Many Catholics and non-Catholics have wondered about Purgatory. Does it exist? There's no mention of it in the Bible. Is it just a Catholic invention to make money by asking people to pay for prayers and Masses to be celebrated for the repose of dead family and friends?
How long do souls stay in Purgatory? Is it a day for every venial sin? A week? A month? Longer?
How many days off do they gain when we pray for these souls or celebrate Mass for them?
What does Purgatory look like? Does it have a fire like hell? Is it hot
or cold there? Or is it perhaps just warm so you feel uncomfortable but
you don’t burn?
Does it have devils looking after all the inmates; like in hell, or are they a little kinder perhaps?
Are we in pain when in Purgatory? Like the fire in hell?
The notion that Purgatory is some sort of Purification Center or Car Wash where all souls with venial sins go to be made clean before entering Heaven has long vexed many wise minds.
The Catholic Church bases its teaching from Scripture. In Revelation
Chapter 21 Verse 27 it says ‘Nothing unclean shall enter Heaven.’ So,
strictly speaking, if we die with venial sins on our conscience we’re
not spiritually cleaned; and that’s why we go to Purgatory.
The belief in the existence of Purgatory goes back to the early
Christians; and other Christian denominations also
believe in such a place where souls go before they are ready to enter
Heaven.
Given that very few of us will die with no sins whatsoever on our
conscience, the Church teaches that there must exist a place, or a state
of being, or a state of purification, where we are cleansed of our sins
and we can enter Heaven. This place, or state of being, is known as
Purgatory.
Jesus did describe Heaven at one time as a mansion with many rooms. So
it follows, perhaps, that in our imagination we visualize Purgatory as a
physical place too.
The pertinent point, however, is that the Church teaches that there is a
stage where souls destined for Heaven undergo a period of purification.
St.
Therese of Lisieux, who is a doctor of the church, has her
own view of Purgatory. She maintains that one does not need
to go to Purgatory. While still only a novice, she spoke
to Sister Maria Philomena, who believed in the near
impossibility of going to Heaven without passing through
purgatory.
Therese’s response was, “You do not have enough
trust. You have too much fear before the good God. I can
assure you that He is grieved over this. You should not
fear Purgatory because of the suffering there, but should
instead ask God to take you straight to Heaven. As soon as
you try to please Him in everything and have an unshakable
trust He purifies you every moment in His love and He lets
no sin remain. It is then you can be sure that you will not
have to go to Purgatory.”
She
maintained that we offend God if we do not trust
Him enough to take us to Heaven as soon as we die. When she
found out that her novices talked occasionally that they
would probably have to expect to be in Purgatory, she
corrected them saying, "Oh! How you grieve me! You do a
great injury to God in believing you're going to Purgatory.
When we love, we can't go there."
Now,
this is a new doctrine, but only for those who don't know
God, who are not childlike, who don't trust.
It is so
correct to see things this way. It is true that God will
judge us at one point, but He is always and first our Father
Who suffers when He has to punish His child and sees him
suffering. The child should do His will just out of love,
and not to avoid punishment. This really means that God
does not want Purgatory! He allows His children to suffer,
but only as if He had to look away.
Once
Sister Therese had a confrontation regarding this topic with
Sister Marie Febronia, who was sub-prioress. She heard that
Sister Therese encouraged her novices to believe that they
could go straight to Heaven. She did not like this as she
considered this kind of confidence presumptuous, and thus
she reproached Sister Therese and told her that what she
taught her novices was wrong. Sister Therese tried lovingly
and calmly to explain to Sister Febronia her point
of view but with no success as she clung to her belief. For
Sister Therese God was more Father than Judge, and she
concluded by saying, "My sister, if you look for the justice
of God you will get it. The soul will receive from God
exactly what she desires."
Soon
after this Sister Febronia died. Three months after her
death Sister Therese had a dream which she related to her
Mother Prioress, "Sister Febronia came to me last night and
asked that we should pray for her. She is in Purgatory, surely
because she had trusted too little in the mercy of the
good Lord. She told her, ‘You were right. I am now
delivered up to the full justice of God but it is my fault.
If I had listened to you I would not be here now.’"
What
is Purgatory? It is where the souls of the just are
purified before they can enter Heaven and live with God. Their suffering is so intense as they wait and long to live
with God but are unable because they have to endure this
process of purification. Therese’s advice to each one of us
is, “Live your life as best you can and say to God our
Father, “Please do not send me to Purgatory. The moment I
die may I come straight to You in Heaven.”
May I add? Have
a great devotion to Dismas, the Repentant Thief. He
by-passed Purgatory with one request, “Jesus, remember me
when You come into Your kingdom.”
Jesus didn’t turn to him
and say, “What! You have been a rogue and robber for many
years. You have the audacity to say, ‘Remember me when You
come into Your Kingdom.’ Let Me tell you this. If you want
to come into My kingdom it is a lifetime’s task.” Instead
Jesus said to him. “I promise you this very day you will be
with Me in paradise!” Here we see how one appeal for love
was enough to blot out a life time of sin!
NOTE: I am grateful to Father Francis Maple for the information this post contains. Father Francis publishes a daily homily - Please click HERE.
