a complete union between the two. Before His earthly birth, was Jesus just the divine part of himself and therefore did yet have His human aspects? Or, because He can operate outside of time as we know it, did he always have his human body and soul and therefore always have perfect unity between His divinity and humanity? Or did he exist in some other way that I'm not thinking of prior to his incarnation? I hope that question made sense. It still only kind of makes sense in my own head!
-Jennifer
Resources
- Submit your questions and feedback to Fr. Josh by filling out a form at www.ascensionpress.com/askfatherjosh
- Broken and Blessed by Fr. Josh Johnson
- Pocket Guide to Adoration by Fr. Josh Johnson
- Pocket Guide to Reconciliation by Fr. Josh Johnson & Fr. Mike Schmitz
- Ascension is pleased to offer our new and improved online bible study programs and sacramental preparation programs digitally to help you minister with flexibility. Go to ascensionpress.com to view all our offerings.