Wednesday, May 02, 2012

St Monica and prayers for the dead

Interesting section here from Augustine's Confessions. It seems that both Monica and Augustine believed in the efficacy of praying for the dead saints:
However, scarcely five days after, or not much more, she was prostrated by fever; and while she was sick, she one day sank into a swoon, and was for a short time unconscious of visible things. We hurried up to her; but she soon regained her senses, and gazing on me and my brother as we stood by her, she said to us inquiringly,Where was I? Then looking intently at us stupefied with grief, Here, says she, shall you bury your mother. I was silent, and refrained from weeping; but my brother said something, wishing her, as the happier lot, to die in her own country and not abroad. She, when she heard this, with anxious countenance arrested him with her eye, as savouring of such things, and then gazing at me, Behold, says she,what he says; and soon after to us both she says, Lay this body anywhere, let not the care for it trouble you at all. This only I ask, that you will remember me at the Lord's altar, wherever you be. And when she had given forth this opinion in such words as she could, she was silent, being in pain with her increasing sickness.


Book IX, Chapter 11.


Does anyone know if Augustine ever formulates a whole theology of this topic?

4 comments:

Jonathan said...

Only had a brief moment to peruse this (can't verify the authenticity either), but this seems to be at least a development of some theology on the subject:

http://www.stpeterslist.com/1515/st-augustine-on-caring-for-the-dead-6-exhortations/

Andrew M. Greenwell said...

Both St. Monica and St. Augustine believed in Purgatory. He would have held canonical Scripture 2 Macc. 12, 43-46 which contemplates that it is a "a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins"

St. Augustine of Hippo, in his The City of God Against the Pagans, said the following:

"Temporal punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by some after death, by some both here and hereafter; but all of them before that last and strictest judgment."
s St. Monica's bl

Andrew M. Greenwell said...

See if you can find St. Augustine's sermon No. 172. That sermon is almost entirely devoted to prayer for the dead.

Abu Daoud said...

Thanks Andrew for that last one, I think I have access to it here.