Praying for the Dead
Today, more and more people are feeling they have a vocation to pray for the dead. Although praying for the dead has continued uninterrupted in the Catholic and Orthodox churches, the Reformation all but stopped this form of prayer in the Protestant tradition. Some people believe that at the point of death your condition is fixed and cannot be changed by the prayers of the living. The antipathy to prayers for the dead arose, at least in part, as a reaction against the concept of purgatory, and the abuses associated with this in the Middle Ages, such as charging for indulgences, pardons and prayers for the dead , to reduce the time spent in purgatory.
The Traditional theory of death and what happens next much rules out further spiritual growth post mortem. However, psychic and spiritual insights suggest the possibility that our development does not cease at death. Calling this booklet "Praying for the Dead" is a misnomer, a shorthand for a larger truth. to talk of "the dead", implies that they are no more. Certainly they are no more with us in physical form, but those who are no longer physically present here on earth are still living, in a different way, on another plane, in another dimension. And they may not be too far away from us.
In the Anglican church, both prayer and liturgy are evolving so that praying for the dead is more widely performed. Individuals who have had psychic experiences involving dead friends, relatives , or others may feel particularly called to pray for them as an expression of their love.
A Deeper Understanding
In the Anglican church, both prayer and liturgy are evolving so that praying for the dead is more widely performed. Individuals who have had psychic experiences involving dead friends, relatives , or others may feel particularly called to pray for them as an expression of their love.
In this book, Revd. Dr Meg Gilley explores the history of praying for the dead within the Anglican Church., and reflects theologically on the meaning of praying for the dead today. She
then provides a selection of prayers that individuals or groups can use for praying for the dead.
This insightful book provides a sound grounding in the theology and practice of praying for the dead. It will be of interest and use for those who are just beginning to explore this subject, as well as for those who have been for some time.
Meg Gilley is a retired priest living in Durham. During her first career in the NHS, she completed a PhD on collaboration between health and social services. When she left the NHS, she was Chief Executive of Darlington Primary Care Group. She was ordained deacon in 2000 and priest in 2001, and spent 20 years servicing in the parishes in the diocese of Durham. She retired in April 2020, during the first Covid lockdown.
In retirement, she discovered a vocation to pray for the dead, which led to this work. She is a full-time carer for her husband, a retired academic historian, who has Parkinson's, and walks with him in the shadow of death.