Real Love Incorporated - Articles » Purgatory Isn't Such a Bad Deal

Apparently I have once again struck a nerve.

This time the subject is Purgatory. I wrote a few months ago about a certain All Souls Day Mass I attended, wherein the deacon gave a homily assuring us that every one of the 80 people buried from that parish in the past year have arrived in Heaven. I found that a little bit presumptuous, and I said so.
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A lot of people didn’t like that.

Well, to be fair, my mail on the subject fell into a neat 50/50 split. Half were thanking me for reminding people of the reality of Purgatory and the importance of praying for the dead.

The other half just didn’t believe that Purgatory exists.

They had their reasons. Some said they didn’t find adequate evidence for it in the Scriptures or among the Church Fathers. Others knew priests who reject the doctrine. One woman said that the mere mention of Purgatory brought back traumatic memories of some kind. Most wanted me to re-examine my “own” beliefs, to ask myself whether I’m really convinced that Purgatory actually exists.

Here’s the problem – I don’t think my own “beliefs” are worth a darn. (Yes, “darn.” This is a family publication.)

Seriously, who am I to definitively determine whether or not God chooses to purify us before we enter into Heaven? I could read the Bible and research the Church Fathers all the live-long day, and I still wouldn’t have the slightest clue how the God of the Universe handles the afterlife.

So if I can’t know whether or not Purgatory exists, who am I to write an article encouraging people to take it seriously?

Look, I don’t know the Mind of Almighty God. He hasn’t revealed these things directly to me. But I am convinced that He has revealed them to His Church. So when She speaks, I listen.

So basically my disagreement with my detractors is not so much about the existence of Purgatory as it is about the nature of the Catholic Church.

The Church that Christ Himself founded, the one to whom He handed the keys to the kingdom, has for 2000 years consistently taught that purgatory is real, that we may experience a time of purification before entering into Heaven. I may not like that. Personally, I’d much prefer a system where my eyes close, I breathe my last, and I immediately behold the Face of God, in which I then delight for all eternity. But, tempting though it may be to base my beliefs on my preferences, I can’t. Christ’s Church has an “inside track” that I really can’t ignore.

I do believe that a lot of people misunderstand what the Church teaches about Purgatory, and thus what they are rejecting is not the actual doctrine, but a caricature of that doctrine they have picked up through some half-baked catechesis. For instance, a lot of people seem to believe that Purgatory is sort of a “temporary Hell.” The “fire” is the same, but not everybody has to stay forever.

Let’s leave aside for a minute the question of whether or not Hell involves fire, and stick with the purgatorial side of things. The Church, in the Catechism, says that Purgatory, the final purification of the elect is “entirely different from the punishment of the damned.” It is a time of purification, a time of being “made perfect” so as to be prepared to enter the presence of the God who is all perfection.

The late, great C.S. Lewis, a non-Catholic, wrote “Our souls demand Purgatory, don't they? Would it not break the heart if God said to us, 'It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the joy'? Should we not reply, 'With submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I'd rather be cleaned first.' 'It may hurt, you know' - 'Even so, sir.’” (C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer).

So I don’t know about you, but I know about myself. I am far from perfect. But I want to be perfect. I certainly want to be perfect before I enter into the presence of God. So if He’s offering a way to become perfect, I think it would be best if I took it.

Nobody knows exactly what Purgatory entails. But we can speculate. It has occurred to me that much of my purgatorial suffering will consist in realizing fully the consequences of my actions – or lack of action. I will see what God’s perfect plan was for me, and how I – to the extent that I was lazy or selfish or otherwise occupied – fell short of that plan. I will see how many more souls I could have touched if I had followed Him more closely, if I had listened to His promptings. I’ll see how their lives could have been better, or even how their souls could have been saved, if I had more generously allowed the Holy Spirit to work through me.

Yes, Purgatory involves suffering. But I have read that the souls in Purgatory are happier than those of us here on earth. And why wouldn’t they be? They are assured of salvation. They know they are going to Heaven.

So I don’t think we need to fear Purgatory. I think we need to do everything we can to avoid it. Avoid sin – mortal and venial. Attend Mass and receive the sacraments regularly. Pray. Establish a relationship with God. Strive to do His will.

And pray for the souls in Purgatory. I strongly suspect that, when the time comes, they will return the favor.


