Can you bless a person who is dead?

Answer 1

In the wonderful world of religion, all things are possible. If you wish to bless a person who is dead, feel free to do so. There is no evidence that dead people actually benefit in any way from the blessings bestowed upon them by the living, but then, there is also no eividence that they don't. The afterlife (if such a thing actually exists) remains mysterious to the living.

Answer 2

Catholic AnswerCertainly you should pray for the dead, as a matter of fact, it is in The Bible, see 2 Maccabees 12:39-46. The Bible specifically points out that only the perfect enter heaven, and there are very few people who are perfect by the time they die, we call them "saints". They go straight to heaven. The rest of us have to spend some time in purgatory working off what is still imperfect. When someone you know dies, you should pray for them regularly, and have Mass said for them. By the way, I highly recommend the last book on the list below: Charity for the Suffering Souls: An Explanation of the Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory - it explains the doctrine very well, and lists all kinds of proof from Scripture and Tradition. There are several other good books that cover this subject, I shall put links below for them. In the meantime here is verse 46 from Maccabees: It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.