Catholics must pray for our ancestors! Our mothers and fathers were formed from DNA passed on from our four grandparents. They were each formed from DNA from our 8 great-grandparents. Their ancestors were programmed from DNA reaching back to Noah, and beyond, to Adam and Eve.
All the souls of our ancestors are still alive! Some are in Heaven. Others, in Purgatory. Sadly, many are in hell.
Can the souls in hell be saved? Can our prayers help get them out? We do know that Jesus “descended into hell” between His Crucifixion and Resurrection. He brought souls out of hell. Since Jesus is “the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow”, He may still bring souls out of hell.
On all the earth, there is only one set of “the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven”. Those “keys” were given to The Only Church Jesus Founded when He Decreed to one man, one time:
“I say unto you thou art Peter and on this rock I build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I give you the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven.”
Now, we consider: Since “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”, can our prayers provide salvation to those souls in hell?
Jesus did go there. His angels can go, any time He wants to send them. He will answer prayers, especially those passed on to Him from Blessed Mother and His Holy Saints and Angels.
Since we are Catholics, we do have access to “the keys to The Kingdom of Heaven”. Our ancestors did provide us life that let us have the blessings of obedience to His Church. So, it seems reasonable that we may be able to successfully ask God to save the souls of those who provided us with life.
So, Catholics may reasonably pray:
“Dear God, I am blessed to be Catholic and receive Your Body and Blood and “have life in” me because my ancestors brought me into being. They gave me the life that led me to obey You. Please, bless the souls of all my ancestors and their descendants. Please, God, bless our family forever.”
Catholics must pray for our ancestors!