	Purgatory Isn't Such a Bad Deal I don't know about you, but I want to be perfect before I face the God who is all Perfection. January 10, 2008 Apparently I have once again struck a nerve. This time the subject is Purgatory. I wrote a few months ago about a certain All Souls Day Mass I attended, wherein the deacon gave a homily assuring us that every one of the 80 people buried from that parish in the past year have arrived in Heaven. I found that a little bit presumptuous, and I said so. \ A lot of people didn’t like that. Well, to be fair, my mail on the subject fell into a neat 50/50 split. Half were thanking me for reminding people of the reality of Purgatory and the importance of praying for the dead. The other half just didn’t believe that Purgatory exists. They had their reasons. Some said they didn’t find adequate evidence for it in the Scriptures or among the Church Fathers. Others knew priests who reject the doctrine. One woman said that the mere mention of Purgatory brought back traumatic memories of some kind. Most wanted me to re-examine my “own” beliefs, to ask myself whether I’m really convinced that Purgatory actually exists. Here’s the problem – I don’t think my own “beliefs” are worth a darn. (Yes, “darn.” This is a family publication.) Seriously, who am I to definitively determine whether or not God chooses to purify us before we enter into Heaven? I could read the Bible and research the Church Fathers all the live-long day, and I still wouldn’t have the slightest clue how the God of the Universe handles the afterlife. So if I can’t know whether or not Purgatory exists, who am I to write an article encouraging people to take it seriously? Look, I don’t know the Mind of Almighty God. He hasn’t revealed these things directly to me. But I am convinced that He has revealed them to His Church. So when She speaks, I listen. So basically my disagreement with my detractors is not so much about the existence of Purgatory as it is about the nature of the Catholic Church. The Church that Christ Himself founded, the one to whom He handed the keys to the kingdom, has for 2000 years consistently taught that purgatory is real, that we may experience a time of purification before entering into Heaven. I may not like that. Personally, I’d much prefer a system where my eyes close, I breathe my last, and I immediately behold the Face of God, in which I then delight for all eternity. But, tempting though it may be to base my beliefs on my preferences, I can’t. Christ’s Church has an “inside track” that I really can’t ignore. I do believe that a lot of people misunderstand what the Church teaches about Purgatory, and thus what they are rejecting is not the actual doctrine, but a caricature of that doctrine they have picked up through some half-baked catechesis. For instance, a lot of people seem to believe that Purgatory is sort of a “temporary Hell.” The “fire” is the same, but not everybody has to stay forever. Let’s leave aside for a minute the question of whether or not Hell involves fire, and stick with the purgatorial side of things. The Church, in the Catechism, says that Purgatory, the final purification of the elect is “entirely different from the punishment of the damned.” It is a time of purification, a time of being “made perfect” so as to be prepared to enter the presence of the God who is all perfection. The late, great C.S. Lewis, a non-Catholic, wrote “Our souls demand Purgatory, don't they? Would it not break the heart if God said to us, 'It is true, my son, that your breath smells and your rags drip with mud and slime, but we are charitable here and no one will upbraid you with these things, nor draw away from you. Enter into the joy'? Should we not reply, 'With submission, sir, and if there is no objection, I'd rather be cleaned first.' 'It may hurt, you know' - 'Even so, sir.’” (C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer). So I don’t know about you, but I know about myself. I am far from perfect. But I want to be perfect. I certainly want to be perfect before I enter into the presence of God. So if He’s offering a way to become perfect, I think it would be best if I took it. Nobody knows exactly what Purgatory entails. But we can speculate. It has occurred to me that much of my purgatorial suffering will consist in realizing fully the consequences of my actions – or lack of action. I will see what God’s perfect plan was for me, and how I – to the extent that I was lazy or selfish or otherwise occupied – fell short of that plan. I will see how many more souls I could have touched if I had followed Him more closely, if I had listened to His promptings. I’ll see how their lives could have been better, or even how their souls could have been saved, if I had more generously allowed the Holy Spirit to work through me. Yes, Purgatory involves suffering. But I have read that the souls in Purgatory are happier than those of us here on earth. And why wouldn’t they be? They are assured of salvation. They know they are going to Heaven. So I don’t think we need to fear Purgatory. I think we need to do everything we can to avoid it. Avoid sin – mortal and venial. Attend Mass and receive the sacraments regularly. Pray. Establish a relationship with God. Strive to do His will. And pray for the souls in Purgatory. I strongly suspect that, when the time comes, they will return the favor.