That’s a sweet story! I would have told him, as I tell my own, that it was His death on that cross that saved us. I’m sorry about your mother. You can continue to pray for her soul. God Bless you!
Redemption does not stop with Jesus' death. The resurrection is essential.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:12-17 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
Not according to God's Word - but for some people praying for the dead makes them feel better.
If you do that, please don't interpret my statement as a personal attack.
If Jesus didn't come up off that Cross, none of us are going to heaven...That's why the empty Cross is so important...He Is Risen...