Catholics cooperating in God's work of saving souls from hell

 The Facebook post from "Thy Flame of Love" shares a quote attributed to the Virgin Mary during the Fatima apparitions in 1917, emphasizing Catholic beliefs in intercessory prayer, sacrifices, and the Rosary as ways for believers to "cooperate" in God's work of saving souls from hell. It references James 5:16 (New Testament) and asks about belief in this concept.

The Jewish view about "saving souls" being (or not being) a "Jewish thing" and emphasizing personal responsibility aligns closely with the Tanakh's (Hebrew Bible) teachings. From a strict Tanakh-only perspective, the idea of one person praying or sacrificing to "save" another's soul from eternal hell is indeed foreign and incompatible. The Tanakh stresses individual accountability before HaShem—each person is responsible for their own sins, repentance, and standing with God. There is no mechanism for vicarious "soul-saving" through others' efforts, no eternal hell doctrine requiring such intervention, and no command for practices like the Rosary or self-sacrifice to redeem others eternally. Here's why, drawn directly from key passages:1. Personal Responsibility for Sin and RighteousnessThe Tanakh repeatedly affirms that no one bears the eternal consequences of another's sins, and righteousness/sin is credited individually:

• Ezekiel 18:4, 20 — "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine: the soul who sins shall die... The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."
• Deuteronomy 24:16 — "Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin."
• Jeremiah 31:29-30 — "In those days they shall no longer say: 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.' But everyone shall die for his own iniquity."

This directly counters the notion that one person's prayers or sacrifices can "save" another's soul. Each individual's standing with God depends on their own actions and turning back to Him—not on intermediaries or cooperative efforts.2. Repentance Is Direct and Individual—No Need for Others to "Save" SoulsForgiveness and restoration come from personal repentance (teshuvah) and obedience to Torah, not from someone else's intercession "bringing grace" or preventing damnation:

• Ezekiel 18:21-23, 30-32 — "But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all My statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him... Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn away from all your transgressions... Get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live."
• Isaiah 55:7 — "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."
• Psalm 51:16-17 (David's repentance): "For You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."

While intercessory prayer exists in the Tanakh (e.g., Abraham praying for Sodom in Genesis 18:23-32, or Moses for Israel in Exodus 32:11-14), it pleads for God's mercy in temporal matters (like sparing a city or averting plague)—and success often depends on the sinners' own response (e.g., Nineveh repents in Jonah 3:5-10). It never "saves souls" from an eternal fate, as the Tanakh has no concept of eternal hellfire damnation for souls.3. No Doctrine of Eternal Hell Requiring "Soul-Saving"The Tanakh describes the afterlife as Sheol (a shadowy underworld or grave for all, righteous and wicked alike), not a place of eternal torment from which souls need rescue via others' sacrifices:

• Psalm 49:14-15 — "Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell. But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me."
• Ecclesiastes 9:5-10 — "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing... for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom."
• Job 14:13 — Sheol as a temporary hiding place, not eternal punishment.

"Salvation" in the Tanakh means deliverance from earthly troubles, enemies, or exile—not eternal soul-rescue (Psalm 34:6: "This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles"; Isaiah 45:17: Israel saved with everlasting salvation from shame). There's no "many souls go to Hell" warning, as hell (Gehenna in later Judaism) isn't a Tanakh concept for eternal damnation.4. Sacrifices Are Limited and Not Vicarious for Eternal SalvationTemple sacrifices atone for unintentional sins or ritual impurities (Leviticus 4-5), requiring personal confession (Leviticus 5:5). They're not about one person "sacrificing themselves" to save others' souls:

• Leviticus 16 (Yom Kippur): The High Priest atones for the nation's sins annually through rituals and scapegoat, but it's tied to collective repentance—not permanent, individual soul-redemption.
• Micah 6:6-8 — "With what shall I come before the LORD?... Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression?... He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
• Proverbs 21:3 — "To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."

No Tanakh command exists for ongoing personal "sacrifices" (like accepting sufferings) to save others eternally—that's a later Christian development.Summary from Tanakh AloneThe Fatima message and Catholic idea of "cooperating" to save souls via prayer/sacrifice/Rosary is a post-Tanakh innovation, rooted in New Testament and apparitional traditions. In the Hebrew Bible, "saving souls" isn't a "Jewish thing" in that sense—everyone is indeed responsible for their own standing with HaShem through direct repentance, Torah observance, and seeking God's mercy (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Intercession can plead for temporal help, but ultimate judgment and forgiveness are individual and direct. No one else's efforts can override personal accountability, and there's no eternal hell to "save" from. This preserves the eternal covenant's focus on exclusive, personal relationship with HaShem without added mediators or rites.